Students voice concerns about universal bus pass

While a final decision on a proposed universal campus bus plan is yet to be made, some students have been voicing their concerns.\nThe plan would make it possible for any student to ride any IU or Bloomington Transit bus with their student ID.\nBut, like any service, it would come with a price. \nThe plan would cost each student $40 per semester -- if all Bloomington and IU services remained the same, said IU Student Association President Meredith Suffron, a member of the transportation committee.\nThis year students were charged about $21 per semester for the first phase of universal bus service, which provides access to Bloomington Transit with a student ID.\nThe bus plan -- first proposed by IUSA in 1998 -- was approved by the board of trustees in 1999, said Suffron, a senior. Since then, the plan has been the responsibility of the transportation committee, composed of student leaders, administration officials and representatives of Bloomington Transit.\nSince implementation of the first phase, Bloomington Transit has increased its fleet from 18 to 28 buses and has seen ridership jump 80 percent, said Joe Lilly, Bloomington Transit operations manager.\nWhile the committee is still looking at several options, University Transportation Director Maggie Whitlow said the new bus plan has gone well so far. \n"What we've done this year has been very successful and has accomplished a bunch of things," Whitlow said.\nWhile the bus plan was first proposed by IUSA, the current plan differs, Suffron said. \n"My concern is that this bus plan is nothing like the one IUSA proposed," she said. The IUSA plan favored access to both IU and Bloomington Transit buses the first year rather than the current phase-in plan, she said.\nSome students, who say they rarely or never use the service, aren't happy. One has set up a Web site to voice his discontent.\nJosh Wells, a graduate student, said he has never ridden a bus in Bloomington. He said his house is outside the pick-up area of both Bloomington Transit and IU campus buses.\nThis school year, he paid the bursar $42 for Bloomington Transit service.\nHe said he is distributing "Stop the Bus" fliers and has set up a Web site at geocities.com/stopiubus.\n"The bus plan is a misuse of funding. It's obvious that other schools can do much better with the same amount of money that we're providing," he said. "I think the University is terribly overestimating the number of students that ride buses around campus."\nDuring the eight years he has lived in Bloomington, graduate student Staffan Peterson said he has always ridden his bike or walked to classes.\n"It's unfair. This thing I purposely tried to avoid, I now have to subsidize those who don't choose to walk or bike," he said. "I think the bus pass is a good thing for a small group of students, but it shouldn't be mandatory for everyone to subsidize a small group of people."\nBecause of his proximity to campus, Residence Halls Association President Jason Dudich, a member of the transportation committee, doesn't ride the bus either. But he looks at it differently.\n"I've never used the bus, but it's a mandatory fee," Dudich, a senior, said. "It supports everyone to use this service."\nDudich compared it to the Health Center -- students are charged a fee, even if they never need or use the service.\nStudents who want a fee exemption can go to the appeals board, Dudich said. Exemptions can be granted if the individual has a handicap or can't access the bus system, does not live in Bloomington or take classes at the Bloomington campus or studies abroad, he said.\nThe transportation committee will meet in the next few weeks to discuss the plan. It will determine whether to stick with this year's system, to offer access to both IU and Bloomington Transit buses or to design some other plan. It will share its decision with the board of trustees in April, Dudich said.\nWhitlow said there is no rush to make a decision.\n"The team that is looking at this is exploring all kinds of alternatives," Whitlow said. "One of the best might be to wait a while longer and really consider some major other things … look it over more closely before we make a change next year."\nMembers of the transportation committee said they're looking for feedback. IUSA plans to set up a straw-poll on its Web site at www.indiana.edu/~iusa, Suffron said. Some time in the next few weeks, she said, she will ride all campus bus lines with Dudich to get more feedback.\nDudich said the goal of the transportation committee is to decide what services to add or remove, while keeping costs as low as possible.\n"We have to find common ground, where we can make a decision best for the students of IU," he said.