group+one+09s

AAGK, Inc
123 Main Street Wilmington, DE 19805 April 20, 2009

Thomas Dalessandro, Manager
University of Delaware Transportation Services 403 Wyoming Rd. Newark, DE 19716

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Thank you for your correspondence with us. We believe we can help with the current lack of accessible and convenient public transportation at the University of Delaware. The enclosed proposal demonstrates how AAGK Inc. can help to research, analyze and improve the transportation needs of University of Delaware Students. =====

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The following proposal outlines the steps that we will take in order to address this issue. We will begin by surveying students on their transportation needs, including desired locations and time frames. We will also look at what options are currently available to students, and if these options are being utilized. Also, we will speak to the University regarding what steps they have taken to address this issue. =====

= = = = =__ University of Delaware Campus Transportation Proposal __= =Introduction  = ====// AAGK, Inc proposes to improve public transportation on the University of Delaware campus by evaluating student wants and needs regarding transportation and possibly taking steps towards designing and implementing a transportation service that is both cost efficient to the University as well as beneficial to the students. //====

=Background of the Problem=

== // Due to the recent elimination of Public Safety safe rides, students have been struggling with transportation, especially at night and on weekends. The rides were eliminated because the University felt that students were abusing this service. The University offers a bus system that runs throughout the day, but the stops of this service are limited ////. //== = = =Objectives=

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 1. Our main objective is to improve the overall efficiency of University Of Delaware's public transportation system.===== 2. In achieving our main objective AAGK Inc. will ensure that the current system is running at its' fullest potential.

3. AAGK Inc. will also outline how to increase service to the students of the University of Delaware without substantially increasing the current transportation budget.

4. We also want to provide the University of Delaware students with transportation options during the evening and weekend hours, which would include safe ride options after hours. = = =Procedure=

====//2. We will randomly survey 60 University of Delaware students as to their wants and needs regarding transportation, as well as their comments about the current system. This survey will be administered using the internet. //====

====// 3. We will contact the Office of Public Safety to inquire if they have attempted to solve this problem in the past- What were the obstacles faced? We would like to know if this problem has already been presented and if any measures have been taken in the past. //====

 4. We will research the systems available at other universities, University of Connecticut, James Madison University, University of Virginia and University of Maryland-College Park, and decide if these systems would be beneficial to the University of Delaware.

====// 5. We will identify short term and long term transportation solutions implemented in the City of Newark. //====

// 8. We will create a complete Service & Design Implementation Plan from our research. //
= = =Record of Service=


AAGK Inc. has been in business as a research and consulting group for over fifteen years. Not only has AAGK Inc. worked with major corporations in the area we have done transportation research for universities and colleges in the surrounding area. We specifically have researched and helped develop safe ride programs for Delaware State University, Wesley College, and Rowan University. Along with developing safe ride programs for these colleges and universities AAGK Inc. successfully enhanced their public transportation system to a more cost effective and efficient system, cutting their transportation costs. Each proposal developed was done so specifically for the universities' or colleges' needs, based on our proven research methods. AAGK Inc. is the most qualified to research and enhance your transportation system.

=Budget=

= AAGK Inc. takes great pride in offering timely and thorough services.  Our fees are fixed based on our projected number of days required for accurate reporting and consultation. Based on the below projected schedule of services for this project, we anticipate 20 days work @ $1,200 / day totaling $24,000. A final mutually agreed upon Statement of Work including with total days will be provided if AAGK, Inc. is awarded the projec t. =

=Schedule:=

Week of April 27, 2009 Week of May 4, 2009 Week of May 11, 2009 Week of May 18, 2009 _
 * Study and review the current transportation services offered at the university.
 * Contact the Office of Public Safety to obtain policies, procedures and budgets used in the office.
 * Research transportation services offered at other colleges and universities with similar demographics (including but not limited to characteristics such as a similar campus layout and a similar number of attending students).
 * Survey students as to their wants and needs for transportation, as well as any comments or complaints regarding the current system.
 * Evaluate Delaware’s transportation system.
 * Compare and contrast its pros and cons with the systems researched at similar schools.
 * Analyze student survey.
 * Find plausible solutions and prepare presentation
 * Give final presentation to University of Delaware’s Board of Trustees and Office of Public Safety.
 * REPORT** 

