Airport Connector Service to End Nov. 30
LTD Contact: Edward McGlone
Edward.McGlone@LTD.org / 541-682-6101
Airport Contact: Casey Boatman, CM
Cboatman@flyeug.com
541-682-8484
A one year pilot project between Lane Transit District, Lane Community College and the City of Eugene (Eugene Airport) to provide transit connector service to the Eugene Airport and Lane Aviation Academy, will end upon completion of the contract period on Nov. 30, 2016. Each agency pays one-third of the total cost of the service.
Although there has been long-standing community interest in such a service, the partnering organizations have concluded the ridership demand does not warrant the $100,000 annual operating cost. That cost was split evenly between the airport, college and transit district for the duration of the pilot project. During this time, the Airport Connector carried about 2500 passengers to and from destinations on the Eugene Airport campus, about 35 people per week.
“We’d like to thank our partners at LTD, LCC and Omni Shuttle for helping to make this one year pilot period possible,” said Cathryn Stephens, A.A.E, Assistant Airport Director, AIC. “Unfortunately we all agree that it is cost prohibitive for all of the partners to continue.”
A survey conducted earlier this year found that users of the service were primarily students traveling to and from the Lane Aviation Academy (43 percent) or airline travelers getting to or from the Eugene Airport (41 percent). Of the LCC students, the majority (78 percent) were enrolled in LCC’s the flight maintenance program. Airline travelers used the connector for leisure rather than business travel. Attracting airport employees or workers at business along Enid Road was limited due to shift times and the Connector’s limited span of service, which operated just eight trips each weekday.
“We were glad to offer this service since so many in our community had asked for a transit connection to the airport,” said LTD General Manager A.J. Jackson. “Unfortunately, ridership wasn’t high enough to justify the use of limited public funds for this program. We will work with our partners at Lane Community College to find mobility options to help Aviation Academy students.”
Users of the service rode LTD’s Route 95, which travels Hwy 99 between downtown Eugene and Junction City, and connected to the Omni Shuttle at Airport Road. Rider fare for the service was $1.75 for a one-way trip.
The Eugene-Springfield area is a much smaller community than where airport shuttle service typically operates successfully, in metropolitan areas with populations above 500,000.