CyThe overcrowded commute to campus via CyRide’s Orange Circulator route may lighten soon, said CyRide employees.

CyRide has been experimenting with an exit-only stop system to lighten the congestion that occurs when Maple-Willow-Larch residents combine with passengers from the commuter lot on the orange route.

Bob Bourne, director of transportation for CyRide, said it is difficult to predict how many people will ride the orange route and that it is hard to react to demand changes in service.

He said factors that increase overcrowding of the orange route include old buses needing repair and running less efficiently, new and inexperienced drivers, malfunctioning traffic lights and overall gaps in service.

CyRide has responded by increasing bus circulation so buses arrive at many locations every three minutes instead of every six. An additional eight buses are all beginning to circulate and extra red routes have been added every 10 minutes.

“[CyRide is] carrying approximately 12,000 to 14,000 students per day and trying different strategies,” Bourne said.

“We encourage students to be patient, in that if a bus passes them, that there are usually two or three in a row.”

Bourne said opening a separate route exclusively for the commuter lot or exclusively for MWL students is unlikely.

“It costs [CyRide] about $33 an hour to run a bus, which doesn’t include overhead and supervision cost,” he said.

Ted Devick, CyRide driver who operates all routes, said the orange route, Des Moines’s Metro bus system and Iowa City’s Cambus system are the most used bus routes in Iowa.

“The orange route is the fourth largest bus system in the state because of the volume of riders,” he said.

There has been a significant increase in ridership on all routes since students can ride free with their ISUCard this year, he said. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, classes often dismiss at the same time, which also leads to unexpected overcrowding, he said.

“Sometimes classes will get out 10 minutes early and buses become overcrowded with students,” Bourne said. “It’s a complex problem, but we’re hitting it as best as we can.”

Bourne said CyRide is working to reduce overcrowding on all routes.

“We can’t control every aspect but the things that we can control we’re working on,” he said.

Bourne said passengers with comments or concerns should visit www.cyride.com.