Fare-Free Busing Delayed Until 2002

A shortage of resources has kept the project offline until Jan. 1, 2002.

"We deferred instituting it until January because we didn't have enough buses," said Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf.

Carolyn Elfland, vice chancellor for auxiliary services, said the transit system is getting six new buses to handle the strain that is expected to accompany free services.

"It should cut down on (traffic)," she said.

UNC will get two additional transit routes and a new U bus route.

Elfland said the extra U bus, called the EU for East U, will aim to relieve the burden on the U buses and will extend service to the eastern portion of campus, the UNC Law School, Ridge Road and South Road.

Fare-free service will be financed by transit funds from Chapel Hill and Carrboro in addition to the increase in student fees.

The increase that students approved in February will charge undergraduate students an additional $8.49 per semester in fees, and summer school students will be charged an extra $1.49 per credit hour.

But Roger Patterson, associate vice chancellor for finance, said the actual amount for the fees has yet to be finalized.

"There are several more steps in the process," he said.

"We'll know more when it goes to the chancellor over the next couple of weeks."

Patterson also said the fee increases will not be effective until fall 2002.

Chapel Hill Transportation Director Mary Lou Kuschatka said the town was pressed toward fare-free busing by UNC's concession to completely pay for the routes that are exclusive to the University, such as the U routes.

"UNC did agree to make some changes on the way we allocate routes," Kuschatka said.

Waldorf said the total cost of the program will be divided between the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, as well as UNC.

"Basically we split the fare-free by the population percentages," she said.

Waldorf said Chapel Hill will fund fare-free busing through an existing transit fund and that a tax raise will not be required.

"We had to increase the level of funding for busing because of fare-free," she said.

Waldorf added that the state's current budget crisis will not have adverse effects on the town's transit allotment.

"The funding for transit at the state level is amazingly looking pretty good," she said. "Right now it looks like we'll get even more this year."

Waldorf supported fare-free busing because of the positive effects of creating a more widely used transit system and the fact that UNC students had endorsed the measure.

"If (the students) hadn't gone for it I know (the town) wouldn't have," she said.

Waldorf also said fare-free busing has many benefits for the community. Free busing means ridership could increase, possibly decreasing pollution from personal cars.

"Fare-free was very consistent with our community value."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.