Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
                         March 8, 2002

The West Point shuttle bus route has once again returned to Pershing Center, but security is still an important issue, said Carmine Rizzo, chief of vehicle operations and consolidated maintenance here.

"The shuttle bus service was [initially] established to meet the local West Point requirements for transporting passengers between duty sites," he explained. "However, since 9/11 the service has been restricted to operating within the gates.

"This essentially left employees at Pershing Center without public transportation to Central Post Area, thus adding to the parking dilemma," Rizzo explained.

He added that the shuttle bus permits easy access to the CPA for meetings and Health Clinic appointments without driving in circles searching for a parking space.

Lt. Col. James Rice, commander of the 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment here, said not having the shuttle service disadvantaged a significant portion of the West Point [working] population, but it was necessary to end it while security issues were addressed.

Now, he said, "It is necessary to restart it, and the goal will be in the future to keep the shuttle service going and adjust security measures to support it even under a higher threat condition."

Pershing Center is considered a secure area, he said, and shuttles make no stops between it and Thayer Gate. Thus, he explained, there is no time the shuttle busses are stopped and open while not under secure conditions.