Last year, junior Lacy Edwards got used to commuting twice a day on LTD bus Route 79, one of the busiest direct routes to the University. After three terms of constant bumping and cramped standing room, Edwards said she’s glad she moved because she now can take the Breeze, a much roomier route.
By moving, Edwards just missed a ridership increase on already-heavy routes like 79. Despite a citywide 5.3 percent decrease in ridership, a handful of routes continue to gain patrons.
Following last year’s 9 percent reduction in service and last summer’s 25 percent increase in the price of monthly bus passes, the Lane Transit District has reported that more people have stopped taking the bus, or simply take it less often. Although nearly all direct University bus service was maintained through the cuts, the overall reduction has meant fuller busses on heavy routes, including those serving student housing in the Centennial and Kinsrow area — such as 79 and 79X — and the Westmoreland area.
LTD Service Planning and Marketing Manager Andy Vobora said the transit service has made a number of changes to maintain sufficient service through the current school year. By using reserve funds and cutting deeper into materials and services budgets, LTD will be able to maintain nearly 100 percent of citywide bus service. In cutting how late busses run on weekends and slowing the frequency of service in the middle of the day, LTD has been able to minimize the impact to any one location.
“UO riders have come to expect full buses, and we don’t get many complaints,” he said, “unless we are forced to leave people behind.”
Vobora said the majority of riders who have issues with fuller buses tend to commute from areas with strong ridership, such as Westmoreland.
As a frequent commuter from Westmoreland via Route 76, sophomore Josh Palmer rides one of the few University routes to feel the sting of budget cuts. Due to a decrease in bus route frequency, Palmer said he and his fellow riders are forced to “pack it in” on a daily basis. And though he frowns upon the bus pass price increase, Palmer said he’ll grin and bear it.
“(LTD) has to make their ends meet, too,” he said.
Students at the University pay $8.25 per term to use LTD services, whether or not they choose to use the system. The charges are included in incidental fees, which are collected through University billing.
“Fees paid by students to support (bus pass) programs range widely,” Vobora said, “but the UO rate is at the very low end of the spectrum.”
Vobora said the student fee currently sits below the base group bus pass fee — paid by other LTD group pass organizations — of $11.13.
As an Oregon Medical Laboratories employee, Fran Lawson works for an organization that receives a discounted rate. Lawson, who commutes once a day to the University area, said she has noticed a considerable increase in crowded buses along Route 11, but is willing to pay the price in the name of convenience.
“It’s not that much less to bus instead of park,” said Lawson. “But the ability to get dropped off right next to my job is a perk, especially during the winter.”