Input sought on campus bus changes

UW-Madison Transportation Services will be making changes to campus bus service and is seeking input at two upcoming May meetings.

The changes are necessarily because of a budget deficit which means bus service will be decreased by approximately 10 percent.

Hours of service will stay the same and no routes are being eliminated or major changes being made to route geography.

Any changes go into effect Sept. 1 and will include two of the following three options:

• Time between arrivals for the Route 81 night bus route increase from 15 to 30 minutes. This change brings the time between arrivals for Route 81 in line with those for Route 82.
• Time between arrivals for the Route 85 bus increase from 10 to 20 minutes between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Time between arrivals remain at 10 minutes between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., Monday through Friday.
• Adjust the Route 80 and Route 85 bus schedules to optimize service.  The adjusted schedules preserve most Route 80 time between arrivals, increase Route 85 wait times slightly and combine a portion of the Route 85 geography with the Route 80 geography.

Two public meetings will be held. The first at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at the Memorial Union, check TITU, focusing on campus public input. The Metro Transit official public meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, at the Madison Municipal Building.

Campus bus service is funded jointly by UW Housing, the Associated Students of Madison (through segregated fees) and Transportation Services. UW Housing funds approximately six percent of the campus bus services and the Associated Students of Madison and Transportation Services equally fund the balance.

A 2008 Metro Transit survey showed that UW–Madison students represent about 81 percent of campus bus ridership. Another March survey conducted by Transportation Services showed similar results and is available here.

Transportation Services hopes to minimize the overall impact although the changes are necessary due to a budget deficit as well as a decision by ASM’s Student Transportation Board to hold funding at current levels.