Shuttle-UM growth unlikely

Bus service could be unavailable to College Park residents

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006

After months of discussion between the city and University of Maryland College Park officials, the planned expansion of the Shuttle-UM bus service for city residents could be called off.

David Allen, director of transportation services at the university, said an opinion issued by State Attorney General Joseph Curran’s office stated the university could lose control of the bus service if Shuttle-UM was used by city residents.

Since the buses might be considered a common carrier – like Metro buses – if service is expanded, the state would have control of bus stops and schedules, among other logistical aspects, Allen said.

‘‘We would basically lose control of our own bus system,” he said. ‘‘We would obviously prefer not to have those restraints.”

Asked if the university and City Council could work around the restrictions of common carriers, Allen said, ‘‘I would doubt it. ... It’s a sure thing that there are problems right now.”

The City Council set aside $5,000 in the 2007 budget for the first 100 non-student city residents to ride the bus for free during the fall and spring semesters. College Park and some university officials believe shedding Shuttle-UM restrictions would ease traffic on Route 1, giving residents another option for commuting across the city. The city would charge $50 for every person after that.

Councilman John Krouse (Dist. 1) said council members and the city staff would examine various options in the coming weeks, adding that it is too early to know what options were viable.

‘‘It’s going to require some additional research,” Krouse said. ‘‘The city is still interested in getting it worked out, but we have to stop and look at the legal issues.”

Although there has been some question among College Park and university officials as to the demand for a Shuttle-UM expansion, Krouse said residents would utilize the citywide service.

‘‘I think there’s still a lot of popular support for [expanding the bus system],” he said.

University student groups, including the Residence Hall Association (RHA), have long expressed displeasure with the city-university proposal. Some students, like RHA spokesman Jesse Chen, said inviting College Park residents onboard student buses could compromise security and crowd the buses.

E-mail Dennis Carter at dcarter@gazette.net.