After receiving several phone calls from parents concerned with their child's safety on the Boston/Cambridge weekend shuttle, the Office of Public Safety decided to implement a new ID checking policy. Effective last Thursday, anyone using the shuttle is required to present a Brandeis ID -- or have another student to vouch for him or her to the bus driver before boarding the shuttle. In extreme cases, students who do not have an ID and cannot get anyone else on the bus to vouch for them will have to wait for the bus driver to verify with Public Safety if they are in fact Brandeis students, and should be allowed on the bus."It's a Brandeis service so we don't want to displace a student for a group of guests. Brandeis students should get on the bus first," Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said.

Callahan maintains there were no incidents that have caused the policy change.

"People did mention that non-Brandeis people were using the bus ... the shuttle service costs money and is designed for Brandeis students, so we want to use it in a purposeful manner," Callahan said.

One of the bus drivers, Vromze Revelus, said he believes the policy is fair. He said he has had no trouble enforcing the policy thus far and says he will continue to enforce it as long as his company requests him to do so.

"There is too much going on so we want to know who comes on the bus with you. To me, I think it's fair," Revelus said.

Revelus has not had to prohibit anyone from riding bus. He said as long as the people trying to board the bus are students, there should not be a problem. If someone comes on the bus without an ID, and they are parents, family or friends there will be no problem as long there is someone to vouch for them, he added.

Callahan said he believes that a person should be "tracked" as soon as that person gets on the bus.

"We want to know who is on the bus. Parents requested a process, and this one I don't think is cumbersome to follow," Callahan said.

The Justice did observe several students get on the bus at different times without their ID being checked. Callahan told the Justice that he did get similar feedback from students and has mentioned it to the bus company.

"Since there are a lot of drivers, it takes a few reminders to reinforce the policy," Callahan said.

Callahan said that some parents and University President Jehuda Reinharz requested the policy to be changed out of concern for the safety of the students, and after speaking with the bus company the policy was incorporated. He added that several problems arose early on, including lack of student knowledge of the policy. Callahan, however, said he believes a recent campus wide e-mail has fully alerted the student body.