Cambus

Cambus is a public transport bus system, primarily serving the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, IA. The service is operated by the Department of Parking and Transportation for the University of Iowa with funding from the Parking & Transportation Department, a UI Student fee, and the Federal Transportation Administration. Cambus is a free service to the public providing nearly 4,000,000 rides per year.

Company History and Details

Cambus was originally founded by University of Iowa students and has been in operation since 1972. The University of Iowa campus is divided into east and west halves by the Iowa River. Most Liberal Arts and Sciences classes take place on the east side of the river; thus the purpose of the new bus service was to facilitate easier transportation between the west-side dormitories and the east-side classrooms. At first there was no name for this service, so the founding students created a contest open to all U of I students to select one. "Cambus" was the name eventually chosen, and the winner (whose name has been lost to history) was awarded a free pizza.

The first Cambus buses were used school buses, repainted by Cambus employees. There were three different bus routes; Red Route, Blue Route, and the Interdorm Shuttle. Cambus also acquired a trailer, which was used as their main office; this was located in the Hancher Auditorium parking lot.

Currently, Cambus employs approximately 145 employees. There are only six non-student employees who work specifically for Cambus: the Cambus Coordinator, the Maintenance Supervisor, and four full-time mechanics. All other employees, including drivers, dispatchers, trainers, mechanics, and departmental supervisors, are students currently enrolled at the University of Iowa. Cambus maintains a fleet of thirty-two buses: one Champion paratransit bus, three Orion Bus Industries paratransit buses, one Opus 30-foot low-floor bus, and 27 Gillig Phantom buses. All buses are outfitted with lifts to assist those with disabilities, although many of them fail to work.

Cambus also has two different buildings on the University of Iowa campus. The main office is located in a trailer building on Stadium Drive, behind Kinnick Stadium. It has recently been renovated with stylish faded white panel siding. The Cambus Maintenance Facility, often called "The Barn" by employees, is located on S. Madison St near the Motor Pool.

Cambus Routes and Hours of Operation

Cambus currently has fifteen (15) routes in service. Some primary stops are listed for each route; please note that the stops listed are not the only stops for the given route. During Academic service (the Spring and Fall semesters), all routes run on weekdays. Only Red, Blue, and Hawkeye-Interdorm run on the weekends. During Summer and Interim service, Mayflower Shuttle and Hawkeye Express are suspended, and Interdorm runs only until 10 am. There is also no weekend service during Interim, although Hawkeye-Interdorm runs weekends in Summer.

Route times are published on the Cambus website and in pamphlets available on the buses. Cambus time is set by the Master Clock at the US Navel Observatory (http://www.time.gov)

Cambus also provides charters and shuttles for certain athletic events and orientation.

External links

* http://www.uiowa.edu/~cambus/