The ESCAPE Bus Company is gearing up for spring break in the midst of staffing shortages.

ESCAPE is an SA-chartered organization that offers students living in Long Island, Westchester and New York City a direct means by which to return home over breaks. This year, ESCAPE has offered buses over the fall, Thanksgiving and winter breaks and will be offering several buses for spring break. However, staffing shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic have proven to be an obstacle in the smooth operation of the company.

The organization described its history and mission, having served students for decades.

“The company has been around since at least the early [’70s], but ESCAPE as it is today was created or reformed in the early 2000’s,” ESCAPE wrote in an email. “The purpose of ESCAPE’s creation was to provide transportation for students, and while we don’t know how this was done in the past, currently we provide buses during breaks that run directly from campus to various destinations.”

ESCAPE explained how the COVID-19 pandemic has posed problems to the operation of the company and to the buses it runs.

“The biggest problem that ESCAPE has faced in the past and is currently still facing is the [COVID-19] pandemic and how it affects our operations,” ESCAPE wrote. “Prior to [COVID-19], ESCAPE had a healthy amount of interns and directors that allowed for the company to operate efficiently. During [COVID-19], ESCAPE was unable to run buses, and due to the amount of upperclassmen that were in the company, we currently have a shortage of interns and directors. As it stands now, ESCAPE is unable to resume in-person ticket sales and each break we have to find new bus captains, where in the past we would rely on interns to be bus captains.”

Some students reported experiencing occasional navigational issues on the ESCAPE buses. One student, Aiden Franznick, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, rode on an ESCAPE bus that drove toward Albany instead of its planned destination, Huntington, Long Island.

“[The] Thanksgiving break bus was quick and efficient, [we] got there in three hours 15 [minutes] — was a bit hot on the bus, but that’s OK,” Franznick said. “[The] winter break bus was rough, [the] driver went toward Albany, took six hours, was swerving, kept hitting rumble strips on sides of roads, almost side swiped a truck and car.”

ESCAPE does not run its own buses, but rather contracts out to ShortLine, a bus company owned by Coach USA. In response to the incorrectly routed bus incident, ESCAPE worked with ShortLine to offer students a 50 percent refund, and ShortLine held an internal meeting to work through navigational issues.

ESCAPE said the responsibility of ensuring the ride goes well is with the driver and described its processes for when trips go wrong.

“Once students board the bus, it is up to the driver to ensure that the ride goes smoothly, and if students have a poor experience, ESCAPE contacts ShortLine to seek compensation for students when appropriate,” ESCAPE wrote.

Despite the staffing-related issues that ESCAPE has experienced, many students continue to take ESCAPE buses because of the comfort and convenience they say it provides. Alli Greenwood, an undeclared freshman, said her experience on an ESCAPE was a pleasant one.

“There were seat belts and outlets, which I’ve experienced other buses not having, so that was nice,” Greenwood said. “The only issue I can think of is that I started waiting for the bus early, as they suggested, but the bus arrived about 10 minutes late. But that’s a problem so minor, it’s almost meaningless — the only reason I remember it is because I began to worry that the bus wasn’t coming or I was waiting in the wrong place. Regardless, using the ESCAPE bus was overall positive, and I’d definitely do it again over other buses.”