Capital Metro Responds

Dear Editor:
   I'd like to respond to the May 21 article, "Shuttle Bus Battle" [News]. The statement "UT shuttle drivers consistently handle a comparable workload" to Capital Metro operators is inaccurate. ATC/Vancom shuttle bus operators are part-time, seasonal employees who average 1,228 hours of work per year – just over half as many as full-time Capital Metro operators, who average 2,080 hours per year.
   Likening the work, salaries, and benefits of the two is not a fair comparison. It would be more accurate to compare the UT shuttle drivers to Capital Metro's part-time operators, who earn from $12.49 to $14.28 per hour. Capital Metro contributes 50% of the cost of part-time drivers' health insurance. ATC drivers are eligible for insurance if they work about 25 hours per week and can become eligible for 100% coverage based on seniority. ATC/Vancom does provide dental insurance coverage as well as paid time off, contrary to what is listed in the article. In fact, ATC/Vancom offers more extensive health insurance coverage than both UT and the city of Austin. And UT shuttle drivers have a benefit that Capital Metro operators do not: They are given 20 discretionary unpaid days off each year, and can give as little as three hours' notice to take such a day off.
   Regarding federal funds: "Formula" funds are awarded based on several criteria, one of which is ridership. Across our service area, those funds go toward the purchase of new buses, shelters, and benches at bus stops and other capital expenditures. Since UT is in our service area, they also benefit from these funds. The amount received in fiscal 2003 that can be attributed to UT ridership is an estimated $1.3 million. Compare that to the yearly cost of purchasing UT shuttle vehicles: about $1.9 million per year.
   In response to the assertion that Capital Metro "just wants the numbers" from UT ridership, I'd like to point out some numbers of our own: the countless hours our planning department spends with UT students, faculty, and staff each year, designing, revising, and improving the UT shuttle routes; the dozens of customer service team members available to our UT riders; and this spring's doubling of ridership on the E-bus, which was created directly at the urging of student riders. Finally, I point to the most recent UT shuttle rider poll, in which the shuttle service received higher scores this year in every category, and 87% of respondents rated shuttle safety as "excellent or good."
   We are committed to our partnership with UT and its riders, and will continue to focus on providing safe, efficient, quality service to everyone we serve.