ASUM gets upgrade with $276k bio-fuel bus

The University of Montana’s UDASH bus system is getting a facelift this semester.
A new bio-diesel bus replaces one of two buses running the popular Park-N-Ride South Campus route servicing the Lewis and Clark and University villages.
Funding for the $276,000, 29-foot Optima bus came from the student transportation fee and a federal grant.

The new bus is just part of an overall UDASH revamp, the second in a series of four new buses, said Nancy Wilson, director of ASUM Transportation.
The 50-seater bus replaces a 1988 Gillig transit bus that suffered significant breakdowns and issues with wheelchair lifts in the last couple years. Such breakdowns led to last year’s repair costs for the UDASH buses to total $98,656.
The older buses are slowly being phased out, Wilson said. The third bus will arrive between October and December to replace the second bus on the South Campus route.
“In the end we feel these new buses will pay for themselves in reduction of repair and maintenance costs,” said Wilson.
“It was a long time coming,” said Siri Smillie, ASUM’s vice president. “Hopefully we won’t have the breakdowns we’ve had in the past during the middle of the day, leaving kids stranded.”
Funding for the buses isn’t easy to come by, but money for the final two buses will be split equally between the student transportation fee, the Office of Administration and Finance and the federal transportation grant. Wilson emphasized the importance of federal funding in improving the accessibility and quality of transportation for students.
Funding for the fourth and final bus will also arrive between October and November, Wilson said.
“We will have a million dollars worth of buses when this is all over,” Wilson said. 
Wilson and Smillie praised the increased comfort and appearance of the new bus, both saying that the new bus appears to “smile.”
“It’s a smooth and quiet ride,” Smillie said. “You can hardly feel the turns.”
The new bus also helps ASUM Transportation comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by ensuring equal access.
“The other thing we’re really trying to correct is the safety of equipment, particularly the lifts,” Wilson said. “These buses are going to give equal access to everyone as is required by the ADA.
“We had concerns about all of the lifts. They were fine for 1988, but today there’s better equipment out there.”
Smillie predicted the new buses will lead to an increase from last year’s 313,929 riders.
“We anticipate more students will be riding the bus or taking alternate forms of transportation due to gas prices,” Smillie said.

laura.barnes@umontana.edu