Multimedia Reporting (Kuhr-Musser)

After discussing possible collaborative efforts between the City of Lawrence and the University of Kansas transportation systems, a feasibility study will be conducted beginning in April.

The study will outline a series of recommendations for operating public transportation in Lawrence and the University in the future.

The city’s public transportation system, the "T", is run by the city and financed by taxes, while a nonprofit board of KU students operates KU on Wheels, which is financed through student fees and fares. The study will provide a recommendation for governance of the system based on the willingness of the two parties to cooperate and the costs of coordination or consolidation, including an estimate of ridership, cash flow and capital expenditures, such as vehicles, parts, facilities and preventative maintenance, analysis, plus a five-year budget outline.

It will also provide potential operational models, identify the efficiencies and performance standards of the transit system, and identify possible fare structures and staffing levels.

“There will be public meetings to obtain feedback from the public, which includes students from the University, to make sure everyone's needs and concerns are taken into consideration and evaluated,” Cliff Galante, Public Transit administrator said.

Consultants will complete the work with guidance from the city and University’s Study Management Team made up of 10 individuals, five city representatives plus five University representatives.

“We anticipate it will take a consultant approximately six and a half to seven months to complete the scope of work,” Galante said, which means the study will not be completed until November or December.

However, the City is currently working with the University on acquiring vehicles to provide service to the new Park and Ride facility being built on West Campus for August 2006, but the service will be operated through the University.

Although the consultants will identify and quantify all the benefits, Galante said some immediate benefits are improved levels of service, such as service frequency, for riders and the city and University could share one maintenance facility to save money, as opposed to operating two separate facilities.

Other possibilities for users include joint bus passes that could be used on both systems, a reworking of routes to reduce duplication, and operational changes that could allow both systems to take advantage of economies of scale. The collaboration also might accommodate faculty and staff members better and address an ever-growing campus parking deficit.

Danny Kaiser, chairman of the Public Transit Advisory Committee, said, “If we are able to access federal funds for buses prior to the completion of the study, the city will be the official recipient of the funds and will collaborate on their use.”

City leaders have been interested in a merger since the T began in 2001, when the average daily ridership was 507 people. In 2004, the average was up to 1,061 people. On the other hand, KU on Wheels carries about 9,000 riders per day. For the T, the increase in ridership would reduce the approximately $950,000 in property tax revenue the city uses to subsidize the transit system.

Melissa Dimoush, a Lawrence resident, said, “I would want to make sure there was an equitable distribution of funds. I don’t want the kids to subsidize the bus system. If the costs were justified, I think it would be okay.”

This study is an ongoing effort between the City and the University. Community members and commissioners alike have wondered if Lawrence really needs two bus systems like the T and KU on Wheels, so in October 2005 city commissioners heard from KU officials and the Lawrence public transit administrator about ways the two systems could work together.

In 2004, the "T" started marketing to local and Haskell Indian Nations University students by allowing them to ride for half the normal 50-cent fare. For KU students who already own a KU on Wheels bus pass, they may purchase an addition "T" pass for $25.

Oswaldo Bravo, Lima, Peru, sophomore, does not have his own transportation at the University and would like to see a unified system that would help him navigate the city.

“It would be nice to have one system that could take students anywhere without having to worry about additional passes or fares,” Bravo said.

In the past, there was concern among KU officials that the University would lose too much control over how a new system would operate, but interest remains in a unified system because the University could gain money from the Federal Transit Authority to buy new buses for the campus system. The city already receives about $1 million a year from FTA, and it is unlikely they would fund two separate systems in Lawrence.

For now, Jessica Mortinger, transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, says, “KU on Wheels will continue to operate a transportation system with the goal to get students to class on time.”