Those who use public transportation might already be aware of several changes in the bus system implemented this semester. Those who don’t use public transportation now have a good reason to start.
Along with a new discounted rate on a pass for unlimited rides over a month, the new Route 34 allows students and faculty to sidestep the issue of parking on campus entirely. This is just one of several changes to the parking system that have been rolled out beginning this semester.
The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority first announced the Eastern Michigan University-exclusive bus pass and Route 34 in a press release Aug. 22.
The subsidized bus pass, available only to EMU students, allows unlimited rides on any AATA route for 30 days.
It can be purchased at any time for $40 at the EMU Cashier’s Office in 201 Pierce or at the Parking Department in the Department of Public Safety Building.
This is a savings of over 30% off the standard cost for a pass with the same functionality available to the general public, which is $58.
EMU students have not recently had a subsidized fare when riding AATA buses. University of Michigan students can ride any bus for free with an active M-card, and WCC students can ride for free with a student ID when boarding at the main WCC bus stop.
The Rynearson Park and Ride Lot, in conjunction with the new Route 34, offers an alternative to searching for a spot on campus. Route 34 began service the first day of the fall semester at EMU, Aug. 31.
Students can park for free in the lot opposite Rynearson Stadium on Hewitt and take the shuttle to any of three stops on campus, or several stops on the way.
A one-way trip takes less than ten minutes on average. At present, bus drivers do not check for student ID, meaning any member of the community can take advantage of the free shuttle.
Route 34 and the Rynearson parking lot are both offered for use free of charge, while the college subsidizes the EMU bus pass. Dieter Otto, Director of Custodians and Grounds at the Physical Plant, explained why the college decided to front these costs.
“We’re trying to minimize the overall cost of parking,” Otto said.
Route 34 involves operating several full-size AATA buses at no charge to the rider, as well as offering free parking in the Rynearson lot.
“If that means I don’t have to build a new parking lot for two million… you’ve got to weigh those costs,” Otto said.
Otto did not avoid mentioning the gravity of the parking situation.
“Last year we came very close to running out of parking,” he said, which provided an impetus for management to innovate alternatives to simply expanding on-campus parking.
Otto was responsible for setting up the route and its stops. There are several intermediate stops between the main drop-off and pick-up points at Rynearson Stadium and on campus. These stops mirror the Route 3 bus, which requires standard fare, along Huron River Drive between Hewitt and Oakwood.
The stop across the Bowen Field House will soon be receiving a waiting shelter.
When asked about ridership, Otto remarked there are about two hundred riders each way per day.
“We were surprised the numbers were that high, that early,” he said.
With the inauguration of Route 34, AATA now services a total of 29 separate routes.
Route 33, now officially named the “College of Business Shuttle,” has been modified. It now pulls into the Student Center turnaround, but maintains its general loop around the campus perimeter and stops by the business school off Michigan Avenue.
But, not all the changes implemented this semester are favorable for students. All parking rates have been increased, which is the “first increase
in more than six years,” according to the EMU Parking Department website.
EMU Student Government Vice President Jeffrey Chicoine said he “wasn’t happy with the parking plan at all.”
“I invited Michael Hague, Executive Director of Business Services, to speak about the plan in front of the Student Senate and he graciously accepted and even extended the question period,” Chicoine said.
The general thought amongst the students at the meeting was that the plan focused “entirely” on revenue and took student considerations “very lightly,” Chicoine said.
“There were still a dozen hands raised for questions when we ran out of time after having already extended the question period,” he said.
“It is obvious that students are frustrated about the changes and feel like they were not considered,” Chicoine said. “I would encourage anyone that has a concern about this issue to talk with members of Student Government.”
