The Student Association Mass Transit board has been hard at work putting its budget surplus to good use. Students will look forward to taking the two No. 5 Huskie buses traveling from DuSable Hall to University Village and University Heights, as well as buses that will take them to Fox Valley Mall. The buses also, finally, will achieve a new look complete with the new ferret, er, Huskie logo.

Board members have taken cues from other state schools like the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana by proposing a late-night bus schedule to provide students with a ride from DeKalb watering holes to the residence halls.

The board’s proposal will face some bumps in the road concerning liability and safety. Bar fights breaking out on the buses or NIU being held responsible for transporting underage drinkers are viable causes for concern that the board undoubtedly will face. Such occurrences could be prevented by imposing severe penalties or the board could meet with other schools with the same kind of bus line to see how they’ve handled such problems.

A late-night bus may seem rather unorthodox on a college campus to some. However, it could turn out to be a life-saving alternative for transportation by keeping those who’ve had a few too many away from the steering wheel and in the confines of a bus.

A trial run for the proposed late-night bus could gauge its effectiveness. Students may or may not utilize it and it could just end up being a waste of student dollars.

To succeed, the late-night bus must be on time and students will have to use it. Good publicity couldn’t hurt, either.

If all goes well, NIU could have an added feature that possibly could lure people to living the residence hall life. The DeKalb community also could take a breather knowing that students have another option to get home with a sober person in the driver’s seat.