(GAINESVILLE, Fla.) — More than a hundred University of Florida students rallied in Turlington Plaza on Sept. 10 to protest funding cuts to the Regional Transit System (RTS), a service many students rely on to get to and from campus.
The backlash occurred after the City of Gainesville announced in June that a new contract between RTS and UF, would move funding from the service to campus-centered transit options like the Campus Connector. As a result, the RTS annual operating budget was reduced from about $13.7 million to $9.8 million, a 28% decrease.
The budget cuts resulted in the removal of four routes –16, 34, 35, and 711 – and adjustments to another 20 routes, leading to overcrowding and longer wait times…