According to the Ohio State Transportation and Traffic Management website, CABS routes are now expected to make more frequent stops. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor

The Ohio State Campus Area Bus Service announced major route changes that will go into effect Monday and will restore service throughout campus.

According to the Ohio State Transportation and Traffic Management website, the three current CABS routes — the Medical Center Express, East Residential routes and Buckeye Express — will keep running but make more frequent stops. In addition, Campus Loop South — a route suspended prior to the fall semester — will return with a 16-minute daytime service between Buckeye Lot and main campus.

Campus Connector, which currently stops at the Herrick Transit Hub and goes back through main campus, will instead continue towards West Campus and make stops near Morrill and Lincoln Towers, according to the website. Campus Loop South will also serve near Mid-Towers and main campus.

Buckeye Express will increase its morning frequency, while services for East Residential, Medical Center Express and CABS On-Demand will remain the same, according to the website.

CABS changed its service routes in August due to construction plans in the area. According to a news release, the Cannon Drive Relocation – Phase 2 project — which will rebuild Cannon Drive between John Herrick and Woody Hayes drives — has been reworked, so the impact on bus routes will be delayed until fall 2023.  

University spokesperson Dan Hedman said in an email the university is pleased to make these changes after receiving feedback from riders. 

“CABS is committed to providing the best service possible to all its loyal riders,” Hedman said. “In response to customer feedback, and after learning of a change in nearby construction phasing, CABS is pleased to return additional routes and stops this fall. We routinely track our ridership and evaluate service levels.”

Tom Holman, associate director of TTM, said during an information feedback session Nov. 3 an increase in riders and foot traffic on campus has led to an increase in the bunching of buses along their routes and longer wait times.    

“One thing that’s different this fall, students are back in greater proportion, I think more than we anticipated,” Holman said. “We were still operating under the assumption that there would be more online classes than it sounds like there are, and so class changes and just pedestrian traffic on campus was a little higher than we anticipated.”

Ramla Mohamed, a second-year in chemistry and commuter student, said she regularly takes Buckeye Express to get to class and thinks the return of Campus Loop South will reduce some of the crowding. 

“I think the shorter wait times are very much needed because you miss a bus and the next one doesn’t come for the longest time. I think getting rid of the CLN and CLS also caused a lot of traffic at the beginning of the semester because everybody needs that same bus to leave the Buckeye Lot.”

While concerns over the new bus routes began at the beginning of the semester, Holman said making changes is a lengthy process and includes rewriting driver schedules, coding and adjusting software.

“We can do something this afternoon and change everything up, but can we communicate it? Can we let people know? Can we make the app work?” Holman said. “If we’re going to roll out a new service, I want it to look right.” 

Holman said after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, TTM saw a bus driver turnover rate of about 33 percent, where it ideally would hover at approximately 15. However, Holman said TTM increased driver salaries in June in hopes of attracting more drivers.

“The students that we had started to graduate, and we weren’t backfilling because people weren’t here,” Holman said. “We have about 2,000 hours a week that are covered by a part-time student employees, and that’s a hole that we’re really trying to plug as best we can.”

A more detailed schedule of the CABS service times can be found on the TTM website.