The Student Association Mass Transit Board voted Monday in favor of a 30 percent reduction of handicapped transportation services.

The plan for the handicapped bus transportation service program, which was initiated in November 1987, included reducing its service after March 31 by not driving handicapped students to their on-campus classes.

Board Chairman Phil Kessler said, “Unless weather conditions prohibit the students from getting to class by themselves, the campus service will not offer them rides to their classes.”

The campus service would offer rides if the weather was adverse.

The board also will reduce the hours of service from 94.5 per week to 66.5 per week. This reduction will save the transit board about $3,000 in funds for the remainder of the spring semester.

The two major changes that will be in effect by April 1 are an additional hour of service on Sunday nights and a Monday through Friday reduction of the five morning hours from 8:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Kessler said, “We have responsibilities to serve the needs of the handicapped students, but we also have a responsibility to the student body to allocate the money properly.”

Sue Haas, NIU handicapped student said, “I just feel that we are fee-paying students, too. We shouldn’t be cut and if it was you, you wouldn’t want to be cut either.

“The van doesn’t accommodate all of us. It’s not our fault that only four out of the seven students’ wheelchairs can be used with this van,” Haas said.

“Also, since this is a pilot project, we would be able to learn more about the way the van runs if we let it continue to run for the duration of the semester,” she said.

Board member Matt Kouzos said, “I’m not at all in favor of cutting the service because they pay for bus services in their fees just like everyone else does, but we are looking at $5,000 a month for four people. That comes down to about $1,200 a month per student.”

Graduate assistant Mary Hermsen said the DeKalb Voluntary Action Center’s transportation service, Transvac, and the Illinois Department of Transportation resolved that Transvac will serve all of the on- and off-campus handicapped students in the DeKalb community.

Hermsen said Transvac runs from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The center runs on a 24-hour advance notice policy and will take students anywhere in the DeKalb area but not to their classes.

Kessler said, “There will be some overlapping of our service and Transvac, but it will allow the students more flexibility during the hours of 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.