Traveller — Washington and Lee’s safe ride program — will not be shifting to earlier operating times.  

The announcement that Trav will continue to run from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. comes one week after the Traveller Steering Committee announced it would be changing operating hours to 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. 

The reversal was announced on Thursday in an email sent to the student body. 

“After careful consideration of community feedback regarding last week’s announcement, the Traveller Steering Committee has decided not to proceed with the proposed change to operating hours at this time,” the email stated. 

Members of the Interfraternity Council, which consists of nine Washington and Lee fraternities, raised objections about the move to earlier Trav operation times, said Tom Finnegan, ’26, chairman of the Traveller Steering Committee.

“The steering committee decided not to go with the time change because we wanted to partner with more on-campus organizations with making any changes to operating hours,” he said. “The fraternities and sororities are a part of those community organizations, but not all of them.”

The number of students utilizing the program after 1 a.m. started to decline after the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors voted to amend the county noise ordinance, according to Finnegan. 

“We saw shifting in ridership patterns because of the new noise ordinances, and the fact that, especially on larger nights, the cops would usually get called and parties shut down at 12, thus leading to a mass exodus of people,” he said.

Students living on Windfall Hill — an off-campus party location — originally approached Traveller about the possibility of making operation times earlier, Finnegan told the Phi.

“We had some individuals who live on the hill approach us talking about how [violations from] the noise ordinances were turning into misdemeanors on their record,” he said. 

But some students who don’t live on the hill said the proposed time change didn’t phase them much.

“I didn’t particularly care about the change because I wasn’t out past 1 a.m. anyway,” Madison Kessack, ’26, said. “I understand why the school did it, but I also understand the complaints from students who are upset by the decision not to change the time.” 

A.J. Thomas, ’26, a Traveller employee who has worked with the program for a year, said he was relieved by the decision to keep the original hours.

“I’m happy the change was reversed,” Thomas said. “I was not a fan of the original changes. I felt students wouldn’t be receptive and not follow the hours, which would lead to unsafe driving from students after 1 a.m.”

He said that while students choosing to drive late at night would not be Traveller’s responsibility, maintaining the later hours helps reduce that risk.

“While that isn’t Trav’s fault if that occurs,” he said, “it could definitely be circumvented with the original hours.”