AAGK, Inc
123 Main Street Wilmington, DE 19805 April 20, 2009

Thomas Dalessandro, Manager
University of Delaware Transportation Services 403 Wyoming Rd. Newark, DE 19716

Dear Mr. Dalessandro:
Enclosed with this correspondence is the AAGK, Inc. analysis report regarding transportation at the University of Delaware. The report contains our conclusions on the transportation issue at the University of Delaware along with data obtained from a survey distributed to University students regarding the issue. We have also included our recommendations for accommodating students while still taking into account the needs and wants of the University. I'm not sure if I like this last sentence. Please feel free to edit.

In our enclosed observations we note the needs students have regarding transportation, including the time of day they feel it most necessary and what areas of campus lack transportation. We also included some alternative programs used by other Universities with similar campuses and student population to the University of Delaware.

We at AAGK, Inc. hope that this report is helpful in presenting the details of the desire for alternative transportation at the University. We feel that we have provided a successful solution to the University's current situation. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Not sure about this paragraph either. Edit Away!

Sincerely,

Amy Orton Team Member AAGK, Inc.

Enclosure _

=University of Delaware Transportation Needs=

=**AAGK, Inc.**= Report Written by: Kenneth Anderson, Amy Clark, Amy Orton and Greg Simpler

Table of Contents

 * Executive Summary (Abstract)** .............................................................................................(pg #)


 * Introduction** ..........................................................................................................................(pg #)


 * Procedure** .............................................................................................................................(pg #)

Previous Actions Taken by U of D............................................................................................. (pg #) Transportation at Other Universities............................................................................................(pg #) Survey and Survey Results........................................................................................................(pg #)
 * Results**


 * Conclusions and Recommendations** .....................................................................................(pg #)


 * Work Cited** ............................................................................................................................(pg #)

Appendix 1: Transportation Survey ..........................................................................................(pg #)
 * Appendices**...........................................................................................................................(pg #)

Executive Summary
This report is an analysis of the current transportation services offered on the University of Delaware campus. The purpose of the report is to examine the needs of the students against the available services being offered today.

The University of Delaware Transportation Services is dedicated to helping people get around campus efficiently while attempting to reduce and/or minimize its carbon footprint. By improving the walk-ability of campus, improving the efficiency and ridership of the shuttle bus system, and sponsoring rideshare programs, UD is encouraging and supporting energy-saving solutions that contribute to a smaller carbon footprint.

During the week of April 27, 2009, AAGK, Inc. conducted multiple data collection exercises to gain a strong comprehension into the transportation services offered at the university. We contacted the Office of Public Safety to obtain their policies, procedures, and budgets used in that office. The information gathered from these exercises form the foundation for our comparative analysis.

During this same week, AAGK, Inc. researched the transportation services offered at other colleges and universities with similar demographics (which includes similar campus layout and number of attending students).

Data was gathered from: During the week of May 4, 2009, AAGK, Inc. conducted a survey of sixty University Delaware students throughout the campus. In our data collection efforts we were looking to identify: In evaluating the responses from the students, it is clear that they would like to have some transportation options at their disposal. Our analysis of the data has allowed us to focus on the late evenings as the greatest area of improvement. In an overwhelming response, the students indicated that the hours after 10pm are in need of additional services.
 * University of Connecticut
 * James Madison University
 * University of Virginia
 * University of Maryland – College Park
 * Student Satisfaction with current available transportation services
 * Location of Student Residence
 * Measure UD busing system utilization today
 * Reasons UD bus system is not utilized
 * Student willingness to pay for transportation services
 * Time(s) of day transportation is most needed

As a direct result from our findings, we suggest the University of Delaware should establish a student-run safe rides organization. This program is one that we found to be successful at James Madison University. We also recommend that the university implement and make available a GPS system similar to the system at the University of Virginia.

We are confident that the University of Delaware will find both recommendations will help meet some of the needed services requested by the students, prove cost efficient for the university to implement while having little to no impact on its energy goals.

