Ridership on university shuttles has increased over the past year as steadily as the soaring gas prices, leaving DOTS officials to wonder whether students were flocking to the buses because of expanded service or the promise of cheaper transit opportunities.
The American Public Transportation Association reported that public transit ridership has risen about 3 percent during the first quarter of this year over the same period last year, with Americans taking almost 85 million more rides on public transportation.
David Allen, director of the Department of Transportation Services, said the nationwide increase in public transportation ridership holds true on the campus as well, with this spring’s shuttle ridership 13.8 percent higher than last spring’s. DOTS is looking to alleviate overcrowdedness on some of the more popular routes by expanding service and adding new routes.
During March and April, DOTS spent $187,284 in fuel costs, a 48 percent increase over the same time period last year. But despite the high cost of fuel, Allen said there is no plan to cut back on services.
“We budgeted quite highly anticipating this, so we won’t be short of any resources,” he said.
DOTS Assistant Director of Operations David Davitaia said an extra bus will be added this fall to the Campus Connector South route, which saw a 30 percent increase in ridership last school year.
A new route called Silver will connect South Campus and North Campus starting this fall. Tentative plans are being made to upgrade the Powder Mill route, adding a third bus to the line and a new stop at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and U.S. Route 29.
However, Davitaia said other factors besides high fuel costs may be causing the increase in ridership.
“We made so many changes within the last six years that it is hard to determine what is affecting ridership. Is it the price of fuel? The economy? Or is it because we did a good job ourselves in providing better routes?”
Davitaia said the Powder Mill route increased 22 percent during the course of the school year but wasn’t sure if it was due to higher gas prices or the increased number of buses on that route.
On the other hand, he said he believes the Burtonsville Park and Ride route’s 33-percent ridership hike throughout last year was due to high gas prices, as no buses were added to that route.
Riders had mixed opinions about the convenience of using shuttle services. Senior Jason Fung was satisfied with the shuttle service on the Campus Connector South route.
“It’s awesome; it’s more convenient than parking here,” Fung said.
But university employee and alumna Katelyn Schreyer and undergraduate student Dustin Herbert both said they didn’t like the service on the University Town Center route.
“In the summer they only run six times a day, so if you missed the bus, then you have to wait two to four hours to get somewhere,” Schreyer said.
They also complained that the buses are too crowded in the morning during the school year, making it difficult to catch the bus to get to the campus on time.
To expand services, Davitaia said, DOTS must submit a proposal to a mandatory review board that includes groups like the Student Government Association and Off-campus Housing Services.
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