As part of ongoing efforts to ease traffic congestion on Main Campus, UT will institute a Gold Loop shuttle bus route starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14.
The Gold Loop will encompass the entire campus, including Nitschke Hall, Old Town University Square Apartments, Driscoll Alumni Center, Carter Hall, Student Union and residence housing areas (see map). Buses will run every 20 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, as a complement to the Blue Loop shuttle, a more direct route that operates on the western side of campus.
Riders of the Gold Loop also can use the Call-a-Ride service from 7:15 to 10:30 p.m. The Call-a-Ride telephone number is 419.530.1033.
“The Gold Loop is a pilot program to help alleviate some of the parking congestion we have in highly populated areas of Main Campus,” said Bill Logie, vice president for human resources and campus safety. “During the first week of classes, we actually had anywhere from 200 to 300 open parking spots in lots 18 and 20 behind the Student Recreation Center between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., which are the peak hours of service.”
The Gold Loop will provide transportation from more underutilized parking areas.
“We have quite a bit of parking. Some of it is just a bit farther than walking distance to the heart of Main Campus,” said Sherri Kaspar, event and parking enforcement manager. “With the Gold Loop, we want to encourage students to use the open parking spaces in these areas.”
The Gold Loop was created in response to the campus community’s requests for more parking and transportation options. Logie works in conjunction with the Future Student Capacity Committee to facilitate more streamlined transportation throughout Main Campus.
Steve Wise, manager of transit services, said each Gold Loop shuttle accommodates 28 riders, with additional standing room.
The Gold Loop will cost about $30,000 this semester and be offered as usage mandates.
“If our students use the Gold Loop, we will continue to provide it,” Kaspar said.
Wise said the Gold Loop is one of several services that congregate at the Transportation Center, which he calls the main hub for all bus service on Main Campus.
“We have many daily shuttles going to the Health Science Campus, Scott Park and the Toledo Museum of Art,” Wise said. “We’re also a TARTA site, so our students can catch a bus to stops throughout the city of Toledo.”
All UT shuttle bus schedules, as well as TARTA bus schedules, are listed at http://transit.utoledo.edu.
For information about the Gold Loop shuttle service, call Transit Services at 419.530.1026.
