The Gold and Silver Line shuttle routes will change next semester, with the new routes going into effect on the first day of classes in January. Working with Director of Transportation and Parking Management Hugh Kierig, Students’ Association (SA) government surveyed the student body last month and found that students were mostly in favor of the changes.
Starting in January, the shuttle routes will follow Intercampus Drive rather than Wilson Boulevard, stopping at Towers before continuing on to Library Road and ITS. Associate Director of Transportation for SA Government and junior Chadrick Frederick noted that Towers is one of the most under-served stops, and that the new route would address that problem.
SA also plans to survey students regarding the Green Line, Frederick said. The Green Line’s Tuesday and Wednesday routes changed this semester, adding stops at College Town, Tops Plaza and Costco instead of Walmart. Average ridership on the Green Line dropped by about 50 percent this semester, he noted, possibly due to competition from the Blue Line, which also stops at College Town on weekdays. While most other shuttles are funded by the University, the Green Line is entirely funded by SA, making the efficiency of the route a priority for them.
The newest shuttle, the College Town Express, has also been funded by the University since it was introduced in October 2014. Earlier this semester, Kierig was unsure whether that funding would continue into the Spring 2016 semester, prompting SA to begin researching alternative sources of funding. They reached out to College Town business tenants, who could conceivably pay for the line as a way to bring student customers to their doorsteps.
Frederick admitted that the response from College Town businesses has not been favorable. Not all of the businesses in College Town cater to students, he said, and even the ones that do have been hesitant to fund a shuttle line. Many of the shops are new, and may not yet have the resources for it. Kierig, meanwhile, said that partial funding of the route by College Town businesses remains “a very strong possibility.”
In the meantime, “the College Town Express will be fully funded and operational for next semester using the current schedule and hours of operation,” Kierig said, and funding for the route will continue through at least the end of the Spring 2016 semester. He noted that, based on ridership data for the shuttles, the College Town Express is UR’s third most popular route, averaging 40 people per hour.
Kierig reminded students that the Department of Transportation and Parking Management is “always looking for input from users,” and that students can use their online comment forms to provide feedback. SA’s Green Line survey will be conducted next semester.
