Proposed bus system could reduce drunken driving

WILMINGTON — A UNCW student proposed a late night bus system from downtown Wilmington Wednesday.

The shuttle system is designed to get drunken drivers off the road. Wednesday the man behind the plan got a chance to tell downtown bar owners about his idea.

UNCW student body president Dan Thorpe has been working on his proposal for months.
A rough draft of the plan calls for a shuttle system to run from downtown Wilmington to on-campus residences and heavily populated areas of the city.

The buses would run Thursday through Sunday from 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.

Thorpe says a recent survey shows 21 percent of UNCW students have driven drunk in the past month. He hopes the statistics he presented today helps his plan pass.

According to Thorpe Wave Transit would cover 50 percent of the shuttle costs. Thorpe says administrators at UNCW told him they will sign on for the program if they don’t have to pay anything.

Thorpe is sending out a survey to UNCW students in the next two weeks to get their feedback on the bus proposal.