By Vic Cox

The number of faculty and staff members in the UCSB Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) increased more than 50 percent in the first year after introduction of free bus passes and a free car-share feature, according to figures released by James Wagner, program manager. As of last January, 1,264 academic and staff members were enrolled, compared to 819 in 2005.

Most of that growth came from staff members who surrendered their parking permits (unless they formed a car pool) to take various means of public transportation. The 445 new members split into 63 percent staff and 37 percent academic, according to Transportation and Parking Service (T&PS) data.

“These are impressive results,” agreed Wagner, who admits he estimated TAP membership might grow “between 10 and 20 percent,” primarily due to the introduction of a carshare feature. Only staff and faculty members are eligible to borrow a car for off-campus errands under current TAP rules.

However, Wagner quickly points out that the TAP numbers are not written in stone. They fluctuate because “people come and go all the time” in terms of program membership. In this January snapshot, TAP shows a total of 2,166 members drawn from five categories of students and employees: 870 from two groups of graduate students; 797 staff members; 467 academic members; and 45 undergraduate students.

Over a standard academic year, the student portions tend to drop during the summer and, in Wagner’s experience, “the program grows in stair-step fashion” until next June. In the larger picture, TAP is what Wagner calls a “subset” of how people get to and from campus. Convenience and proximity of housing in Isla Vista to campus play large roles in students’ transportation choices, but so does policy.

Under UCSB policies, students parking on campus pay higher rates if they live within a two-mile radius. This contributes to the fact that more than 14,500 students ride bicycles or walk to campus, according to a 2002 survey by the Office of Institutional Research.

Wagner points out that while he and the Transportation Alternatives Board (TAB) are working together to reduce the portion of people driving alone to and from campus—termed single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs)—no one has all the information needed to craft a complete solution to the SOV problem. Consequently, TAP is using a number of approaches, from subsidized vanpools, free bus passes, and meeting trains to incentives like car pool parking.

As the subsidy costs have grown—Wagner estimates TAP’s current budget, which includes some employee salaries, at around $300,000—so, too, has scrutiny increased about the best use of these funds, all of which come from parking fines and forfeitures.

TAB Chair Mark Frickel last month summarized many of the issues and some of the options the board has recently debated. He called for a number of changes, including elimination of vanpool subsidies; shelving the rail shuttle; and charging employees something for MTD passes, among other proposals. A new vendor will also cause changes in the carshare program.

After discussion, the board recommended that T&PS suspend the rail shuttle until train schedules become more reliable. Action on the other proposals was postponed to future meetings.