Weather and traffic cause overcrowding on Transit buses

Riders on the Bloomington Transit buses have gotten very close lately, and it hasn't been because of great conversations. These bus riders have had to board a crammed green and white bus to get a lift to and from campus, leaving little room for comfort. \nOvercrowding on the buses has been a problem for many bus riders, making the ride feel cramped and uncomfortable. Riders have been turned away from boarding buses because they were at maximum capacity.\n"Everybody is basically laying on top of each other because it's so crowded," sophomore Rachel Payne said.\nThe two main routes that bring in the most riders are the 6 route and the C route. The C route transports people near campus along Third Street, the IMU and toward College Mall. The 6 route takes people farther off campus to Eigenmann Hall and east of College Mall.\nHow can overcrowding be a problem when the buses are running every 5 to 10 minutes along their routes? On the surface, the problem may seem to lie within Bloomington Transit; but in actuality, it can be pinpointed several different ways.\nThe busiest times for the buses are 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., lunchtime and 3 to 6 p.m. These are times when people are trying to get to and from campus, causing traffic to back up and the buses to be behind schedule, Bloomington Transit Operations Manager Joe Lilly said. During the busiest times, buses are caught in traffic and are 10 to 15 minutes behind schedule. Overcrowded buses are usually at the end of their routes. People waiting at the bus stops get on the wrong buses when the buses they should be boarding are halfway-empty, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Lilly said. \n"After classes let out is the worst time to board the buses," Payne said. "Everybody is trying to board the buses at the same time."\nOther things have factored into the overcrowding problem. \nMore students have been enrolling at IU, which increases the amount of bus riders on campus. \n"Between 10,500 to 11,800 people ride the C route (each day) during the weekdays," Lilly said. "We get between 53,000 to 54,000 riders in a good week."\nNew apartment complexes are emerging around Bloomington and people are moving farther away from campus, limiting their choices of transportation. \nSenior Jennifer Mason lives in Sterling University, a newer apartment complex located on East Third Street. She had to ride the BT bus last semester because otherwise she couldn't get to her classes. \n"I had no other way to get to campus because it's so hard to get a parking pass," Mason said. "I'm glad I got my Atwater parking pass this semester because I hated riding the BT bus because it was always crowded and late."\nWeather also contributes to more people riding the BT buses. When the weather gets cold or wet, walking and bike-riding are not sensible methods of transportation. Riding a warm bus seems to be the choice that many people make during the cold winter months, thus adding to the overcrowding dilemma.\nWhatever the reason, overcrowding is a problem the BT is trying to alleviate. They bought three new 40 ft. buses in November and plan to buy five more by the end of 2003.