A new company will provide transportation to N.C. Central University students living at Campus Crossing this year.

Thorpe’s Inc., which contracted with Campus Crossing last year to transport NCCU students to campus, has been replaced by Durham-based Odyssey Limousine Services.

Thorpe’s received the contract with Campus Crossing when NCCU began leasing out the majority of what was then Campus Pointe.

According to Fahim Knight, a Thorpe’s driver and NCCU alumnus, part of the agreement with NCCU and Campus Crossing was to provide transportation for the students.

Knight said he enjoyed driving NCCU students and hated to see the contract end.

“The decision to cut the contract was dismaying to me and all of us involved with it,” said Knight.

Knight also said that Thorpe’s never received any evaluation for its service and the decision to cut the contract was not performance-based. “There was no negligence on our part to have the contract curtailed,” said Knight. Even though Thorpe’s may not have received any complaints, some students complained about the shuttle not being on time and about not having enough seats on the shuttle.

Thorpe’s ran two 15-passenger vans from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. seven days a week.

After 11 a.m., only one van ran until midnight.

Knight agreed that there was a need for a bigger bus. He said Thorpe’s bought one specifically to meet the needs of Campus Crossing.

“I would come up to a pick-up point, and there would be 20 to 25 students at 3:30 in the afternoon,” Knight said.

“We had the fleet capabilities to provide adequate transportation for students, but Campus Crossing was not willing to pay for the larger bus.”

The 25-seat capacity bus, sat inactive for 10 months because Campus Crossing never gave its approval.

“The students sort of suffered a little because the numbers [of riders] exceeded the capacity for the vans offered,” said Knight.

Knight said he developed relationships with many of the students he transported and still keeps in touch with some of them today. “I pretty much would have volunteered my time to do this for the students, because I’m an alumnus,” he said. Campus Crossing and Thorpe’s officials refused to comment when contacted by the Campus Echo.