From the outside, Busnectar looks like a typical school bus aside from its blue hue. On the inside, instead of finding row after row of two-passenger seats, students are surprised to see a comfortable, living room atmosphere.
A table, couches, a bunk bed and comfortable chairs fill the gutted school bus. Complete with a tapestry, speakers and walls lined with quotes and rules, the inside of the bus reveals exactly what Busnectar strives to be — a whole lot of fun.
As finals approach and temperatures drop, students seeking stress relief through bar hopping and weekend parties have one common question: How do we get there? Walking miles in freezing temperatures or fighting over whose turn it is to be the designated driver may not be a problem any longer with the start of a student-run transportation business.
"We're trying to make it more of an experience than a ride home," senior speech pathology major Maeci Evans said. "It's way more fun than a taxi, way cheaper than a DUI and we have heat. You can't beat that."
Evans, senior speech pathology major Robby Vickery and sophomore Lane Dotson recently began an on- and off-campus weekend transportation system.
Browsing Craigslist in May, Evans came across a 66-passenger, royal blue school bus and decided the deal was too good to pass up. After talking with her friends and trading her aunt's old station wagon, a go-kart and $2,000, the bus was theirs the next day.
"It just seemed like a good idea. Who doesn't want to own their own school bus?" Evans said. "It's in great condition and cost a fraction of what it's worth, so we decided to go for it."
Initially, the plan for the bus was to go on road trips to music festivals across the country. Over the summer, they traveled to Illinois for the Summer Camp music festival, where Busnectar received its name after the disc jockey Bassnectar autographed the front of the bus. They also took their farthest trip to West Virginia for the All Good Music festival and went to nearby cities such as Bloomington and Spencer for Wuhnurth.
After receiving positive feedback about the bus, the Busnectar team's idea to use the bus as a business was almost as spur of the moment as the decision to purchase the bus. In its first weekend running, Evans was happy that more than 60 passengers used Busnectar.
For $2 per ride, Busnectar runs from 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The route hits 10 stops every hour, running on Bethel, New York, Riverside, Linden, University, Jackson and McKinley.
With more business brought in, the Busnectar team hopes to make improvements based on customer feedback submitted to the suggestion box on the bus. Vickery said a "Cash Cab" ceiling, fold-out chairs, paint, posters, a vending machine and a rock wall would all be great additions to Busnectar if they hit the lottery. So far, the money they have made has gone to gas and upkeep.
"Eventually, it would be cool to make money off of this, but right now we just need to make sure the bus is in good shape and everyone is safe and having fun. That's our top priority," Dotson said.
In addition to driving to and from bars and parties on the weekends, Busnectar is open for taking large parties to weddings, bachelor parties and other formal events. The team is thinking about taking a monthly trip places like Broad Ripple and Bloomington.
"Right now, we have so many ideas to develop and organize, but like any other business, it's all about what the customer wants," Evans said. "If we set our expectations low, the possibilities really are endless."
After making $2,500 in two nights at a Phish concert in Indianapolis, the Busnectar team was shocked to see such a positive reaction to its new business. In the future, the team has ideas of expanding to other campuses or in bigger cities if Busnectar continues to be a success.
In the more recent future, Busnectar is looking to partner up with Muncie bars for advertising in attempt to spread the word. In the meantime, the Busnectar team is enjoying watching an idea develop into a business that striving to meet its slogan: "A cheap, safe, fun way to get to the bars."
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