In April 2009, the University of Delaware created and distributed a Request for Proposal to multiple consulting firms specializing in transportation services. The university indicated that they were looking for expertise and recommendations based on current perceived challenges with their transportation services.

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// In the past few years, the University has made a number of changes to its transportation service offerings. // The University of Delaware Transportation Services has dedicated its focus on helping people get around campus efficiently while attempting to reduce and/or minimize its carbon footprint. In addition, they have evaluated the usage of these services to determine what (if any changes needed to be made to the services offered). As reported on UDaily in June of 2006, one example is the university's offering of a Rideshare Program. In addition to its environmental benefits, the Rideshare program would also help cut commuting costs and traffic congestion. ======

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// Due to the recent elimination of Public Safety safe rides, students at the University of Delaware have been disappointed with transportation, especially at night and on weekends. According to the UD Review, the University's newspaper, the rides were eliminated because the University felt that students were abusing this service. // "According to Homiak, on a given weekend night in fall 2008, there was an average of approximately 322 calls and an average wait time of approximately 18 minutes. In the first weekend with the revised escort policy, the average number of calls was approximately 15 and the average wait time was approximately nine and a half minutes. Maj. Joel Ivory, the acting chief of University Police, said he believes the significant decrease in calls for escorts proves that the former system was being abused by students." // The University offers a bus system that runs throughout the day, but the stops of this service are limited ////. //======

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// After being awarded the engagement from the RFP, AAGK, Inc. has researched and prepared the enclosed report of our findings and recommendations that we believe will minimize some of the challenges being faced on the University of Delaware campus today. We are prepared to assist the university in the implementation of these recommendations should you agree with our findings. // ======

Procedure
(detailed account of what you did**) During the course of this study we took the following steps to determine if upgrading the transportation system at the University of Delaware would be both cost effective and beneficial to the students.

We reviewed the current transportation system that the University of Delaware offers. Specifically, we reviewed the Universities’ bus system to determine the amount of stops that the buses make, the location of those stops, and the times of those stops. This data helped with the formulation of survey questions to be presented to the students of the University of Delaware.

Four other universities transportation systems were analyzed. These universities were of similar size to the University of Delaware. The universities reviewed were University of Connecticut, James Madison University, University of Virginia, and University of Maryland. These universities transportation systems were reviewed for their operational procedures, the number and frequency of their stops and any special programs offered. This information was gathered from the official university websites. Research was also collected from information online from each universities' public safety department and/or transportation department. A lot of the bus routes information including frequency and locations of stop were provided in map form.

Survey questions we prepared and distributed to 60 randomly selected University of Delaware Students via the internet to determine their thoughts on the effectiveness of the transportation system offered by the university. Their results are heavily considered in our suggestions. ** The survey questions and their results can be found in the "results" section of the report.

Results ( analyze the significance of findings**) Below is research conducted on Universities with a similar demographic to the University of Delaware. By researching and analyzing the transportation services offered at these Universities, it is hoped that similar effective services could be implemented at the University of Delaware. ** University __of Connecticut__
 * The University of Connecticut is a public four year university. It is located in Storrs, Connecticut, regarded as a large rural setting. UConn contains 16,765 undergraduate students, which is very close to the number of undergraduate students attending the University of Delaware.

To meet the needs of students, faculty and staff, the Department of Parking and Transportation Services at UConn, run an extensive network of commuter buses to many destinations located on and off campus. During times when classes are in session, approximately nine bus routes are in operation. Monday through Friday, selected routes begin at 6:30 am with all routes begin at 7:00 am. Monday-Thursday these routes run until 12:00am, and 10:00pm on Fridays. A Saturday service is offered from 11:00am to 6:00pm and a Sunday services operate from 6:00pm-12:00am. Schedules are distributed throughout campus and are also available on all the vehicles and at every office. An apartment shuttle is also available. The apartment shuttle was designed to service passengers at off campus locations. Two buses operate, stopping every 18 minutes along North Eagleville Road and Route 195, locations near student apartment complexes. Monday-Thursday the apartment shuttle is offered from 7am-12am and on Friday from 7am-10pm. UConn also operates a late night shuttle. This shuttle follows a counter-clockwise lopp serving on-campus apartments and academic buildings. Served by two buses, the Night Shuttle stops every 20 minutes. The Night Shuttle operates on Friday and Saturdays from 10pm-2am.

