Campus Bus Service sets ridership record

IU’s Campus Bus Service set a new milestone in rider participation this fiscal year, which ended June 30, by transporting nearly 3.5 million passengers.

This record beat the previous years’ by nearly 200,000 passengers, a 10.9 percent increase during the past year. It also makes IU’s bus system the third-most used in Indiana, after Indianapolis and Lafayette.

Perry Maull, operations manager for the bus service, attributed this rise in ridership to the ease of using bus transportation and the newly implemented late-night bus service, the Night Owl.

“First of all, (passengers) use it because it is a safer ride — especially versus driving,” Maull said. “They don’t have to deal with where to park the car, and the bus is probably an easier way to get around campus.”

Campus Bus Service offers more than 15 buses on five routes throughout the school year, a service students decide to use for a variety of reasons.

“It keeps you dry from the rain,” sophomore Ranger Davis said.

For sophomore Brittany McCoy, the bus is the easiest way to get to her car at the stadium.

Maull added that the close proximity of IU’s 42,000 undergraduates, as well as the increase in student participation in transportation procedures through the Student Transportation Board, helped Campus Bus reach the record.

The Student Transportation Board, established in 2006, voices student opinions and works to create a better interaction between students and transportation services.

“The Student Transportation Board is one of the few organizations on campus where every part of the student voice is heard,” said Ray Vanalot, chairman of the Student Transportation Board. “I came to IU to a rather unproductive bus system. With the increase in student services, the students have had much more voice and presence in the Campus Bus.”

Future plans for the Campus Bus Service include combining with Bloomington Transit into one transportation service. Bloomington Transit reports 3.02 million passenger trips for the 2009 calendar year. Students can ride the buses for free, and the service offers two routes for students in the Night Owl service.

“The combined bus system would help IU receive more state funding, relieving students from paying an annually increased transportation fee,” Vanalot said.