Taking a ride on a Huskie Pup will provide students with an opportunity to fall in love with NIU.

Huskie Pups were introduced in fall 2014 as part of NIU President Doug Baker’s Master Plan Thesis. The Pups are electrically charged vehicles that were bought to help create a 10-minute campus. They were stored away in November due to issues with them working in the cold, but they were brought back to campus Monday.

It may have just been the nice weather, but riding the Huskie Pup on Wednesday reminded me why I chose NIU. I got to see the beautiful campus and talk to people I have never met and probably wouldn’t have unless I had taken that ride.

Senior Spanish major Shaneka Royston, who was driving the Pup when I got on, has been a part of the bus company for four years and said people interact more on the Huskie Pups than they do on the buses. When I ride the bus, I usually just put my headphones in and wait to be dropped off. Not many students got on the Huskie Pup while I was riding, but when they did the Pup was filled with laughter and conversation.

“Everyone who gets on is excited about it and it gets them talking,” Royston said.

There are two Huskie Pup routes that drive around 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week. One route goes from the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons to the Recreation Center while the other goes from the Rec to all the residence halls. The Pups make stops along the way per the request of the passengers and students can flag down the Pups.

Royston said 15 to 20 people usually get on during her four-and-a-half-hour shift.

“We drive past so many people, but people just aren’t sure what it is or where it’s going so they just don’t bother getting on,” Royston said.

But, Royston said she noticed more people are aware of the Huskie Pups this semester and there are now people waiting for them at the stops.

One of the people waiting at the stop in front of the Recreation Center was Austin King, freshman physical therapy major, who said he rides the Huskie Pups often.

“It’s a quick means of transportation,” King said. “… They’re beneficial to students, especially since it’s no charge.”

Huskie Pups aren’t meant to operate in the winter and will only be used during the first and last months of the school year. Now that it’s nice outside, students might not want or need a ride to class as they want to walk or ride their bikes. This seems like a flaw with the Huskie Pups, but they’re still useful and can provide students with much more than just a ride to class: They can provide them with a better day.

Some think the Huskie Pups were a waste of $95,500 NIU could have spent on something else. Frankly, I felt that way before Wednesday; however, after riding on the Huskie Pups, I feel they were worth every penny.

They’re worth the cost because they give students a chance to communicate with each other and appreciate the campus. The Pups got me talking to people and were a joy to ride on a beautiful day. Students were getting on and off with smiles on their faces, and both drivers I encountered had awesome attitudes.

The next time you see a Huskie Pup, hop on. It might brighten up your day like it did mine.