A unified bus service that would provide regular service to Ohio University students and Athens residents to the tune of $10 to $20 a quarter was the focus of last night’s Graduate Student Senate meeting.
Michael Lachman, an OU graduate student and the Athens County Transportation Service Manager, presented GSS last night with his plan to reform the Athens County bus system in an effort to gain their support for his initiative.
The plan, which would provide students with access to a centralized bus service, would generate annual revenue of $660,000 to $1.2 million, according to Lachman’s presentation.
Lachman, who is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental studies, said he is concerned not only that the current reliance on cars for transportation contributes to the degradation of the environment but also about the lack of accessibility within the current transit system.
“This could become a primary source for students, but what we have right now is a patchwork,” Lachman said.
There are currently five separate bus networks running eight different routes in Athens. Some of those companies include the GoBus, private apartment complex shuttles and the Athens Transit.
Lachman’s aim is to create a single coordinated bus system to serve the campus and residents alike, offering improved services such as residential feeder routes, express routes through campus and uptown, and more frequent service during the weekend and evening hours.
“This could be something that could appeal to the student community,” Lachman said.
“Some of us are night owls.”
Lachman said he also hopes to improve the coordination within the current Athens transit systems by providing universal fares and coordinating the bus schedules so that patrons and students can travel around town quickly and easily.
He said he envisions his plan will provide numerous benefits for the residents and students. Lachman said the increased accessibility might reduce unemployment by giving people more access to uptown Athens and the far East side shopping areas.
The decreased reliance on cars would not only make for cleaner air and reduce Athens’s carbon footprint but also result in fewer cases of drunk driving, Lachman said.
Lachman added that his plan would not only save students’ lives but their money as well, by providing an alternative to driving, something he said would make attendance at OU more attractive to potential students.
Clemson University is one school that has been successful with providing students with a small city bus service, recording as many as 1.7 million trips in 2007. Federal and state funding could be leveraged to help assist with the costs of the initiative, Lachman said.
hm156809@ohiou.edu