For additional transportation services and safety, UConn also provides the Husky Watch. This is an escort service provided by the UConn Police Department to all members of the university community. The escort service operates seven nights a week during the academic calendar. Sunday through Wednesday escorts are offered from 5:00pm until 2:00am and from 5:00pm until 3:00am Thursday through Saturday. Van rides are responsible for escorts traveling to and from off campus locations but are only available from 6pm-8pm. After 8pm, all escorts will be provided as walking escorts unless an event of unsafe weather occurs. Escorts are provided on a phone request basis. **__James__ __Madison University__
 * James Madison University is a public, four year University similar to the University of Delaware. It is located in a Harrisonburg, VA, a large rural town with a residential campus. The total undergraduate population is 16,916, again very similar to the student population at the University of Delaware.

Transportation currently available at JMU is in partnership with the city of Harrisonburg. An extensive busing system that encompasses the campus and areas within the city is offered. JMU students, faculty and staff members ride free of charge when they present a valid JMU identification card. Bus schedules are available throughout the campus and provided on the town of Harrisonburg’s website. There are currently nine bus routes offered operating from 7am to approximately 7pm Monday-Friday. Some Saturday routes are offered until late afternoon.

The Public Safety department at JMU also offers forms of transportation. Safety escorts are available to any student on campus, free of charge. Escorts are provided by carefully trained student employees, known as Campus Police Cadets. Cadet Duty hours are from Sunday-Wednesday from 7pm-2am, Thursday from 9pm-2am and Friday-Saturday from 9pm-3am. JMU police officers provide any escorts outside of these Cadet hours. Safe Rides is another transportation method offered at JMU. Safe Rides is a student run corporation designated to provide a safer community. It was created in 2001 and now is currently operating in its seventh year. Members work to prevent drunk driving by offering reliable, free rides within the Harrisonburg community and around the JMU campus to intoxicated students and/or students who are rendered incapable of transportation due to other circumstances. Safe Rides operates on Friday and Saturday nights from 10pm to 3am. Safe Rides must be contacted by phone (540-568-7433) to be provided with necessary information regarding name, location and desired destination etc. Currently, Safe Rides is approved for non-profit status. Safe Rides operates on donated money or sponsorship from local businesses. Four sponsor packages are offered, differing in the amount of money donated and type of advertisements and/or recognition wanted by the business. More information regarding sponsor packages can be found at []. More information on the Safe Rides program can also be found at []. **

__University__ __of Virginia__
 * Similar to the University of Delaware, the University of Virginia is a four year public university, home to approximately 15,208 undergraduate students. The University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, categorized as a suburban, residential campus.

The Department of Parking and Transportation offers multiple transit services. Approximately 10 routes are offered. Throughout the academic year, these routes run from approximately 6am until 8pm Monday through Friday. Destinations and stops include downtown areas, the Scott Stadium, the UVA Hospital and other university buildings. Weekend services are also provided throughout the year through three full service routes. These three routes consist of two loops and two buses each. They are run from 12pm until 12am, every 15-20 minutes. Stops include the UVA Chapel. Library, University Hall as well as the Stadium, Hospital and local McDonald’s restaurant.

For Transportation into the evening, UVA offers an Extended Late Night Service. Two routes are offered on Friday and Saturday nights from 12:30am until 2:30 am. Safe Rides are also available for students. Safe Rides was developed to provide safe passage fro students who would other have to walk alone at night. The service began as a cooperative venture of the Student Council and Police department in the 1980s. Safe rides are offered seven days a week from 12am until 6:30 am. However, no information was provided regarding the types of vehicles used or the employees/members providing the safe rides.

