StarMetro and Florida State University may cut the number of bus routes available through the university’s campus bus service, Seminole Express, as part of a proposed service agreement. Tallahassee City Commissioners will vote on the plan during their meeting on Wednesday.
While the number of routes will decrease from 8 to 5, Seminole Express buses will stop at a greater frequency; in some cases, every five minutes. The remaining routes will still cover all areas currently serviced. A new route will also be added to offer students easier access to community attractions, like Cascades Park, Park Avenue, and Governor’s Square Mall. StarMetro’s Transit Planning Manager Brian Waterman says the new agreement is part of a long-term vision.
“The longer term goal is to really start integrating the Seminole Express into the StarMetro system,” Waterman says. “Instead of having one system but two brands, one system that helps our community to grow.”
He says the new agreement is well within the city’s budget and shouldn’t affect the transportation fee FSU students pay for free access to all campus and city buses. Only one new StarMetro bus will be added to the fourteen already in service with Seminole Express.
Waterman also says he hopes the new agreement will encourage FSU students and faculty to begin using other city bus routes that aren’t a part of Seminole Express.
“We want to provide access to more destinations," he says. “We want to give the students who live on campus easy access to the rest of the community.”
StarMetro and FSU have partnered to provide on-campus bussing since the 1970s, but their current agreement expires June 30th. The new service agreement will be implemented beginning July 1st, pending approval by the City Commission on Wednesday.