Bus ridership increases for 10th consecutive year

Date: October 27, 2009

The popularity and convenience of the public transit system at Grand Valley State University has resulted in record bus ridership for the 10th consecutive year.

Ridership has increased every fall since the partnership between GVSU and The Rapid began in 2000. During the first month of classes for the 2009 fall semester, 21,478 students used the bus system.

Operations Manager for Pew Campus and Regional Centers Erin Babson said the bus ridership of 2,411,631 in 2008 increased 13.2 percent this year.

Changes have been made to bus routes in an effort to continue improving ridership and maximize the efficiency of the bus routes. In the past, ridership numbers dropped significantly after 7 p.m. because three separate routes ran around Allendale.

"We have utilized the combined route on the Weekend Connector route and it has been well received," Babson said. "By using this combined route during the weekdays, we have fulfilled two goals: to make evening commutes more convenient for students and to free up an additional bus during the daytime."

A total of 20 buses run about every 6-7 minutes. GVSU runs five separate routes, both within and around the Allendale and Pew campuses, seven days a week.

The Sustainable Community Development Initiative recognizes the importance of public transportation in reducing the university's carbon footprint. Choosing to ride the bus rather than drive increases the sustainability of the university community.

GVSU has received the highest "green" rating among Michigan colleges and universities in an annual report by the Princeton Review and is the only Michigan school cited in the Kaplan College Guide 2009 list of "cutting-edge green" colleges and universities.

GVSU also received the U.S. Green Building Council's Recognition Award and the Sustainable Endowments Institute's National Sustainability Innovator Award for 2008.

The partnership between GVSU and The Rapid is not only beneficial to the university's sustainability efforts, but also extremely profitable for the ridership. In 2008-09, students saved approximately $18,183,696 in auto operation costs, $3,651,197 in fuel costs and 1,567,560 gallons of gas.

"Every year we put forth an effort to improve the bus service and make it more convenient for students," Babson said. "By listening to student thoughts, we use creative solutions to address concerns. Thanks to feedback, we have earned record ridership for the 10th year in a row. We are proud that the bus system has become part of Grand Valley culture. This shows that our students are part of a generation that believes in the value and importance of public transportation."


This article can be found at the lanthorn.com