After a drastic cut to the Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services (STARS), the city of Saginaw has now consolidated the 11 bus routes down to seven with different times. These changes were to take effect on Sunday, Nov. 1 and Monday, Nov. 2.
Routes 2 and 4 will combine to be Route 24. Routes 3 and 11 will combine to make Route 311. Routes 6 and 9 will combine to make Route 69. Routes 7 and 8 will combine to make Route 78. Routes 1, 5, and 10 will remain their own individual routes.
Other changes to the bus routes includes having the final bus route be at 7:15 p.m. as opposed to 8 p.m. Multiple staff will also be laid off.
While this may save the service money and keep it more sustainable, many people were not pleased with the result, believing it to be a detriment on many people’s ability to get around the city.
Route 69 is what will include SVSU, and will stop at the university at 7:25 a.m., 11:13 a.m., 2:33 p.m., and 5:53 p.m. This is only four stops, where there used to be nineteen.
SVSU students who use the service will have to adjust to potentially longer waits, and any students with classes later than the final stop will have to adjust their usual routine. The lack of frequency may also prove very inconvenient.
Brandon Errer, a student at SVSU, attended the public hearing, and believes that SVSU may have to do something to help out the students who are now facing difficulties due to this decision.
“I am a very strong supporter of public transportation, and I believe a lot of young people are as well,” Errer said.
There is some hope despite everything going on. For example, Wal-Mart has its own bus service on Saturdays that arrives at the Pine Grove Community building at 2:15 p.m. and at Collings Drive at 2:25 p.m. for any students needing to go there. Also, the Ezekiel Project is an organization striving to make STARS’ Saturday bus routes start up again, which will potentially give students and community members more access to public transportation.
