Bloomington Transit schedule reduced for summer

The Bloomington Transit system's schedule has been reduced on campus-oriented routes until Aug. 29 in response to decreased demand for services during the summer. \nRoute 6, the campus shuttle, now will run weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., departing from Knightridge Apartments every 60 minutes. The weekend schedule with be the same as it was before.\nThe C Route, which services University Commons Apartments, will run every 40 minutes from 7:10 a.m. to 11:10 p.m. The Saturday service will run from 9:30 a.m. to 6:10 p.m., and the bus will not operate on Sundays. Route 7, the Bryan Park "Park and Ride," also will not operate during the summer.\nThis is the third year for the reduced summer schedule, said Joe Lilly, operations manager for Bloomington Transit. Lilly said the changes are appropriate because these routes receive less than one-tenth of their usual of riders in the summer. \nIn 2002, Routes C and 6 carried approximately 7,000 riders on an average day. During the first week of summer classes that year, these routes had only 600 riders.\nLilly said his office receives few complaints about the reductions, although there is some confusion the first week of summer classes from students who are not aware of the new schedules. \nHe said some riders question the absence of service to the C Route on Sundays; the University sets a budget for the service and this limits the level of service Lilly said he is able to provide.\nUniversity Commons Apartments, located on the C Route, is one complex that will be affected by the altered schedules. Property Manager Angie Stewart said the complex has 792 residents and is 94 percent occupied, although as many as one-fourth of the students may leave during the break. \n"While some students leave for the summer, we are still pretty full," Stewart said. \nShe said that 98 to 99 percent of the apartment's residents rely on the buses.\nVisit www.bloomingtontransit.com for more information.