Officials: Bus plan will wait

An IU committee will recommend putting off universal bus access for students for at least another year, opting instead for a plan similar to the current one, IU officials said. \nThe IU transportation committee will present its proposal, which includes free rides on all Bloomington Transit buses and a stadium-to-campus shuttle, to the board of trustees today. The services would require a student ID.\nThe plan will cost students about $26 per semester, an increase of about $5, said IU Vice President for Administration Terry Clapacs, a member of the transportation committee. The proposal would give students access to the stadium shuttle and Bloomington Transit service, Clapacs said. Besides the new service, the committee considered rising fuel costs and inflation in the fee increase.\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 full universal plan would have cost each student about $40 per semester -- if all Bloomington and IU services remained the same, said IU Student Association President Meredith Suffron, a senior.\nThe bus plan is on the agenda during the time for President Myles Brand's remarks. That time is used to present information to the board, but the trustees do not vote on issues raised during Brand's comment period.\nTransportation committee members had considered three options for next year -- leave the service the same, add a stadium-to-campus route or fully implement universal access. The universal campus bus service was initially proposed by IUSA, which opposed the phase-in plan eventually implemented by the trustees, Suffron said.\nClapacs said the committee wanted to wait another year to get more information and to ensure that a streamlined and cost-effective universal access plan is put in place.\n"We want to make sure the two systems are operating as efficiently as possible before adopting any student fee increase," Clapacs said.\nThe University will undertake a joint study with Bloomington Transit next year to find ways to eliminate duplication and improve service before a universal plan is implemented, Clapacs said.\nAbout $535,000 from IU's transportation fee was applied to Bloomington Transit's budget this year, said Wayne Barnett, Bloomington Transit controller.\nSuffron, a member of the transportation committee, said she fought to have the additional route added to the pre-paid service.\n"If the point of (the bus plan) is to encourage people to walk on campus, then having the shuttle is a good idea," Suffron said. "It will help a lot of students get to and from campus without the hassle."\nThe plan still has its critics, including graduate student Joshua Wells. Wells set up a Web site opposing the plan in January.\n"(The bus plan) obviously does not benefit the majority of IU students. It should first and foremost focus on IU," Wells said. "The focus right now is on transit in the Bloomington community."\nWells said he was opposed to all three options considered by the transportation committee.\nSuffron said she hopes another year of research will provide valuable information, leading to better universal bus service in the future.