City, VU close to V-Line agreement
From The Times, March 12, 2009
VALPARAISO | The city expects to have an agreement with Valparaiso University in the next week or so on funding for the V-Line Brown Route, which serves the campus.
Assistant City Planner Tyler Kent, who also is the city’s transit director, said the university is working out how to pay for the route. It is the most heavily used of the three city V-Line routes when VU classes are in session. Kent said if the university isn’t able to subsidize the route, the city might continue to operate it, but students would pay the regular $1 fare.
The contract with VU expired in October, but the city has continued to run the route while trying to work out a new agreement. The student body Senate paid the subsidy for the first year using funds from the activity fee students pay. Students are allowed to ride all the city buses free.
The city asked for an increase in the subsidy this year, and the Senate did not want to pay it. The city approached newly appointed VU President Mark Heckler, who said it should be the university’s responsibility but, as a newcomer, he needed more time to study the service.
The Brown Route had the most riders in February with 2,383 followed by the Green Route with 1,849 and the Yellow with 1,672. The Orange Route shuttle, which operates Friday through Sunday from the campus to the South Shore’s Dune Park station, had 403 riders in February.
V-Line General Manager Ryan Landers said the weather and the shorter month were factors hurting ridership in February. The buses were forced to stop running early during a mid-month blizzard, but total ridership was comparable to January.
“The weather was an issue, but we did OK,” Landers said. “I want to start getting out into the schools before the kids break for the summer to let them know, if they need to get places, they can take advantage of it.”
Anyone between the ages of 5 and 18 rides for 50 cents. Kent said he’s working with the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission to complete the design of bus shelters, which NIRPC will seek bids on soon. Kent said the city has $13,000 or $14,000 available to buy them and might be able to get more through NIRPC.
Landers encouraged residents to look for the green and white V-Line buses and give them a try.
“If they see the bus, they can hop on and try it out. There’s no harm, and it costs less than a bottle of Coke.”