Pressed with budget constraints, Ohio University will suspend CATS Shuttle services this summer.

Responding to a 10 percent budget cut recommended by the Student General Fee Committee, OU decided to eliminate CATS Shuttle’s summer routes, said Kim Wortman, director of Campus Services.  

This year, CATCAB and Shuttle Service received about $145,000 from students’ general fee. After the recommended cut for next year, they will receive about $130,600, of which $84,338 will go to the shuttle service. All full-time undergraduate students pay $591 per quarter for the general fee.

Wortman said the general fee committee asked for a 10 percent reduction proposal for CATCAB as well as CATS Shuttle operations earlier this year.

“They came back and said, at least at this stage, they would provide funding at that 10 percent reduction,” Wortman said.

CATS Shuttle provides free on-campus transportation to faculty, staff and students, while CATCAB, which will remain in service for the summer, transports disabled people on and off campus.

Because of CATS Shuttle’s $7,000 cut for the upcoming fiscal year, OU was forced to make a decision, Wortman said.

“To make up the difference in funding we would receive, we had to eliminate the summer shuttle,” Wortman said.

In Fall Quarter 2007, CATS Shuttle had 27,328 riders compared to the previous summer’s 5,643, Wortman said.  

Wortman said the decision will not affect any regular OU jobs.

As the rising cost of fuel show no signs of abating, Wortman said he is concerned more cuts could be on the way.

“We’re trying to manage it as best we can but if it (the price of gas) goes to $4 (a gallon) and beyond we’ll have to look at our operational costs as a whole,” he said.

Although OU has not looked at any other conservation measures in particular, it will conduct its yearly review to determine which stops on the shuttle’s route could go, Wortman said.