Thursday, September 17, 2009
The coordination of KU on Wheels and the Lawrence Transit System is finally on track — and with promising results.
lawrencetransit.org
Route 11, the first coordinated route between KU on Wheels and The T, connects downtown, campus and 31st and Iowa streets.
The monthly Lawrence Transit Ridership Report showed that the Lawrence bus system, known as the T, increased its ridership 37 percent this August, with 48,313 riders. That is compared with last August, which had 35,349 riders.
Before coordinating with KU on Wheels, there was major concern about the T’s survival because of funding issues and lack of use, transit administrator Robert Nugent said. The situation improved when Lawrence residents voted for a 0.2 percent sales tax increase in November to help fund the transit system. KU on Wheels and the T began their partnership in Aug. 2008 when they allowed riders of one system to ride the other system for free. Since the T coordinated its routes with KU on Wheels this summer, ridership has increased.
Nugent said the addition of Route 11, which connects downtown, the main campus and retail stores at 31st and Iowa streets, caused the jump in ridership.
“It appears that Route 11 has accommodated the needs of both KU students and city riders,” he said.
According to the Lawrence Transit Web site, Route 11 is the first coordinated transit route between KU on Wheels and the T. It began running Aug. 17. Several apartment complexes, including The Exchange, which opened this fall, are on the route.
Derek Meier, transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, said students benefited greatly from the alliance.
By the numbers: T ridership
February 2009: 31,451
February 2008: 29,147
June 2009: 32,805
June 2008: 33,757
August 2009: 48,313
August 2008: 35,349
“It has provided students who live downtown to have service more often and longer than ever before,” he said.
Meier said the bus systems have added 150 hours of service. Students will still be able to use the T for free when KU buses aren’t running, such as during evenings, Saturdays and school breaks, according to the Lawrence Transit Web site.
Benjamin Wright, Eudora freshman, uses the T on occasion and said the coordination was a great idea. He said in his experience, the T was usually on time and efficient. His only complaint was the lack of hand sanitizer on both KU on Wheels and the T.
“They should get some hand sanitizer with a thousand people getting on and off those buses every day,” he said.
The Web site warned that KU buses did not have bike racks, an adjustment that city bus riders would have to make. Meier said KU buses would not be getting bike racks in the future.
“The KU transit system is extremely high volume, high ridership. And that doesn’t work well with bike racks because a bus can hold 70 to 80 people, but there’s only room for two bikes,” he said. “It becomes problematic for passengers to get onto a bus and expect to have a bike storage spot.”
Interested passengers can get the new “Guide to Ride” booklet, a coordinated effort by KU on Wheels and the Lawrence Transit System to provide all route maps and schedules in one place. An electronic version of this information can be found at www.lawrencetransit.org.
— — Edited by Sarah Kelly
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