[El Scorcho]

GLTC might be on the road back

Lynchburg News & Advance
October 7, 2007

It’s taken some prodding, in the form of budget cuts by Lynchburg City Council and a critical series of stories by The News & Advance, but Greater Lynchburg Transit Co. finally seems to be turning the corner.

Turning the corner in terms of its fleet safety and reliability, its relations with its customers and attitudes of its managers toward the public it serves. And it’s about time.

For years, riders had complained of buses that didn’t show up at stops on time, buses that broke down, buses that had no air-conditioning. The system was hemorrhaging money. Buses were being poorly serviced, if at all. Liberty University had been begging officials to talk about service to the campus and its growing student body. But no one seemed to care.

Well, that began to change in the latter half of 2006, and none too soon.

LU is now paying GLTC $75,000 a month to provide service to its campus, linking the campus itself with area shopping centers and off-campus student residential areas.

Read More: http://tinyurl.com/2p8dop

[El Scorcho]

The next time you hear a Lynchburg resident complain about Liberty being here, remind them that their mass transit system would have gone under if we hadn't been.

[ALUmnus]

The next time you hear a Lynchburg resident complain about Liberty being here, remind them that their little town would have gone under if we hadn't been.

The list could go on and on.

[belcherboy]

Why is Liberty paying $750,000 a year for bus service?? Does the bus service still charge a fee to ride? Do they give a student discount to Liberty students?

I like that Liberty is helping the system continue to work, but it just seems like a bit much to pay a company to make stops on your campus a dozen times a day. (do they make more stops than that?)

[El Scorcho]

Why is Liberty paying $750,000 a year for bus service?? Does the bus service still charge a fee to ride? Do they give a student discount to Liberty students?

I like that Liberty is helping the system continue to work, but it just seems like a bit much to pay a company to make stops on your campus a dozen times a day. (do they make more stops than that?)

There is no charge for any Liberty student, faculty or staff member to utilize the GLTC anywhere in the city.

They also provide our on-campus transit services, so it's quite a bit more than a dozen stops a day. Between the three lines, it's about 9-12 buses stopping every 20 (or so) minutes at different locations on campus. This has greatly alleviated some parking issues and the fact that our campus is now so spread out.

It's a win-win for everyone involved, but I'm not even the most qualified person on this board to be talking about this.

[belcherboy]

Why is Liberty paying $750,000 a year for bus service?? Does the bus service still charge a fee to ride? Do they give a student discount to Liberty students?

I like that Liberty is helping the system continue to work, but it just seems like a bit much to pay a company to make stops on your campus a dozen times a day. (do they make more stops than that?)

There is no charge for any Liberty student, faculty or staff member to utilize the GLTC anywhere in the city.

They also provide our on-campus transit services, so it's quite a bit more than a dozen stops a day. Between the three lines, it's about 9-12 buses stopping every 20 (or so) minutes at different locations on campus. This has greatly alleviated some parking issues and the fact that our campus is now so spread out.

It's a win-win for everyone involved, but I'm not even the most qualified person on this board to be talking about this.

That is a GREAT deal than. Free use anywhere in the city is worth the price they pay IMO. It was $.75 per ride when I was at Liberty (mid 90's). I think the stops were twice an hour from about 8:00 a.m. till around 8:00 p.m. (give or take an hour on each end)

Getting it three times an hour (or more) probably helps a TON for kids to get around town and reduce the need for personal cars for some on campus.

I only used it a handful of times as I was lucky enough to know people who had cars. After my Freshman year, I got a sweet powder blue Astro Mini van. The ladies named it the Love Bus. (o.k. I named it the love bus, even though there was no lovin' going on in it)

[SuperJon]

Unfortunately, I think the only students using the buses to other places in towns are those from the northeast or large cities (DC, inner-city Atlanta, etc). The rest of the student body is not used to a mass transit system, and use their cars to go everywhere. I admit I'm one of those. It's just the way I'm wired. It's a great service for kids who don't have cars though.

[El Scorcho]

I plan on using the bus system quite a bit more whenever the weather decides to finally cool off. I'm just not into walking from the stop to my office with my heavy bag while it's still warm out. I pretty much carry an entire office worth of stuff in it.

[BJWilliams]

I try to use the buses when my knee is acting up. Some days I can do alright walking but when you have an ACL deficient right knee, after a while you just want to sit down all the time.

[thepostman]

I would love to use the buses to get to school, but i have to take it all the way back to the plaza and then get on another bus. I would have to wake up 2 hours earlier just to get the bus

[El Scorcho]

Yeah, I can understand that. I'm aware that I'll have to get up a bit earlier to get to work on time. I'm always up for a change of pace, though. We'll see how it goes.

[Hold My Own]

I remember sitting in on these meetings from the get go...needless to say they were very grateful for everything LU has done for them and will continue to do for them....wouldnt it be great if one day the whole transit system is headquartered at LU instead of the Plaza. If you look at where the businesses and $$$$ is being spent its no surprise that it makes sense. This is what it will take in order to change the frame of mind and have riding a bus a way of life. There are very few transit systems that are successful and based and ran through a part of town that is on life support


This would be great for the city, Liberty as well as traffic and hopefully years down the road hoping on a bus is a simple way of life rather than a oddity


EDIT: I didnt see your post Postman, what i described above would solve what you are talking about...and bottom line is whoever the majority of the ridership is or located should be catered to...and right now thats LU by a lot

[hurricane fan]

wouldnt it be great if one day the whole transit system is headquartered at LU instead of the Plaza. If you look at where the businesses and $$$$ is being spent its no surprise that it makes sense. This is what it will take in order to change the frame of mind and have riding a bus a way of life. There are very few transit systems that are successful and based and ran through a part of town that is on life support

Since we now own the plaza, technically it is hedquartered at LU. I know how you like to be "technical", HMO

[belcherboy]

This would be great for the city, Liberty as well as traffic and hopefully years down the road hoping on a bus is a simple way of life rather than a oddity

Especially when the Liberty students are too drunk to drive back to campus or don't want to have to worry driving to and from the bar.

(obviously I'm just kidding, although I wonder if they still have college nickel draft night at Trotters. A couple of friends of mine used to save their nickels up for that night and use their Liberty ID to prove they were in college.)

[TDDance234]

It's a good thing but they tinker with it too much. For example, the red routes no longer go around the circle from 8:55 to 3:55, which is high time for students coming and going from class.

I sometimes wish they would just leave a good thing alone.

[Fumblerooskies]

DeMoss to Campus North Transit Improvements
Auxiliary Services

Starting this Tuesday, LU Transit will implement a series of changes that will double the amount of transit capacity between DeMoss Hall and Campus North. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, all Red Route buses departing DeMoss Hall during most major class transition periods will head directly to Campus North. Service to the Circle will resume 17 minutes into the class transition period. All class transition periods between 8:55 to 3:55 will be affected. Circle residents that are headed to Campus North may board an earlier Red Route bus or board one of the north-bound buses departing DeMoss Hall.

Please be courteous to the bus drivers as they implement these changes. More information about this route change is provided for you on the LU Transit website.

LU Transit Website

[bigsmooth]

just more material to stick to all the LU haters...i love it!!!

[thepostman]

very good point HMO...would seem like the logical thing to do...I can't imagine that it hasn't at least been talked about for the future...