Lack of riders force change in service
Low ridership, funding may shut down late-night bus service next semester
DJ Slater
Issue date: 12/9/04 Section: Campus News
The Right Way Shuttle service may be making its way out of Eau Claire as soon as next semester if its major source of revenue continues to come from its owner.
After this weekend, the service no longer will run the mall route, which picks up students from Towers Hall and makes stops in the mall area, including the Oakwood Mall and Wal-Mart Supercenter.
"Currently, the ridership isn't where I intended it to be," said Tom Klatt, Right Way Shuttle owner. "I can't fund it for free. I'm trying to find ... possible ways to keep it running."
This weekend, Klatt will launch a new project, which he's dubbed a late-night share ride service, he said.
It is a bus service that can be called on to take students to any destination in Eau Claire. One-way tickets are $3 a student and $5 for all-night access. It will run from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
"This is my alternative as far as keeping my business alive," Klatt said. "It's like a taxi cab."
The number of riders using the Right Way Shuttle this semester has not lived up to his expectations, Klatt said. The city buses, he said, take around 100 to 200 students to the mall area. On Sunday, however, when the city buses don't run, his service averages around eight people, at most.
"If I don't find funding somewhere, there probably won't be a service," Klatt said.
To solve the revenue problem, he has requested $15,000 in funding from the university, said Jodi Thesing-Ritter, associate dean of Student Development and Diversity.
The timing of Klatt's request, though, has made it difficult for the university to fund the program, she said.
After this weekend, the service no longer will run the mall route, which picks up students from Towers Hall and makes stops in the mall area, including the Oakwood Mall and Wal-Mart Supercenter.
"Currently, the ridership isn't where I intended it to be," said Tom Klatt, Right Way Shuttle owner. "I can't fund it for free. I'm trying to find ... possible ways to keep it running."
| What: Late-night share ride service When: 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday, Saturday Cost: $3 one way, $5 all-night access Call: (715) 210-0478 |
This weekend, Klatt will launch a new project, which he's dubbed a late-night share ride service, he said.
It is a bus service that can be called on to take students to any destination in Eau Claire. One-way tickets are $3 a student and $5 for all-night access. It will run from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
"This is my alternative as far as keeping my business alive," Klatt said. "It's like a taxi cab."
The number of riders using the Right Way Shuttle this semester has not lived up to his expectations, Klatt said. The city buses, he said, take around 100 to 200 students to the mall area. On Sunday, however, when the city buses don't run, his service averages around eight people, at most.
"If I don't find funding somewhere, there probably won't be a service," Klatt said.
To solve the revenue problem, he has requested $15,000 in funding from the university, said Jodi Thesing-Ritter, associate dean of Student Development and Diversity.
The timing of Klatt's request, though, has made it difficult for the university to fund the program, she said.