*Updated to reflect Mayor Ward’s response to Dave Kratzer’s letter in the last paragraph.
GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – The University of Florida (UF) has sent Gainesville’s mayor a letter requesting data on the Regional Transit System (RTS) and welcoming him back to the negotiating table. It’s the latest development in the dispute over the bus transportation contract between the university and the city.
The letter dated Thursday, April 11, is from Dave Kratzer, UF’s Senior Vice President for Construction, Facilities and Auxiliary. It comes on the heels of a news conference Mayor Harvey Ward held on Tuesday in which he stated many bus routes would have to be cut under new terms proposed by the university for its prepaid bus program.
In the letter, Kratzer states the university has not made any public announcements or final determinations regarding RTS.
“We are still at the table, and we would welcome you back,” said Kratzer.
In his news conference, Mayor Ward said the university proposed letting its annual, multi-year agreement expire and instead move to a month-to-month agreement with a dramatically different fee structure which would cut UF’s annualized contribution to the RTS budget from $13.7 million/year to $6.8 million/year.
The current agreement between the city and UF ends on June 30.
Kratzer’s letter requests information about the city’s operating costs for the bus system.
He writes, “Please provide RTS’ data so that the university and the public can understand the price our students are paying and assess whether that is a fair and equitable fee based on the size and service of the system.”
Kratzer alleges that RTS charges non-UF riders $1.50/ride while UF students pay an average of $2.86/ride.
“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,” wrote Kratzer.
UF’s proposal dated March 6, indicates it wants to explore other transportation options.
The mayor told reporters on Tuesday that UF’s staff, students and faculty account for 68% of the ridership and if the city lost that rider base it would jeopardize state and federal grants it receives and would jeopardize the entire future of the bus service.
The city says RTS has 102 buses, a growing fleet of electric buses, a new East Gainesville transfer station under construction and employs 266 people.
According to the city, the public transit system has served over 200 million passengers, traveled almost 78 million miles and received $75.2 million in grant funding over the last 25 years.
Gainesville City Commission has called a special meeting for today, Thursday, April 11, at 3 p.m. to discuss the RTS budget.
The uncertainty for RTS comes as the city is about to mark the 50th anniversary of the bus service with a community celebration.
Both the city and UF acknowledge they have a shared interest in reaching an agreement that benefits the entire community.
But the university clearly informed the mayor in the letter that the university administration did not appreciate the negotiations playing out in the public arena.
“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,” wrote Kratzer.
Ward replied to Kratzer’s letter within an hour of receiving it. In it, the mayor states the city never left the [negotiating] table.
“I appreciate that you mention transparency. As mayor, it is of the highest importance to me that the neighbors I represent (including UF students, faculty and staff) are informed of the actions we take on their behalf,” wrote the mayor. “All of our data has been and remains available.”
Ward said he directed staff to get the data to him as soon as possible so that they can “complete the discussion and assure the community – both on and off campus – that public transit remains robust and available.”