As complaints about the University’s bus system reach a fevered pitch, the man with the plan will soon be here to begin turning the failing transit system around.Mitch Skyer, the consultant hired to evaluate the transit system, will arrive on campus Wednesday to begin setting up meetings with administrators, Student Government, transportation officials and passenger representatives. Skyer is the founder, president and senior consultant of Solstice Transportation Consulting, a company designed to help large institutions with their transportation needs. “We help them with the bus operation side of things,” Skyer said. “That includes designing routes, organizing scheduling and addressing customer needs.”Student Government hired Skyer to help the University transition from Capital Area Transit System to a private charter company. Brandon Boyd, SG director of transportation, said Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, met Skyer at a conference and asked him to discuss the possibilities of privatization. “He’s worked with a lot of colleges, and he’s very knowledgeable about the needs of a college campus,” Boyd said. “We really wanted him on board.” Skyer has been in the transportation business for seven years. He started Solstice Transportation Consulting in January 2007. Skyer’s services cost $39,480 for the 90-day evaluation, according to Solstice’s Proposal for Services. Student Government funded the project with Coca-Cola donation money left over from the last fiscal year, according to Boyd. Skyer’s multi-step technique to formulate a Mass Transit Operations Master Plan begins with gathering data and feedback from stakeholders. Skyer said he plans to do on-site inspections, hold open forums with students and distribute a mass transit survey. “We’re looking for the needs and wants of the passengers,” Skyer said. “We want to find out what’s most important to them and match that toward the projected budget so we can get the most for them.”The next three phases are a series of discussions that focus on the University’s ultimate goals, possible technological advancements, route structure and schedule and the proposed budget for the new transit system.The final stage is a Request for Proposals, a document that outlines the University’s transportation needs and lists the budget for the system. This document is sent to transportation contractors, who then submit bids. Skyer said the “challenges are very pronounced” at the University. ”The real challenge is finding out what the student needs are,” Skyer said. “But the changing demographics are also critical. The system has to be able to adjust to changing needs.”Skyer has also been asked for tips to improve the system prior to the completion of the study, Boyd said. Boyd said SG is forming a group of students to work on this project. “On-campus representation is easy to get, but we want off-campus students who live in the transit area,” Boyd said. “We need to give student perspective on the whole system.”Students interested in joining the working group can e-mail [email protected].
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Contact Katie Kennedy at [email protected]