By the end of 2013, CyRide expects to have more than 400,000 additional rides.

With enrollment increasing, CyRide is making plans to expand routes and create new routes while securing necessary funding.

Sheri Kyras, transit director for CyRide, said more than 300,000 additional rides are expected for the additional enrollment next year, which is expected to increase by over 1,000 students.

“For every additional student enrolled at Iowa State, it generates approximately 170 rides,” Kyras said.

Kyras said the plans are currently to add 10 additional hours of service each weekday.

“That’s what we’ve done the last two years, actually, the students have funded about $80,000 additional for the last two years, and we think in order to meet next years predicted increase we’ll need that,” Kyras said.

Kyras said this year is unique in CyRide having a solid enrollment projection to work off of this early in the budget process.

“Our budget philosophy before was to look at a baseline level of service, which means doing exactly the service we’re doing today next year. With obviously wage increases, fuel increases, all of that kind of thing added in and not to look at additional levels of service,” Kyras said.

The CyRide budget has to be turned in by January, and during the past several years, enrollment projections have not been given till the spring, leading CyRide to ask for more money from the student body.

“The students have a trust fund, a healthy trust fund, and they felt comfortable each year with adding additional funding,” Kyras said.

GSB President Spencer Hughes said this past school year CyRide ridership has increased by 19 percent by while enrollment has only increased by 6 to 7 percent.

Hughes noted GSB contributes about 60 percent of the overall operating cost. University administration contributes around 10 percent, while the city of Ames covers the rest of the cost.

“The other parties involved are interested in seeing student increase their proportion of how much they contribute as student ridership is around 90 percent,” Hughes said.

Hughes also said students who live off campus also pay Ames property tax, and therefore also contribute to the CyRide budget in other ways beyond the money contributed by Iowa State and GSB.

Ames’ city manager Steve Schainker said it would be challenging to figure out how much of the Ames property tax is paid for by students.

Schainker also noted federal funding to the city, used in the past to fund about 83 percent of the cost of CyRide buses, has been cut and puts the ability of the city to fund CyRide in a bad position.

“Before we provide any level of service, we have to shift now about $880,000 just to cover purchases,” Schainker said.

Service to Sunday’s 3 Blue route is expected to be added next year. Increased service will also be added to the 6 Brown, 2 Green and 4 Gray routes. A new State Street route will be added to accommodate the increase of ridership on the current 1 Red route.

The CyRide Board of Trustees, a group that governs the service level, will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 4, to approve the budget for next year. After that, City Council, GSB and other bodies who help fund CyRide will have to approve their share of the budget for the upcoming school year.