The number of riders using UW’s public transportation increased last week.
Parking on campus can be difficult and is generally hard to come by, but the transportation offered by Transit and Parking Services is available to help reduce those hassles.
“Transit and Parking Services offers bus routes that provide a sustainable alternative to parking,” Carolyn Smith, Auxiliary Services Director, said. “These routes provide reliable transportation and reduce congestion on campus.”
With the addition of The Grove and Bison Run Village, the shuttle services were kept busy in the first week. Ridership on UW’s shuttle system increased by about 49 percent, most likely related to the new living facilities, according Smith.
Since 2011, the number of riders has increased by 41 percent. There were about 24,412 rides the first week of school this year, compared to only 17,297 rides for the first week in 2011.
To accommodate the increased number of riders, Transit and Parking Services has added an additional bus and also decreased the amount of time in between buses from seven to five minutes.
“This is so riders can be assured that another bus will arrive promptly if the volume is too great and all the riders can’t fit on the bus that is servicing the area,” Smith said.
The South Shuttle lot also saw an increase in riders, as the number was up 23 percent. In order to better serve this lot, the additional bus also picks up and drops off riders at this lot.
Under the authorization of the Albany County Transportation Authority, UW Transit and Parking Services also operates the city bus shuttle Gem City Grand, whose ridership was up 44 percent within the last week, an increase from last spring, Smith said. Though Gem City Grand is not used as a campus shuttle, students find it useful.
“This increase is attributed to the word getting out about how useful this route is. A large percentage of riders are UW students that find value in this service,” Smith said.
These services have been made available through legislative and donor funding, which have allowed for the renovation of Transit and Parking Services facilities.
In November, there will be a proposition to tax $500,000 of taxable property within Albany County for the purpose of planning and developing more regional transportation. If the proposition passes, approximately $181,000 will be used annually to keep Gem City Grand and could potentially expand new routes, Smith said.
With a small population, there once was a time when the city of Laramie and UW’s campus may not have needed public transportation, but now there is more of a demand for it.
“Many students don’t bring cars to campus and public transportation increases their mobility and provides them with a means to shop and eat at local restaurants,” Smith said.
