Transportation services for 2016-17 academic year

Following several notices in the local media and campus communications throughout the spring of 2016, I am pleased to announce transportation services for the upcoming 2016-17 academic year. This announcement addresses changes in both Santa Cruz Metro and UC Santa Cruz transit services.

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District is announcing a series of service changes that may impact campus riders. While there are reductions in some areas, the final plan preserves far more UCSC service than had been originally anticipated. In response to a proposed 14 percent reduction to campus service, TAPS and Metro staff worked diligently to identify the most-used and least-used UCSC trips. Following careful analysis, the final outcome is that the campus is paying slightly more for the 2016-17 service period, which is preserving nearly all "school term" service.

Changes will include reconfiguring school-term trips to align with the revised 2016-2017 class schedule, rerouting Route 20 UCSC/Westside evening trips to serve the Safeway/Almar Shopping Center, as well as adding service to the Coastal Science Campus on two Route 3 Mission/Beach weekday morning trips. Metro service reductions to the campus will include elimination of the Route 12 UCSC/Eastside (which provided one trip from 41st Avenue to campus on weekday mornings), and elimination of several low-ridership morning trips on other UCSC routes. A preview of Metro's Fall Service changes is available on their website.

While the Metro plans for service to the campus are positive, these outcomes and the additional funding needed to achieve them require reductions in services by the Campus Transit Operation.

Campus Transit service changes that will be implemented in fall quarter 2016 include:
    •    Sunday through Thursday Night Owl service will be eliminated, and Friday and Saturday Night Owl service will end 40 minutes earlier, at 2:10 a.m.

    •    Downtown Bike Shuttle service will be eliminated, and Westside Bike Shuttle service will end 90 minutes earlier, at 11:30 a.m. 

    •    Four transit-style shuttle buses will provide additional capacity on the Loop and Upper Campus routes during peak demand periods
Funded by parking fees, the Traffic Control program will be expanded to increase traffic flow during class breaks and peak hours. TAPS is also working to pilot an alternative night-time on-demand service for student on-campus transportation needs.