ASU’s Undergraduate Student Government Downtown released a survey Tuesday to determine whether they will replace the student trolley system with a new golf cart service to transport students around campus.
The new transit system, Gotcha Ride, would cost about $26,000-$30,000 yearly. USGD implemented the trolley system last year for $26,000, and it ran Monday through Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m.
According to data from the trolley drivers, the trolley was used 269 times from August 2014 to April 2015. Ryan Boyd, USGD vice president of policy, said the trolley “was not a smart move.”
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The results from USGD’s survey will be used to help student government compare the trolley system to Gotcha Ride. According to the latest data, released Wednesday, 91.8 percent of the 269 students who took the survey said they would use the Gotcha service.
USGD President Corina Tapscott said the trolley system would have to change dramatically if it were to stay. She said USGD is trying to work with the trolley company to meet the needs of the students.
“If they are willing to meet the needs at a price that is reasonable, then we might move forward with them,” said USGD Vice President of Services Kat Hofland. “But if they are not able to meet those needs at a price we can afford, we will lean towards another service.”
The trolley route could be expanded if a new 14-passenger car is utilized rather than the previous 34-passenger car, Tapscott said. Such a trolley system would be able to stop at more locations. That alternative costs around $23,100 yearly, while continuing to use the 34-passenger system would likely remain around $26,000, Boyd said.
Boyd said an advantage of the Gotcha carts is that they would be “much more flexible than the previous transportation options,” but he said a benefit of the trolley system has been its consistency because it follows a schedule.
“If you knew the schedule, if you knew where the stops were … then you could reasonably find the trolley at the time it was scheduled to be there,” he said. “With the golf carts, I can’t guarantee that.”
The trolley can also carry more people, while the Gotcha carts only seat around five, Boyd said. If there were a large number of people wanting to go to the same place at the same time, the trolley would work better, but there is not a current need for that, he said.
Tapscott said USGD is ultimately pushing for the option that will be the most cost-effective while providing the best experience and service for students.
“Our students are requesting a flexible service that can run a longer amount of time, get them directly where they need to go, whether to a parked car because they are concerned about safety or because they parked far away, or to a grocery store because they need to pick up items,” she said. “They’re looking for more flexibility with the service to meet their ever-changing needs.”
The USGD survey will be available to students until Sunday. Tapscott said students are welcome to further discuss transportation needs and concerns at a USGD meeting on Monday at 2 p.m. in room L1-15A in the Student Center at the post office.
Contact the reporter at Anna.Werner@asu.edu.
