UF letter to mayor asks for RTS cost data, calls threats of closures unhelpful
The University of Florida’s senior vice president of construction, facilities, and auxiliary penned a letter to Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward Thursday, asking the city to provide data about Regional Transit System costs and return to the negotiating table rather than making “threats.”
The city of Gainesville announced Tuesday at a press conference that half of its Regional Transit System (RTS) budget is at risk of being lost if the University of Florida were to move forward with a proposal to scale back its prepaid bus fare program.
The program, responsible for $6.8 million of RTS’ $13.7 million budget this year, may end at the beginning of July, according to a press release from the city.
In the letter, Dave Kratzer questions RTS’ fares, stating that RTS charges non-UF riders $1.50 per ride and UF students $2.86 per ride.
“This is very simple: We need to understand the city’s operating costs in order to take care of our students and fulfill our reporting responsibilities to the state of Florida,” Kratzer wrote. The data we have right now does not align with the city’s price — we need to understand why, and we ask that you share your data.”
More: City: UF's plan to scale back bus program would slash RTS revenue in half, force route cuts
However, an FAQ page created by the city says RTS may actually be undercharging UF for services. According to a study funded by UF, RTS provides service at a cheaper rate than its peer systems.
“Since 1998, this partnership has been woven into the life of our community,” said Ward in the city's release. “It is a shining example of a strong, working town-gown collaboration. It’s good for the environment, it reduces traffic congestion and it has become an integral part of the way UF students come to learn about and love the City of Gainesville.”
At a press conference Ward said the reduced budget would force RTS to eliminate buses and routes, and as a result, ridership.
If UF moves forward with its plans, the cuts would force the city to eliminate Routes 17, 25, 28, 34, 46 and 150 in July, Ward said. The city would also have to reduce Routes 1, 5, 8, 9, 12, 16, 20, 21, 33, 35, and 38.
Shortly after the press conference, UF spokesperson Steve Orlando said in a statement to The Sun that there has been no decisions or announcements made on UF's behalf about the RTS program.
The statement said UF was surprised to learn of the press conference held by the city.
"There seems to be a major misunderstanding on the city's part. The University of Florida has made no announcements and believed that our good faith talks were ongoing. We were surprised to learn about this press conference, because we recently asked the city to give us transparent data on their operating costs," the statement reads. "We’re still working in good faith. This is unfortunate, but we agree with the mayor that a good outcome is possible, and we hope they share their data and come back to constructive talks as partners. We’re committed to doing what’s right for our students and the community."
Kratzer wrote in his letter that the university wants to receive data from the city in order to determine how to best serve students.
“The university will always take a data-driven approach to ensure that we are correctly serving our students. Press conferences and threats of closures are unnecessary and unhelpful,” he wrote. “We would welcome you back to the table and hope that you will direct your team to provide this crucial data that we have not yet received.”
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: University of Florida and city of Gainesville spar over RTS
