http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/mar/16/city-mu-expect-bus-reports-soon/
The fate of bus routes serving south Columbia student apartments is still uncertain as transit officials develop a report on other cities' bus systems and the University of Missouri's consultant continues to assess student needs.
Last week, city officials and MU students visited Champaign-Urbana, Ill. — home to the University of Illinois — to assess its bus system. It was the last of three trips to Midwestern college towns to observe successful bus systems fueled by student fees. Visits were made last month to Ames, Iowa, and Lawrence, Kan.
Drew Brooks, Columbia's transportation supervisor, said observations from the trips will be gathered for a presentation to the Public Transportation Advisory Commission and to the Columbia City Council, but a date has not been set for discussions.
He said officials also have discussed hiring an outside consultant to review the city's bus system, something MU has done already to specifically assess students' transit needs.
"Obviously, that's the biggest dog in the hunt, so to speak," Brooks said of students, the heaviest users of the bus system. "But that doesn't mean other members of the community don't need good, quality service."
Karlan Seville, a spokeswoman for MU Campus Facilities, said the consultant, Solstice Transportation Group, held two open forums for students. Solstice also took head counts and calculated ride times on the Black and Gold student-focused routes and Columbia Transit's shuttle service that takes students to the MU Student Center from remote parking lots.
A representative also accompanied students and city officials to Lawrence.
Seville said the consultant is developing a transit survey and plans to bring three transportation directors from peer institutions to meet with MU administrators. She said the consultant plans to make recommendations by the end of May.
The city arranged the trips to the other college towns after talks with MU students and administrators about a proposed student bus fee went sour. The Black and Gold routes usually are suspended at the end of the spring semester, but the city has posted notices saying the routes could be eliminated. According to a city report, Columbia Transit ridership — which in recent years has reported more than 2 million rides annually — could be reduced by more than 900,000 if those routes are eliminated.
The city made a proposal for south Columbia apartment complexes to pay roughly $62 per bed to maintain the routes. Brooks said Grindstone Canyon and Gateway at Columbia apartments have confirmed they will pay the city for bus service, and Campus View Apartments is "on the fence."
He said none of the complexes has signed a contract. Of the 11 south Columbia apartment complexes the city has contacted, five have declined to take part and three others haven't decided, Brooks said.
Reach Andrew Denney at 573-815-1719 or e-mail akdenney@columbiatribune.com.