8A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
TRANSPORTATION
Students cram into buses, leave no room to spare
Alex Bonham-Carter/ KANSAN
Students crowd into a KU bus, filling the seats and aisles within a couple of stops. The bus system is currently free for all students with a valid KUID, which could account for the boost in ridership.
Free bus system has twice as many riders; causes delays, changes in routes
BY SACHIKO MIYAKAWA smivakawa@kansan.com
smiyakawa@kansan.com
Clay Westerlund arrived late for class last week because he rode a KU bus that didn't make it to campus on time.
Westerlund, Lawrence junior, takes the 2nd and Michigan streets bus route to commute to campus. He said he noticed a massive increase in passengers this semester, which slowed down the bus.
"It's been 10 to 15 minutes late almost every time," Westerlund said.
KU on Wheels and Park & Ride have doubled their ridership this semester. The increase has created inconveniences for passengers of some routes and forced KU on Wheels and Park & Ride to modify
their services.
Derek Meier, Independence,
Mo., sophomore and transportation
coordinator senator, said KU on
Wheels and Park & Ride had more
than 12,000 riders per day last week.
He said that last year, an average of 6.000 people rode the bus each day.
Meier said the new free system and the lower price of the Park & Ride
@ KANSAN.COM
parking permit contributed to the increase in riders this semester.
ing to help handle the overflow of passengers.
Donna Hultine, director of Parking and Transit, said the office sold 500 more Park & Ride parking permits this year than last year. The office recently added another bus to Park & Ride during the morn-
View a time-lapse video of campus bus ridership at kansan.com/videos
KU on Wheels also modified the 2nd and Michigan streets route last week to avoid delays. Meier said the bus no longer went to GSP-Corbin
Hall. Beginning Monday, bus service will start at 7 a.m., instead of 7:30 a.m.
"We didn't really have a problem with this route last
year", Meier said. "But we didn't take it to GSP and Corbin."
Meier said the changes of the 2nd and Michigan streets route were in response to frequent complaints. He said that changes in the bus routes were rare because the causes of complaints often varied.
Megan Starrett, Lester, Iowa, graduate student, stopped using the bus this semester and walked to campus instead. She used to ride the Bob Billings and Kasold bus to campus.
Starrett said although the bus had been on time this year, she gave up riding it because it was too crowded. She said people sometimes couldn't get on the bus.
"Last year I rode it four or five times a day," Starrett said. "It was very convenient and all seats were open."
Meier said he encouraged passengers to speak to KU on Wheels if they had any concerns about buses, and that would help improve the service.
— Edited by Jennifer Torline
K-10 Connector exceeds capacity; riders forced to stand, feel unsafe
BY BETSY CUTCLIFF
bcutcliff@kansan.com
The K-10 Connector's overcrowded buses are making riders feel unsafe.
Alice Amrein, transporta-
Alice Ann
tion director
for Johnson
County Transit,
said the buses'
capacity of 83
people was being
exceeded, and
patrons had been
forced to stand
through the
45-minute ride.
total and going at speeds up to 70 miles per hour on Kansas Highway 10.
Amrein said the transportation department recognized the frustrations of the riders, and was working on a solution.
Joe Custer, associate director of the Wheat Law Library, said he rode the K-10 Connector and didn't feel safe standing for the duration of the ride.
"I've been standing several times, and usually you have to hold on with one hand because it's so crowded."
JOE CUSTER
Associate director of Wheat
Law Library
"I've been standing several times, and usually you have to hold on with one hand because it's so crowded" he said. "When people stand near the front there is no stop to them from going through the windshield if the bus suddenly stops or wrecks."
While crowded buses have been an issue among students this year,riders of the K-10 Connector said it was different because of the speed and distance the bus traveled.
"It's over a 20-mile trip on K-10," he said. "It's just not safe."
Peter Northcott, Oiaite junior, rides the K-10 Connector and said he did not feel safe because of the amount of highway travel on the bus.
The K-10 Connector shuttles riders from Johnson County Community College and the KU Edwards Campus to Lawrence, traveling more than 28 miles
"We are looking at some options but they aren't really immediate," she said. "We are talking to KU to see if they could potentially
help with a couple of runs, but nothing has been finalized yet."
Amtrein said the amount of riders on the first day of classes was 87 percent higher than last year, from 502 riders on the first day last August to 942 riders this August. She said that the daily average ridership rose 37 percent from last year.
In an online newsletter, Amrein attributed the increased ridership to the high cost of gas, and said she was working on acquiring new buses for the fleet.
K-10 Connector passes, which include ten rides, cost $15.
Amrein said the increased ridership also led to schedule delays, which made students late to class.
Riders on Wednesday's 7:30 a.m. K-10 bus said the cost of passes made the bus appealing to them.
To help with overcrowding and delays, Amrein said she was also exploring changing the locations of the bus stops to speed up the transit.
Edited by Jennifer Torline
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