SUBJECT:

Campus to Medical Center - Hillcrest Shuttle Service

As a result of continuing budget cutbacks, the School of
Medicine, Medical Center and Campus Office of Alternative
Transportation have jointly decided to modify the schedule of the
Medical School - Medical Center shuttle effective August 15th. With the new schedule the shuttle will leave on the hour from the
School of Medicine and on the half hour from the Medical Center
from 6 am to 6:30 pm. In addition, it will continue to stop
briefly at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. At this time, no
change is planned for the night shuttle schedule which leaves from
campus at 8:45 and 9:45 and from the Medical Center at 9:15 and
10:15.

A survey of the shuttle ridership, conducted in May, provided
insight into riders' thoughts about the service as well as a
better understanding of who is riding the shuttle. Surveys were
completed by 556 riders over a period of two days. Responses
substantiated that the shuttle service is valued by riders, who
overwhelmingly requested that the service be continued in some
form. Comments received included: praise for the professionalism
and courtesy of the drivers; reasons for using the service,
including environmental concerns and convenience; and
observations about the costs of driving, campus parking, using
public buses and the affordability of housing near campus. It
was also clear from the responses that riders are not aware that
the shuttle is a jointly funded service between the Medical
School, Medical Center, and Campus Alternative Transportation
Office.

While we are glad that we have developed a way to continue the
shuttle, we recognize that this modified service schedule may
unfortunately cause some inconvenience to riders who have been
used to having a bus available every half hour during the day.
In order to mitigate the potential impact on commuters the
Alternative Transportation Office will make Van Pools available,
possibly at a reduced rate, depending upon demand. For
information on Vanpools, call 543-RIDE (543-7433).

John F. Alksne, M.D. Dean and Vice Chancellor Health Sciences Michael Stringer Director UCSD Medical Center Steve Relyea Vice Chancellor, Business Affairs