In response to Clemson University’s growing presence in Greenville, the school has partnered with the city to launch a new bus route that will connect the two via mass transit starting Sept. 9.
The Greenville Transit Authority said riding the bus would be less expensive than driving.
Greenville will incur no additional costs, said Mark Rickards, transit director for the Greenville Transit Authority (Greenlink). The route will be funded by Clemson University and through state mass transit funds and federal grants that are part of Greenlink’s normal operating budget. Rickards estimated that about $160,000 to $180,000 of those funds would be used annually. The university will fund the rest, requiring no direct funding from the city or county. The primary cost is labor, followed by fuel and maintenance.
“The more passengers that we get who pay a fare, plus any reduced expenses on the other end, we may be able to spend less. But fuel prices are also a factor,” Rickards said.
Rickards was unable to provide numbers for potential ridership, but said Clemson officials are “very optimistic.”
“We do expect the number of students to be significant,” he said.
Clemson students will have the fare pre-paid through their student fees, which is the primary funding source, Rickards said. The annual cost to the university is about $400,000.
Today the GTA board approved fees for the general public of $1.50 to ride between Easley and either end of the line, and $3.00 for the full route from one end to another. Rickards said GTA is estimating about $10,000 in revenue from those fares.