University of Virginia has also established the HoosWhere program. This is a real time GPS bus locator system. It is a great resource for UVA students, faculty, staff and visitors to become aware of when the next bus is arriving at a particular spot. The HoosWhere program provides these GPS locations through four methods. The first method is with a computerized bus finder. These machines are strategically placed around campus at high traffic locations. Users can find out bus information with a simple press of a button. HoosWhere Hotline is also available. This automated phone service allows people to call from home, work or cell phone to find out the next bus time. HoosWhere Online provides bus information with route maps and schedules. HoosWhere online also allows people to search stops and times but 5-digit bus stop numbers of bus stop names. And HoosWhere mobile is the newest available method to locate buses. Mobile device users are able to access the bus tracking system through the mobile website. Information regarding bus schedules, times and maps etc., as well as information about the HoosWhere program can be found at []. Safe Ride times, routes and phone numbers can be found at []. **

__University__ __of Maryland – College Park__
 * The University of Maryland, College Park, is located in College Park, Maryland. It is a public, four year university. It is located in a suburban town similar to the University of Delaware. However, College Park is considered a commuter campus and the total number of undergraduates reaches about 26,431, which is approximately 10,000 more students than those attending the University of Delaware.

The Department of Transportation Services provides shuttle rides, paratransit, NITE rides, and taxi services to the University of Maryland College Park campus. Shuttle-UM is the branch of the department that is responsible for these transit operations. Shuttle-UM operates 19 transit routes, many which extend throughout the campus and neighboring communities. Eighteen commuter routes provide transportation to students, faculty, and staff of the University. These routes operate from 8:15am to 4pm Monday through Friday. These routes offer transportation to and from approximately 50 apartment and house locations, 15 eatery locations and multiple shopping centers containing grocery stores, movie theaters, libraries and retail stores. These routes also include transportation to 17 university buildings throughout campus. Transportation services are also offered throughout the night. Six routes operate from 5:30 pm to 7:30 am. NITE RIDE is a curb-to-curb service operating seven nights a week from 5:30 pm to 7:30 am. NITE RIDE serves only the immediate campus community, focusing primarily on the areas of campus that are not included on the evening service routes. To request a ride, students must call 301-314-NITE(6483). Information regarding transit routes, times and map can be located at [|www.transportation.umd.edu]. **

Survey Results
 * // Do you think that the U of D provides adequate transportation for its students? //**

This graph shows that as a whole students are not completely dissatisfied with the transportation at UD. After evaluation of the other surveys it shows that those students who are satisfied lived mostly in areas of campus with bus stops near by, or had their own cars on campus.

Where do you live on campus? Laird campus is the area on campus with the most accessible bus stops. Most of these residents were satisfied with busing. East campus is a close walk to campus which is why these residents were mostly satisfied.

Do you utilize the UD busing system? Many students do not use the busing system. There reasons were because there are no stops near their houses, they are close enough to walk to class or they have their own cars.

If no why not?

Would you pay a small fee for transportation? Many students said that they would not pay a small fee for transportation because they already pay large amounts of money to the University. Those who said they would said that the only way they would do it would be if a taxi service was offered which would pick them up and drop them off where ever they request

When do you feel that you most need transportation on campus?

The majority of students surveyed felt that they need transportation late at night between 10pm and 3am. These students need transportation from bars on main street and from parties. This transportation would help eliminate drunk driving and avoid students having to walk alone late at night.**
 * [[image:Survey_Question_6.JPG]]

Conclusion
Taking into consideration the information gathered from the U of D transportation system and the other four universities as well as the information gathered from the survey of U of D Students, late night and weekend rides are the largest issue. The University of Delaware offers very little in the way of transportation on nights and weekends. The Hen After 10 route is the only route that is available to University students after hours on weekends. Specifically, University of Delaware does not offer any safe ride programs. This program could be initiated by the University with little cost by, as modeled through the JMU program, having the students, with the help of the community, run the program. The program could be promoted through the university getting the students of the university together with community leaders. Leaders involved with MADD, mother against drunk driving, as well as civic leaders would work jointly in getting this program running. These leaders as well as the university would be able to get corporations, including small businesses in the area, to help with funding the program. This could be done through advertising either on University grounds or on the vehicles used to transport.

Using JMU as an example, a cadet program could be started with University of Delaware Police which could help with the program. They would be responsible for the student transports and would be trained accordingly as part of becoming a cadet. They would work in partnership with the U of D police but would not take away from the police officers normal duties.

