Ball State University's Student Government Association is working with the Muncie Indiana Transit System to initiate an east-of-campus shuttle bus route to begin in 2006.
The estimated cost would be $53,117 for the 2006 Spring and Fall semesters, MITS General Manager Larry King said during a meeting of the Mayor's Commission for Ball State Student Relations on Friday.
"My major concern was who is going to pay for it," King said.
MITS is seeking 50 percent financial participation from Ball State, King said. SGA President Steve Geraci said the association is willing to provide a couple thousand dollars next year for the new route, with the expectation that the route will pay for itself in the future. By increasing ridership, MITS would receive more funding from the federal government.
"Seeing something like this happen would be very nice for students, but I don't know what hoops we would have to jump through with the university," Adam Link, SGA secretary of student community relations, said.
Geraci said he spoke with Tom Morrison, associate vice president of human resources and state relations, a few weeks ago about the proposed route, but with little success. The university completed an extensive survey more than a year ago that indicated that an east-west shuttle route was not a financially viable option because students would not ride it enough to make it financially justifiable, Geraci said.
Although the relationship between MITS and Ball State has been good, the $25,000 is a major issue, Geraci said. A lot more communication and research is necessary to justify students' transportation needs east of campus, he said.
"I'd like to see the infrastructure for this in place before I leave office," Geraci said.
King said Geraci proposed a route last summer that would cater to Ball State students who live in residential areas east of campus, or in Studebaker East and West Residence Halls complexes. The shuttle system's priority target area lies between New York and Wheeling avenues, south of Bethel and north of Riverside avenues.
Geraci's proposed route - one of two routes introduced to the commission Friday - would be a 10-minute loop that begins and ends on the corner of Reserve and University avenues. The route would include Linden and Rex streets, as well as Virginia, Neely and McKinley avenues.
The 2.5-mile route not only goes past the Burkhardt Building, but also it decreases Ball State shuttle wait times by encouraging more students to ride the MITS bus up and down McKinley Avenue. Students who live only six blocks from campus can also avoid buying a commuter parking permit, Geraci said.
"It will take you right from your house to campus," Geraci said. "It takes away the need to even use a car or certainly to drive it everyday."
Geraci said the route would also improve the relationship between the city and university and bolster MITS' image for catering to students.
The system will also help to decrease parking problems in the Riverside normal neighborhood, especially after the city began to enforce its parking ordinances earlier this month, Geraci said.
"If you're no longer able to have your car at your home because of the new parking regulations, you're going to need a way to get to class and get to campus," Geraci said. "A shuttle route like this will serve that purpose."
The second proposed shuttle bus route is similar to the first, but it would expand service for students farther up and down McKinley Avenue. As a result, the second route would take 12 minutes and cover three miles, King said.
The MITS east-of-campus shuttle would operate Monday through Friday during the academic year between 8:40 a.m. and 4:20 p.m., King said. MITS will use either a bus, van or trolley depending on which vehicle uses diesel fuel most efficiently, he said.
Morrison and Sue Weller, director of Facilities Business Services and Transportation, will attend the next meeting of the Mayor's Commission to discuss the east-of-campus shuttle bus route.
"We've heard what MITS wants to do and what they need from Ball State in order to do it, and it's important for the commission to hear what Ball State is already doing and whether the plan that MITS is suggesting is possible," Geraci said.
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