Commuter students tired of the long trek to campus can look forward to a reprieve after winter break.Starting next semester, a bus will run between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays to pick up off campus students at stops within a few miles of the University, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said.

Currently, off-campus van service is only available on a call-in basis after 4 p.m.

"There's no transportation off campus right now," he said.

The Crystal Transport bus seats up to 29, and will make stops at T-Lot, Highland Street, Crescent Street, Main Street near the Waltham Public Library, at the intersection of Charles Street and South Street and various stops on Moody Street. Crystal Transport currently provides transportation to Cambridge and Boston Thursdays through Sundays.

Also, in response to the reported assaults in Massell Quad and the Village Dec. 3, Callahan said a third Brandeis Van has started running the on-campus route between 4 p.m. and midnight.

The van started running the night after the reported assaults, head BranVan Coordinator Adam Marks '06 said.

"All of our drivers understand the importance to the community of providing safe rides around and off campus," Marks said.

Off-Campus Union Senator Miriam Sievers '06, who represents the approximately 550 off-campus students at Brandeis, said she polled her constituents with Executive Senator Alison Schwartzbaum '08 to determine the most convenient stops, information which they shared with Callahan.

Sievers said the budget for the bus has been approved by the University and that as soon as Crystal Transport confirms the availability of an extra vehicle, which she expects will happen soon, everything is "ready to roll" for the first day of next semester, Jan. 17.

"Lots of people live off campus," Schwartzbaum said. "We want to help get people to school when it's hard to drive in snow or to walk in the cold."

Off-campus student Eric Blasco '06 said the bus will be especially helpful on those cold mornings. "It just makes life a lot easier," he said.

Callahan said this initiative began toward the end of the 2004 academic year. "This new feature will cover the undergraduate and graduate students who walk to campus in close proximity," he said.