York Lions acquire long-awaited bus

Victoria Alarcon
Sports & Health Editor

Days after York’s men’s soccer team took home the Canadian Interuniversity (CIS) championship, York revealed its new team bus Thursday Nov. 25.
The bus is adorned with athletes’ faces – including volleyball and football players, and even track and field athletes – emphasized with a red coloured background.
“We’ve spent about six to eight months on this, planning it and going through all the graphic details and everything,” said York’s athletic department head Jennifer Myers.
The new vinyl wrap on the bus is part of a renegotiated contract the university struck with bus company Pacific Western, who have worked with York for six years.
Myers is happy with the results, and sees this as a huge step for York’s athletics, as York’s image will be out there for everybody to see.
“A lot of universities have it, we’ve been looking at doing it for the last couple of years, but weren’t able to do it until we renegotiated the contract,” said Myers.
York joins the ranks of Western and McMaster, who also have buses wrapped in their logos. York’s next step may be to become more like the University of Saint Francis Xavier, who own their own bus and even have hired drivers.
Many athletes from York came to the unveiling of the coach bus, including track and field athlete Tyrone Halstead, who finished 10th in the North American, Central American and Caribbean championship this year.
“With regular coach buses it was embarrassing,” said Halstead during the reveal. “There’s no school pride in that sense, and I felt there was a lack of it, but with this bus we look more like a team.”
The new York bus was brought in to build pride in the university, said Myers. She’s hoping it will build school spirit and encourage students to attend, and participate in, athletic games.
Third-year nursing student Sadaf Chaudhry, however, finds the new bus a product meant more for the athletes than the students. “It’s not really doing much for the students – it’s just for the people on the team.” said Chaudhry. “We’re just seeing it, we’re not really riding on the bus. It’s good for them, but doesn’t really do anything for us.”
Other students thought the best way to raise school spirit would be by offering students a way of getting to games instead.
“I think spirit is created by students, and if there are enough buses to take students to games, then there will be more school spirit,” said Mariam Ahmed, a first-year kinesiology major.
The athletic department is working on getting a second bus wrapped with a design that will highlight the York’s men’s soccer team CIS championship.
“It’s probably going to take us another year. We’ll have to fund that one, but our intent is to have a second bus because we travel so much,” said Myers.
SIDE-BY-SIDE ›
Western Bus
when…….2007
company…Greyhound Lines
size………46 and 56 passenger
response………“They [athletes] enjoy riding on the bus. We get a lot of requests to use the bus.”
–Beth Im-Jenkins, travel coordinator of Western Athletics
York Bus
when…….2010
company…Pacific Western
size……..47 and 56 passenger (about two teams)
response………“It’s the right step for the school team. It’s going to give us the visibility we need. I think it’s awesome.”
–Peyvand Mossavat, head coach of women’s soccer