We asked various university transportation officials across the country whether they have had to make cuts to services due to budget constraints. Here are their responses:
This summer we met to discuss the mission of our intra-campus shuttle. It was decided that DU (University of Denver) would return to the concept of the ‘pedestrian campus’ and discontinue daytime shuttle hours. We will, however, continue to offer shuttle service in the evening from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM. The budget was not the key factor here, rather the idea of getting our students to walk around the campus as it is designed. We will continue to offer daytime disability (wheelchair capable) shuttle on an on-call basis.
DU will continue to offer transportation-related services through our Transportation Center, located in the Evans Parking Structure, 2130 S. High. Here, students, staff, and faculty can get information and trip planning for public transportation.
Buddy Knox,
Manager, Parking and Transportation Services,
University of Denver
We have not reduced our transportation services since we are not in a budget constraint mode. We are actually using this opportunity to get better pricing for the services we use in all aspects of the campus.
We can do this since we are not a heavily endowment dependent university.
Larry Cohen,
Director, Parking Services,
George Washington University
Our student numbers have not changed. We still have a need to move students, faculty, staff and visitors around campus. We don’t want them all deciding that they need to get back in their cars. I didn’t reduce the service, but the current budget constraints did help to hinder some plans to expand the service in some areas. Any expansion or addition of capacity to the service had to be put on the back burner for now.
Teresa Davis,
Director of Transportation Services,
Penn State University
Here at UC San Diego, we have not reduced our services, (such as cutting out specific routes), but we have reduced the number of shuttles running on some routes, taking the interval from every 5 minutes to every 7 to 8 minutes for some on campus routes and have combined some of our lesser used routes into one large route, (basically one of our commuter routes that takes passengers to the train station).
Todd Berven,
Assistant Director, Transit Operations,
University of California, San Diego
No reduction at this time, but we have not expanded with our student population growth.
Ronnie Robertson,
Director of Transportation Services,
University of Alabama
Western Kentucky University has maintained transit service levels for FY10.
Jennifer I. Tougas, PhD, CAPP,
Director, Parking and Transportation Services,
Western Kentucky University
