The Regional Transit System Advisory Board announced 22 route changes and a new route 150 for Fall 2019 at a public meeting Wednesday night.
The new route will go from Haile Plantation to UF campus — with one stop in Haile Plantation at the Publix on Tower Road — and two stops on campus. The campus stops would be at the Hub and UF Health at Southwest Archer Road, Krys Ochia, the transit planning manager for RTS, said.
The board presented the service change as a way to enhance the bus service effectiveness and efficiency. The goal is to improve network and system operation, as well as respond to customer concerns and address driver issues.
The RTS services will be implemented August 19, the day before Fall classes start for both UF and Santa Fe, said Jesus Gomez, the RTS transit director.
The RTS bus routes are changed by the advisory board three times a year following the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. The City Commission will review the changes August 15, Gomez said.
In addition to routes, the advisory board also discussed customer service.
Patti Wiggs, the transit customer advocate, said the majority of the customer service complaints include drivers passing riders at stops and rude drivers.
She presented to the board the customer service summary from May and June. In May, RTS had 76 customer complaints and found 39 valid. In June, RTS had 70 customer complaints and found 48 valid.
“Around 50 percent of the complaints are usually valid,” Wiggs said.
The board said it hopes adjusting the routes will minimize complaints in the following semesters.
Richard Nelson, a learning specialist at the UF Disability Resource Center, spoke on behalf of the population needing the Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations on the bus.
“The majority of the drivers in my routes the last few months have been pleasant,” Nelson said. “But I would recommend some sensitivity training, because those of us who are chair users are still valid customers.”
The board also opened the floor for public comments.
Kenneth Levinson, a frequent bus rider, complained that many announcements on the bus appear to belong to a different bus route.
“I’ll be on University for quite some time and then I’ll hear an announcement that we are turning on West University,” Levinson said.
The board said they will look into it.
Levinson also complained about buses with large advertisements on them because the images make it hard to see outside.
“I know you’re not going to do anything about this, but it’s virtually impossible to see outside of the lawyer bus [referring to bus with legal advertisements] at night,” Levinson said.
People board and exit an RTS bus Wednesday, July 24, 2019 by the The Hub at UF.
