After several noise complaints were directed to Oswego City Councilor Francis Enwright, he is set to restrict large buses in the first District.

“I have the attorney working on it right now,” Enwright said. “By limiting the number of passengers, inevitably it will end up limiting the size and type of vehicle that will be able to come in the ward.”

If implemented, weekly D-bus and trolley service from the Oswego State campus to Cayuga Street would be suspended from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
On Friday nights, the D-bus and Trolley provide transportation to hundreds of students who flock to downtown pubs on West 1st Street. From swinging beer bottles at Alley Cat on 23 W. Bridge St. to taking shots at the Hurricanes Bar.

According to Enwright, the evening’s drunken cheers are heard across the community.

“The kids are noisy, they come in a mob,” Enwright said. “We don’t want the buses coming through the neighborhood at night and disturbing the neighbors.”

In 2012, the D-bus was ridiculed at a city council meeting for the loud, disoriented students it transports to social gatherings.

“This isn’t the first time they’ve done this, they came off on something similar a few years ago,” said D-bus owner Lee Walker. “How can you pin point one certain group? When at all hours of the day you have school buses and the Centro Bus runs down in the first Ward to at least midnight?”
While the shuttle thrives on college nightlife, Walker explained discontinued services would negatively affect the eight-year family-owned business.

“It would hurt,” Walker said. “There is really no difference between five or six taxis running down there or a bus running down there.”

During the past year, Enwright received several calls, emails and letters from residents urging him to fix the loud partygoers who enter the area.

“The issues are in the quiet neighborhoods and these underground sororities and fraternities that have parties,” Enwright said. “I had a guy come up and telling me three, four hundred people were at these parties. The people who live here and pay taxes have a problem with the drunk buses.”

Walker explained the newer buses are built with a motor that is relatively noiseless.

“He complained about bus noise…most of my buses have engines [that are] are as quiet as your own vehicle.” Walker said.

Karen Carver, a resident on East Bridge Street explained university students would be loud regardless of bus route limitations.

“Somehow there’s got to be a compromise,” Carver said. “If you have college kids, your going to have noise. You’re going to have drunk kids walking down the road yelling and hollering. What’s worse the bus going down the road or kids walking, screaming and yelling?”

Sophomore, Stephanie Beaumont can sympathize with the city residents.

“A lot of college students will be upset they have to walk farther,” Beaumont said. ”I understand where the residents are coming from. Last year during the week it would be annoying trying to finish a paper and hear all the screaming kids outside my window.”

Sophomore Jasmilex Mejia frequently rides the D-Bus, and explained the law would help control rowdy partygoers.

“It makes sense, because the D-bus is really loud and disturbs the community,” Mejia said. “If the law gets passed I don’t think a lot of people will take the D-bus.”

According to Enwright, changes to the bus route will be enforced in the coming months.