CapMetro’s Board of Directors held a public hearing on Wednesday to understand how proposed changes to two of the University’s shuttle routes would impact service to students, faculty and staff.
The proposed change would combine Route 640 – Forty Acres and Route 641 – East Campus into one large bus loop surrounding the entire campus. The proposed change would take effect on Aug. 18 if the Board of Directors approves the change at its April 22 meeting.
CapMetro communications specialist Blythe Nebeker said in an email that the UT Shuttle Bus Committee, made up of students, staff and faculty, requested CapMetro improve the connection between East Campus and most of the University’s campus west of Interstate 35. She said the proposed change also aligns with new housing developments in East Campus, like the University’s new graduate student apartments.
“Key destinations through campus would be connected in a single ride, which would reduce potential transfers and improve the customer experience,” Nebeker said. “The combined route would not only enhance campus connectivity but also provide a more frequent and reliable level of service.”
Lawrence Deeter, a CapMetro planner who spoke at the hearing, said Routes 640 and 641 have some of the lowest ridership of any UT shuttles so it is more efficient to combine them into one. Route 641 is one of two UT routes that experienced a dip in ridership this academic year.
“We were already starting to think about trying to look at changes for these routes,” Deeter said. “This combination will also reduce transfers as students will only need to be on one route.”
Nebeker said the proposed route change should decrease wait times for the bus from at least 12 minutes to 10 minutes. CapMetro expects the roundtrip time of the proposed route to take 28 minutes. Currently, Route 640 takes 21 minutes to complete a loop, while Route 641 takes 17 minutes.
