By Dennis O’Neil
A recent order by the Federal Transit Administration has put the University of Louisville shuttle service in danger.
The service, which is provided by Transit Authority of River City, is said to qualify as a charter service under FTA regulations established in April and must cease operation so that private transportation providers can bid on it.
According to the FTA., the service qualifies as a charter because it does not connect with other TARC bus routes and that U of L controls the service’s destinations and hours of operation. TARC will have to cease service within 60 days of the ruling’s Oct. 21 issuance.
U of L’s Vice President for Business Affairs Larry Owsley emphasized aspects of the TARC service he does not feel the university could receive from another provider. Of these, he mentioned TARC service which allows U of L students to ride anywhere in the city with a student ID.
“I don’t think we could get that service from anyone else,” Owsley said. He also mentioned the TARC service eases the burden of providing parking for a heavily commuter student population.
“By providing that service, there are about 900 cars that don’t have to come to campus,” Owsley said, referring to students living in the nearby community. “Also, by parking at the stadium, there are cars that don’t get congested at the heart of Belknap campus.”
According to TARC Executive Director Barry Barker, the service does not qualify as a charter and the FTA.’s ruling is a misunderstanding. He said the shuttle service, also called Route 94, does connect with at least four other TARC routes and members of the community are allowed to ride the shuttle for 50 cents apiece.
Barker attributed the misunderstanding to an error on TARC’s Web site which did not make the other connections clear to the FTA He said these errors have since been corrected. Regarding U of L’s alleged control of Route 94, TARC issued a compliance report to FTA which reads “the university has no authority over any aspect of Route 94’s operations and cannot dictate routes ance report to F.T.A. which reads “the university has no authority over any aspect of Route 94’s operations and cannot dictate routes or schedules.”
TARC is currently locked in an appeals process with the F.T.A.. Barker said if the appeals process doesn’t go their way, it is unlikely TARC will be able to bid on the service.
TARC has offered the service since 1999, and was paid roughly $445,000 for it this year, money given entirely by the university which equates to $20.92 per student. Barker lamented the possible loss of the route, saying it represents a great community service.
“[The service] started for all the right reasons,” Barker said. “We are happy with it and U of L is happy with it. It’s about what public agency should be about: providing the best service for customers and what is best for the community.”
To John Miller of Miller Transportation, whose initial complaint against TARC brought the matter to the F.T.A.’s attention, the shuttle service is a clear violation and should be open to private bidders. Miller also said that TARC is trying to make the route look like mass transit, while it clearly qualifies as a charter.
“U of L faculty and students are the only ones using this thing,” Miller said. “No one else is using this for mass transit. I don’t see how anyone can get comfortable behind that story.”
Miller pointed out TARC’s payment number for this year, $445,000, represents half of what his company would charge for the service.
He said by doing this, TARC is taking money away from a smaller, private business.
“U of L is getting a great deal…but it isn’t right and it is hurting private business,” said Miller, whose company has been hit by the downturn in the economy. “TARC doesn’t feel the hole like a real business does.”
Owsley said if the FTA finds against TARC, then U of L will have to decide on a new shuttle provider. For some in the student body though, the fear is that student services will be compromised in this process.
“What happens if we lose this service? Well then parking permit costs go up so that we can pay for the excess costs on the contract that someone else has,” junior finance major Demetrius Gray said. “[The university] needs to do something about this.”
“It shouldn’t be a situation where student services are ever limited because of what appears to be just a conflict between two companies who are competing to serve a student population,” said Student Government Association President Rudy Spencer.
Barker said more will be revealed about the service’s fate in the coming months.
