The construction of a new Ames mall could cost CyRide hundreds of thousands of dollars per year because services would have to be expanded to fund added routes, a CyRide official said.

Requiring CyRide to expand its services to add a new route would cost the bus service hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, said Bob Bourne, director of transportation for CyRide. The service currently doesn’t have money to lose, as it’s experiencing budget strains because of a 2.5 percent statewide budget cut in the middle of the academic year that resulted in a loss $5.82 million to Iowa State, he said. The exact amount of losses to CyRide cannot be determined at this time, Bourne said.

CyRide has lost $45,000 in federal funding for next year, which caused the removal of the three routes, Bourne said. The lost routes are on the yellow route, which departs from City Hall.

CyRide was also forced to drop one full-time position.

The proposed mall would require two new routes to provide adequate transportation to the mall, he said.

Costs are about equal for adding bus service to Interstate 35 and 13th Street or adding routes to North Grand Mall if it was renovated.

“There are many jobs out there, so people will want to go,” Bourne said.

CyRide can apply for federal money to cover about half of the first two years of annual costs, but there are no guarantees they will get it, he said.

Operating costs to fund the additional routes would likely be covered by the Government of the Student Body and students, said Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance.

Madden said mandatory student fees currently fund CyRide routes around the city. He said he has not had any conversations with the city to discuss funding of new routes, and the university and city of Ames are still far from deciding on a new mall.

Councilwoman Sharon Wirth said bus service is several steps down the road.

“If we have a new mall, bus services to that mall would be wanted. It has not been discussed at all at city council meetings where the money would come from,” said Wirth, the city liaison to the Transit (CyRide) Board.

Bourne said the proposed mall’s developer, Bucky Wolford, could be asked to pay for the cost and renovation of new buses.

When asked about paying for the cost of new buses, Wolford said he was not aware he would be asked to pay for bus renovations.

“As they say in the south, I’m hitting the cold turkey,” he said.