In an effort to lessen College Hill congestion and ease parking woes, the University is spending thousands of dollars this semester to subsidize bus trips to and from campus.
And while the University is testing the trial program, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is addressing its financial problems and figuring out how to make up for a $1.9 million deficit.
Directors are searching for ways to fix RIPTA's long-term budget problems without cutting its statewide network of public transportation - a network used by members of the Brown community to get to College Hill. Though it's too early to tell how changes to RIPTA will affect the subsidy program, Abigail Rider, Brown's director of real estate and administrative services and chair of the Ad Hoc Transportation Management Committee, said the University has told both RIPTA and the governor that RIPTA services to College Hill should not be cut.
RIPTA has been grappling with its financial shortcomings over the past two months, beginning in early September, when board members held public hearings around the state. Many residents attended the meetings, asking RIPTA not to cut service to their respective areas. Sharon Conard-Wells, the public member on the board of directors, characterized the sentiment voiced by the community as, "Raise my rate - just don't take my bus."
"Can they do it without cutting services? Nothing has been resolved yet," said Karen Mensel, RIPTA's director of marketing and communications.
After the public outcry against cutting service, members of the board met with Gov. Donald Carcieri '65 to look for a solution that satisfied RIPTA, the state government and RIPTA customers. On Monday, RIPTA General Manager Al Moscola articulated the proposed possibilities to the board. Those suggestions included a 25-cent fare increase on the trolley, an increase of the cost of a monthly pass from $45 to $50 and a fare increase for all RIPTA buses by 25 cents, bringing the cost of one ride to $1.50.
Before making a final decision, RIPTA must hold more public hearings, which will most likely occur at the end of November. The board would not implement any changes until February 2005.
RIPTA's financial troubles come at a time when the University is turning to public transportation as a way to ease parking and traffic problems on College Hill. On Sept. 27, the University began paying 50 percent of the cost of monthly RIPTA passes and RIPTIK booklets of 10 fares for Brown ID holders. The program, which is in its trial phase, aims to convince students and faculty to use public transportation. The trial subsidy will end on Dec. 10, before RIPTA makes final decisions regarding any of its fares and services. Currently, five buses and the Green Line trolley service College Hill.
"It's critical to us that the key (RIPTA) services that we rely on be maintained," Rider said. But she said it's impossible to forecast how RIPTA's budget solution will affect the University; administrators need to examine the costs and benefits of the program before deciding if it will become a permanent part of the University's transportation plan.
As the University expands into the Jewelry District - about 500 University employees are working in the neighborhood near Rhode Island Hospital this fall - the need for transportation between that location and the Van Wickle Gates has become more pressing.
That's particularly true because "congestion is a threat to the University's future," Rider said. "Neighbors don't like it when they can't park on their own street." University officials hope that the RIPTA program will help alleviate the parking crunch.
So far, nearly 200 people have purchased RIPTIK passes, which are available for $5.63 at the Brown Bookstore and at the Development Office in the Jewelry District. Brown ID holders can also buy subsidized monthly passes for $22.50. Though most undergraduates reside on campus or close by, many graduate students and University employees commute daily to campus, Rider said.
To determine whether to continue the subsidy program, Brown is launching a survey to see if the subsidy has increased the number of people using RIPTA. Rider estimated that 7 to 9 percent of the Brown population currently uses RIPTA, though she said that was only a guess.
"Did we change who rides the bus? That's what we want to know," Rider said.
Meanwhile, RIPTA's talks with the governor and Rhode Islanders will continue until the transit authority decides how to close the deficit, either by raising fares, reducing services or receiving increased funding from the state. The state now funds almost 50 percent of RIPTA's annual budget.
"This is a systemic funding issue and will continue to go on. We will continue to cut our costs internally," Mensel said. "Everybody's watching everything - even postage."
