by Bobby Mermer, PhD, Alachua County Labor Coalition Coordinator
Those who moved to Gainesville from elsewhere in Florida know that Gainesville Regional Transit System (RTS) punches well above its weight. RTS provided over 25.9 trips per capita in its service area in 2023, the most recent year available from the Department of Transportation. HART in Tampa provided 11.4 trips per capita that same year. LYNX in Orlando provided 8 and Jacksonville provided 5.28.
Our buses and routes are vital for scores of workers who rely on them to get to their jobs. They are the only transportation option for many members of our vulnerable communities, such as GRACE Marketplace clients, who need them to get to medical appointments. They make Gainesville accessible to many working class, elderly, and disabled people who cannot afford a car or are unable to drive.
And because our city hosts UF, a fully funded and functional RTS can bolster public support for public transit beyond our city. It can do this by demonstrating what a transit system can and should be to 6,500 to 7,500 incoming freshmen per year. Many of those students will become opinion leaders after they graduate and return home or move to a new city. These opinion leaders could play a key role in supporting public transit when the topic comes up in the public conversation.
But RTS is again under threat from UF, which cut about $2.9 million from the system. This comes over a year after the Alachua County Labor Coalition, UF YDSA, UF’s Change Party, labor unions, and countless individuals successfully fended off UF’s proposed $6.9 million cut.
We’ve seen partial victories this year and momentum for the cause is growing. But there is still a lot of work to do. Continue reading to catch up on this year’s Save RTS campaign and learn what you can do to help.
ROUTE RESTORATIONS:
In case you missed it, RTS service has been largely restored to four of the most important RTS routes. Peak service (7-11am and 3-7pm) is restored for routes 8, 15, and 43, while peak service is partially restored for route 5, compared to the Spring 2025 schedule.
This is thanks to the outpouring of support from ACLC members, our allies, and RTS riders. You called and emailed UF administrators and the City Commission. You attended public hearings. You made your voice heard and they listened!
The service restoration will cost nearly $738,000. UF will chip in a little more than $215,000 and the City will cover the rest. This represents a huge victory. Prior to this agreement, these routes were doomed.
These partial restorations are in addition to the restoration of Route 118, a UF campus route. Administrators restored the 118 after university representatives faced backlash over their plans from a packed room at a joint RTS-UF community meeting. The ACLC, UF YDSA, and allies mobilized those meeting attendees, despite the community receiving minimum notice of the meeting. Importantly, these service restorations reverse the trend of the University cutting their contribution to RTS.
SEPTEMBER RALLY:
In September, student organizations held a rally to save RTS in Turlington Plaza and the Hub at UF. The event was organized by UF YDSA, Sunrise Movement, and the ACLC. UF-GAU, genCLEO, and other student organizations also participated in the event.
We are happy to report it was a massive success! Over 100 students attended the rally, despite it lasting around two hours in the hot sun. Students shared their disapproval and experiences of the recent service changes with local press. Most local media covered the event. And it got results! Sources tell ACLC staff that it was well-noticed by UF administration, indicating the pressure on UF to reverse course is building up.
MORE TO BE DONE:
Despite the Summer victories and momentum from last week’s rally, we still have a lot of work to do. We will continue to organize and mobilize to fully restore RTS service.
Currently, we are collecting data on bus riders’ experiences with the route and schedule changes, which we’ll share with UF administration. UF Transportation and Parking representatives have indicated their need for specific examples of problems with the changes as a condition of restoring service.
So, if you have been affected by RTS route and schedule changes, please fill out a very short survey at laborcoalition.org/rtscuts.
And please pass it along to anyone you know who has been affected. We’re just getting started. So, be on the lookout for future actions to help save RTS!