Texas State to cancel interurban shuttle bus routes

Posted by University News Service

Feb. 1, 2013

Texas State University will cancel bus routes to locations outside the city of San Marcos beginning Aug. 26, the university announced today.

Texas State has offered bus service to students, faculty, staff and the general public between San Marcos, Kyle and Austin, and San Marcos, New Braunfels and San Antonio but will begin to refocus its transportation within San Marcos to better serve the greatest number of customers.

A recent transportation review which included a cost/benefit analysis and risk assessment revealed that the interurban routes comprised only a very small percentage of total passenger trips and that they are more costly than the local routes.

“The subsidy from the local bus fee could no longer be justified,” said Bill Nance, vice president of finance and support services at Texas State.

“In order to best utilize the student bus fee and serve the largest number of passengers possible, Transportation Services will refocus all available resources on the student, faculty and staff transit needs in San Marcos,” said Nancy Nusbaum, interim director of Transportation Services at Texas State. “Current users of the interurban routes are encouraged to use other means of accessing the campus, including ridesharing and carpooling.”

Eliminating the interurban routes will allow Texas State to reassign some buses and allow point-to-point bus service at no additional charge between the Mill Street perimeter parking lot and the Texas State campus. Bus service on other routes will also be evaluated and adjusted accordingly, Nusbaum said.

For further information, contact Texas State Transportation Services at (512) 245-6799.