Jenny ShaoMonths after the cross-county extension of the MetroLink system opened and Washington University introduced the U-Pass system and refurbished the bus system, numerical estimates indicate that the program has become quite popular among Washington University students.
According to Lisa Underwood, director of Parking and Transportation Services, Metro platform surveys estimate October MetroLink usage by members of the Washington University community who hold U-Passes at more than 115,000 per month, with MetroBus trips at about 65,000 per month.
“This program has far exceeded our expectations,” said Underwood.
The U-Pass system, initially introduced during the summer of 2006, fully subsidizes the MetroLink and MetroBus systems for all full-time Washington University students and employees, approximately 25,000 people.
Additionally, with the new cross-county MetroLink extensions, the University now has three new MetroLink stations on its campuses, including two on the Danforth Campus and one on West Campus. There are also two new bus lines operated by Metro that stop at the Mallinckrodt Center.
No information was available regarding MetroLink and MetroBus usage before the summer time, but Underwood did say that usage has greatly exceeded the University’s initial expectations.
Before the new system was introduced, the closest MetroLink station to the University was the Central West End station, near the medical school, and the Delmar Loop station, approximately two-miles from main campus.
This long walk, along with the absence of a major bus system on campus, made transportation difficult for many current upperclassmen on the Danforth Campus.
“Before the Metro extended over to campus I never used it, except maybe once a year,” said Erin Beck, a junior. “It was way too far away. I used it to go to the baseball game and that’s it.”
The new MetroLink stations near campus and the new bus system, according to Underwood, have made the lives of Washington University community members like Beck much easier.
“I use the MetroLink all the time now,” said Beck. “Multiple times per week.”
Underwood stated that the extensions now make it easier for students to travel between campuses.
Many students also use the MetroLink to get to Lambert Airport, for easier access to shopping, community service projects, and going into St. Louis for recreation and sporting events.
“It’s easier to take it to the store, the Galleria, and places like that,” said sophomore Matt Watkins.
Underwood said that 61 percent of University community members who use the trains are employees and staff.
For those who live within driving distance of the MetroLink, the extensions, combined with use of the MetroBus, may save them money and gasoline when commuting to work. Also, as a result, parking congestion on campus has lessened.
“We know of people who have used the cross county extension as opposed to driving their cars to campus, which is one of the goals we set when we entered into the program, which was to reduce parking demand on campus,” said Underwood.
With the impending four-year reconstruction of a 12-mile segment of Highway 40, one of the main arteries heading into St. Louis, Underwood said that the number of workers, faculty and commuting students using the Metro systems will likely increase further, but estimates for the magnitude of the increase have not yet been made.
“One thing that is important for us to remember is that we can look at what has happened in other cities where this kind of project has occurred and get some idea of that,” she said. “But we’re really not going to know until people make their decisions about how difficult their commute is.”
The high use of the U-Pass system has caused financial concerns for Parking and Transportation Services, which pays Metro for the program on a per-trip basis. The higher than expected student and employee traffic on the MetroLink and MetroBus systems has pushed costs above the University’s initial estimates
“We are renegotiating with Metro because of the level of usage and the program costs,” said Underwood, who did not have an official cost value.
Underwood attributed some of the costs to the loaning of U-Passes to ineligible members of the community.
“One of the things that has been a little bit discouraging is people who have taken their pass for themselves and have passed it onto people who are not eligible for the service,” she said. “Every time the Wash. U. card is used, we pay for it. It makes our program costs go up. If there’s a lot of misuse out there, it’s hard to maintain a program of this size.”