CDTA announces Taco Bell commuter route(April Fools!)
Tyler McNeil
Editor-in-Cheese
The new Crunch Route Supreme has been planned to stuff seats this fall.
“We want to make full-time students full again,” said Kassie Dia, vice president for soft and hard shell management.
This Monday, CDTA announced a new bus route that will carry students between two stops: Hudson Valley and Taco Bell. The route, exclusive to students, stops every six minutes during regular hours. Stops made during ‘happy hours’ are currently unlisted.
Over the last two semesters, 119 students reported difficulty developing the motivation to travel to Taco Bell on foot or by vehicle. The majority of reports mentioned students being parked “too far” to walk, were “too tired” to set foot six minutes or failed to convince one of their friends to travel to Taco Bell for them.
One of the students, Bill Grande, CIS student, lacked the motivation to move while suffering from a post-Superbowl hangover this year. He hoped consuming a cheesy gordita crunch combo meal on his break would aid his recovery, but didn’t want to drive. After making several failed calls to friends looking to get a ride down the street, Grande quit his goal and went to Wendy’s instead.
“Nobody was there for me when I needed it in my stomach,” said Grande.
Complaints to the college and Taco Bell profit losses by increasingly unmotivated students lead the two organizations to partner together last semester. After three months of research and planning, the partnership reached out to CDTA to explore establishing alternate Tex-Mex routes.
“It was lunch when I got their email, so I was totally on board,” said Burt Rito, CDTA beef executive officer.
Rito pushed the project to include a separate drive thru lane used by the route during happy hours. Orders will be selected through touchscreen, and grease-resistant pads will be available on each seat.
According to CDTA, the new lane is expected to break ground in June. During construction, the branch will temporarily relocate to the Guenther admissions office. The move, coordinated by Taco Bell and the college, will promote the bus service to new students and value menu education.
“Many students haven’t heard of the opportunities Taco Bell offers to get a quick, beefy, five-layer burrito while having other opportunities at Hudson Valley,” said Emily Panada, admissions counselor.
The college also hopes the temporary move will increase enrollment by showcasing Hudson Valley to later-night demographics. Guenther will extend its hours to 2 a.m. as a result of the temporary shift.