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Platteville bus service to expand
bus route-summer

When UW–Platteville students start leaving Platteville for the summer May 16, Platteville residents who ride taxis and shuttles will be riding what is now called Platteville Public Transportation.

The merger of the city’s taxi and shuttle services officially took effect Jan. 1, but shuttle service upgrades won’t take effect until the end of the 2014–15 academic year.

The bus service, provided by Stratton Buses of Cuba City, and the taxi service, provided by Running, Inc., were merged in January to get more federal and state funds.

Starting May 16, PPT will provide daily shuttle service on one one-hour route around Platteville. Once the 2015–16 academic year begins, daily service will be similar to current service — three buses running half-hour-long routes between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Service expansion will be most noticeable on Friday and Saturday nights during the academic year, with two buses running half-hour loops from 6 p.m. to midnight, and one bus running a half-hour loop from campus as far south as Chestnut Street, as far east as Water Street, and as far north as West Madison Street, between midnight and 3:15 a.m.

Buses will also run Saturdays during the academic year, with two buses running half-hour loops from 2 to 6 p.m.

Taxi service hours are Sunday through Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Bus fares will be $1 per ride, with monthly passes available for $25. UW–Platteville students won’t be charged for bus rides, since student fees cover UW–Platteville’s financial contribution to the system.

The city will contribute $40,839 and UWP $75,000 to the bus service this year, with the city funding 21.4 percent and the university 78.6 percent in future years. Combining the services got Platteville an additional estimated $210,000 in federal and state funding above the $164,000 the federal and state governments previously funded, increasing the federal and state funding to 58.4 percent of costs.