Work Cited
James Madison University - [|http://web.jmu.edu] James Madison University Public Safety - [|www.jmu.edu/publicsafety/index/html] James Madison University Safe Rides Program - [] University of Connecticut - Department of Parking and Transportation Services - [|http://park.uconn.edu] University of Connecticut - Police Department Husky Watch - [] University of Maryland - Department of Transportation Services - [] University of Maryland - Transit Services - [] University of Virginia - Department of Parking and Transportation - [] University of Virginia - GPS HoosWhere Program - [] University of Virginia - Police Department Safe Ride - [] http://media.www.udreview.com/media/storage/paper781/news/2009/04/14/News/Calls.For.Public.Safety.Escorts.Down.Dramatically-3708727.shtml?reffeature=htmlemailedition

LAIRD ROUTE
== ** The Laird route consists of eleven stops. The bus arrives at a stop every thirteen minutes until 2:38 PM, after which the bus stops every twenty six minutes. The busses begin running at 7:20 AM and stop at 10:38 PM on this route, Monday through Friday. **== ==SOUTH CAMPUS ROUTE **The South Campus route consists of nine stops. The bus comes to a stop approximately every twenty minutes starting at 7:19 AM and ending at 6:14 PM. Some of the stops are by request only. This route is also a Monday through Friday route.**== ==FIELD HOUSE/PAPERMILL ROAD ROUTE **This route has nineteen stops, a large number of which are by request only. The stops begin at 7:20 AM and end at 6:14 PM, Monday through Friday. The bus comes to a stop every forty five minutes.**==

ELKTON ROAD ROUTE **This route has seven stops, some of which are by request only. The bus comes to a stop every twenty minutes between the hours of 7:11 AM and 6:05 PM, Monday through Friday.**
==SOUTH CHAPEL STREET/WYOMING ROAD ROUTE **This route consists of twelve stops, some of which are also by request only. The bus arrives at a stop approximately every twenty minutes. The first stop is 7:20 AM and the last is 6:08 PM, Monday through Friday only.**== ==EVENING ROUTE 1 **This route has nineteen stops, some by request only. The first stop is at 6: 08 PM and the last stop of the night is at 11:05 PM, Monday through Friday. The stops are approximately forty five minutes apart.**== ==EVENING ROUTE 2 **This route has eighteen stops, some by request only. The first stop is at 6:15 AM and the last stop is at 11:45 PM, Monday through Friday. The stops are approximately forty minutes apart.**== ==HEN AFTER 10 **This route has seventeen stops that vary based on the time of night and the day of the week. This route runs Monday through Sunday and has pick up times as late as almost 4:00 AM on the weekends.**== <span style="color: rgb(0,0,255);"> Proposal: Procedure: ** This needs to be much more specific. Give a detailed, step-by-step account of what you did. For example when you say, ** “we reviewed the Universities’ bus system to determine the amount of stops that the buses make, the location of those stops, and the times of those stops” tell when and how you “reviewed” the system. Where did you go to do this? Likewise, when you say you researched 4 other universities, say exactly how you researched them.
 * Pt. # 7 sounds like a separate project, esp. b/c you say you’ll create a report. What does that mean a report within the proposed report?**

Results: Your opening para. is strange. It makes it sound as if you’re only giving the results of some of your research, the research into other colleges. But in your procedure you others components of research, and those results should be here as well. This section really needs work. As you’ve noted in parenthesis at the beginning of this section it should comment on the significance of your findings. Mostly what you have here, though, is a large collection of facts w/o any commentary. You also don’t carefully site the source of all this information. Ask yourself the question “so what” about these things. How do these findings help lead to your recommendations? To take just one example, you say about UConn that During times when classes are in session, approximately nine bus routes are in operation. Monday through Friday, selected routes begin at 6:30 am with all routes begin at 7:00 am. Monday-Thursday these routes run until 12:00am, and 10:00pm on Fridays. A Saturday service is offered from 11:00am to 6:00pm and a Sunday services operate from 6:00pm-12:00am. Schedules are distributed throughout campus and are also available on all the vehicles and at every office. Now ask yourself “so what?” How does this compare to UD? is this something UD should use as a model, if so why, if not why not? That’s where the analysis comes in. You need more analysis and less just dumping facts from these schools’ Web sites in this section. It might be helpful to title this section “results and analysis.”

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