Earlier believed to be shutting down the two shuttles next year, UCSD Transportation Services is instead transitioning Arriba and Nobel ridership to the MTS as a response to fiscal issues.
Students who previously used the Cityshuttle routes will still be able to get to campus using the MTS SuperLoop. To accommodate the increased ridership, MTS will also add buses to its coverage of the Nobel and Arriba areas. Transportation Services anticipates no gap in service to students as this change takes effect.
“UC San Diego will continue to work closely with MTS to ensure that the needs of our riders are effectively met with the SuperLoop,” Director of Auxiliary Business Services Robert Holden said.
“The SuperLoop is also currently undergoing enhancements which will further benefit our student riders.”
The Cityshuttle transitions are one part of a new strategic plan by Transportation Services to ensure fiscal sustainability after accumulating a $2.1 million deficit this year alone.
Currently, Transportation Services provides students with the fully subsidized Bus Zone, which includes campus shuttles and limited MTS campus services; students receive a free MTS and campus bus sticker from Transportation Services on their ID cards. However, due to an increase to 59 percent in ridership associated with this Bus Zone, the cost of this 100 percent subsidy for select MTS services has surpassed incoming revenue. Transportation Services hopes to overcome these budgetary issues through this shuttle transition and a user fee-based system.
In a gradual phasing out, the Bus Zone program will be replaced with a new user fee-based system that will instead provide students with an expanded MTS regional pass; Transportation Services will subsidize up to 50 percent of the cost of this regional pass during the first year that the program is implemented.
This new program was chosen after feedback from a comprehensive phone survey that began at the end of May 2012, including input from over 4,600 students, faculty and staff, as well as input from the UCSD Transportation Policy Committee. According to Holden, 65 percent of survey respondents preferred this user fee-based system.
“Our mission is to serve the needs of the campus community, which includes students, faculty, and staff. The department reached out the campus — including students — to get input on the services our customers value most,” Holden said.
On Friday, Jan. 18, Transportation Services launched a new website, moveucsandiego.ucsd.edu, to introduce the upcoming transitions.