As the year ends and students mark their calendars with expected departures from campus, many Cornellians face one common problem — transportation.
As Cornell is home to many international and out-of-state students, Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Ithaca Tompkins International Airport are two hotspots during move-out. Many students flying out of Syracuse depend on external services, such as buses and Ubers, to commute to the airport — which is more than an hour away by car.
However, according to S.A. President Patrick Kuehl ’24 in the recently passed Resolution 76, these external transportation services are often pricey and occasionally unavailable.
“For those 5:30 a.m. flights, there’s literally no transportation available, hands down,” Kuehl said. “[This resolution] is about providing access, period.”
To aid students in this struggle, the S.A. unanimously passed Resolution 76 this past Thursday, transferring $18,000 to the Dean of Students Office to provide free charter buses after finals to both the Ithaca and Syracuse airports. The buses will pick up at Baker Flagpole and RPCC, and space is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The service is available to only undergraduate students, who can register via campus groups.
Interested students must register before May 12 at 11 p.m. The service will provide 20 total shuttles arriving at airports between Wednesday, May 15 at 4 a.m. and Saturday, May 18 at 3:30 p.m.
In introducing this service, the S.A. hopes to make transportation more equitable and accessible on campus.
“This is the most direct means that we [have] to help the community,” said then-Executive Vice President Claire Ting ’25.