I have long been interested in Star Tran's refusal to invest in smaller buses for its fleet. Even the Star Shuttle, the Downtown circulator route, uses full-sized buses. Interestingly, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's shuttle fleet is being supplemented this year by conversion vans at off-peak hours. The reasons are obvious: cost savings and improved efficiency all around.
It seems the advantages to Star Tran of smaller buses would be numerous and substantial. Greater fuel economy, lower training requirements, and improved public perception -- fuller, smaller buses appear more effective than emptier, larger buses -- are just a few. So why the "bigger is better" mentality to date?
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Amen!
Star Tran could use a small fleet of smaller buses or vans to run a downtown shuttle at peak hours. Imagine how many more people would eat lunch in the Haymarket on weekdays if they could hop on a shuttle for $0.50 and be there in five minutes.
The smaller buses on the regular routes make sense too, especially when only a couple of people take the bus on a particular route.
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