The Shuttle Bus Committee is spreading the word about service for handicap patrons because the normal Panther Express buses have been taken out of service, resulting in replacement buses that are not accessible.

H&H Transportation, the shuttle bus provider and operator, has a contract with Eastern that requires handicap access, said Ronnie Deedrick, Shuttle Bus Committee chair.

He said that while the normal handicap accessible buses are out of service, handicap patrons can call 348-7433 for a ride.

Scott Harrison, H&H owner, said the special service has always been available and will continue to be available even after the original buses are back in service.

The Panther Express’s normal buses have been out of commission for the last several weeks because of two separate incidents.

One of the buses was involved in an accident with two parked cars near the Square two weeks ago, and Harrison said it should be back in service within the next five days.

The second bus has been out of commission for the past three weeks after it was overloaded one night and the air suspension system was blown out, Harrison said. That bus is waiting on a part, and Harrison did not know when it would be back in service.

The Panther Express is supported by a student fee of $10.90 per year.

The Shuttle Bus Committee is a Student Senate committee that works on shuttle bus-related issues. The full committee will meet for the first time this week to begin discussing improvements to the Panther Express service. The student members of the committee have already met once this semester.