The University of California, San Francisco has installed seatbelts on its shuttle buses and made other safety changes in the wake of a crash that claimed the life of a university psychiatrist.
Senior Vice Chancellor John Plotts announced the installation of the lap belts on Monday in an e-mail to the campus community.
The buses now also have signs that read, "Safety is my goal," with a vehicle identification number and a phone number that riders can call with complaints.
Additionally, schedules on some shuttle routes have been changed to give drivers more time.
The university said in a statement that several changes have been made since July, including:
- Lap belts were installed in all our shuttle vehicles. Although seatbelts are not required, we have made them available to all passengers using UCSF shuttles.
- Starting this month, all shuttles will have signage on the exterior and the interior stating “Safety is my goal” with a vehicle ID number and telephone hotline 1-888-264-7233 (1-888- AM-I-SAFE). The hotline will be answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Any feedback — negative or positive — will be quickly reported to management. The UCSF Transportation Department will follow up on all reports, addressing problems when they occur and providing recognition for good drivers.
- New signs were installed inside the shuttles to guide passengers, including signs notifying them of the availability of seatbelts.
- Effective November 1, the Tan and Black schedules were modified and the Red route adjusted to allow more time to complete each route and to improve reliability and safety. Other routes continue to be evaluated, especially during peak hours.
Seatbelts are not required on the shuttles and were not available on the bus that crashed into a tractor-trailer in San Francisco on July 14.
Fifty-two-year-old Kevin Allen Mack, a psychiatrist, died after he was ejected from the shuttle.
