So... wife and me are returning to Toledo from our Germany trip (from Dover AFB, DE) today. Driving on the Pennsylvania turnpike we pass a Hampton Inn and I comment, “hey that’s the hotel where we and UT1 stayed on our way to the UT-Temple football game a few years back”. This hotel is ~335 miles from Toledo. Not 2 miles later heading east on the PA turnpike we pass a Toledo Rockets bus. Have no idea who may have be traveling on the bus and where it was going but it was the strangest coincidence... Athletic team or perhaps another group headed somewhere east? Freaky...

Shake out run for when we head to the NCAA Regionals in hoops next year.

I assume you were heading West and the bus was going East? Otherwise I would have expected you would have driven next to it or behind it until you figured out who was on board....

(05-01-2018 08:50 PM)MotoRocket Wrote:  I assume you were heading West and the bus was going East? Otherwise I would have expected you would have driven next to it or behind it until you figured out who was on board....

Yes, we were headed west toward T-town and the UT bus was headed east. Twilight Zone moment... and Chris said it was literally seconds after I noted the hotel, not even a mile had passed.

(05-01-2018 08:46 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  Shake out run for when we head to the NCAA Regionals in hoops next year.

Driver did bear a resemblance to Coach K...

Or the bus could have been chartered out. I imagine it is possible that UT does not own the bus and a charter company uses it for other things.

Spitballing

On a related topic, I do like the idea of TARTA taking over the campus bus system. No reason for a university to own buses

(05-02-2018 07:50 AM)indianasniff Wrote:  On a related topic, I do like the idea of TARTA taking over the campus bus system. No reason for a university to own buses

Yep, it'll save roughly $400,000 in operating expenses per year. Very smart move by the upper administration...

(05-02-2018 07:49 AM)indianasniff Wrote:  Or the bus could have been chartered out. I imagine it is possible that UT does not own the bus and a charter company uses it for other things.

Spitballing

Correct. My sister has seen it in D.C. a couple of times with tour groups.

(05-01-2018 08:40 PM)RangerRocket Wrote:  So... wife and me are returning to Toledo from our Germany trip (from Dover AFB, DE) today. Driving on the Pennsylvania turnpike we pass a Hampton Inn and I comment, “hey that’s the hotel where we and UT1 stayed on our way to the UT-Temple football game a few years back”. This hotel is ~335 miles from Toledo. Not 2 miles later heading east on the PA turnpike we pass a Toledo Rockets bus. Have no idea who may have be traveling on the bus and where it was going but it was the strangest coincidence... Athletic team or perhaps another group headed somewhere east? Freaky...

I remember the Temple trip and tailgating outside the Linc at 8 in the morning. I think me, Chris Kisor, and Keith(Shrek) stayed in Allentown at the Crowne Plaza downtown in 05... Good times ...

(05-02-2018 08:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-02-2018 07:50 AM)indianasniff Wrote:  On a related topic, I do like the idea of TARTA taking over the campus bus system. No reason for a university to own buses

Yep, it'll save roughly $400,000 in operating expenses per year. Very smart move by the upper administration...

I thought it was a wash on operating expenses, but big savings for UT not having to replace their aging buses?

(05-02-2018 11:57 AM)PaulJ Wrote:  

(05-02-2018 08:34 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-02-2018 07:50 AM)indianasniff Wrote:  On a related topic, I do like the idea of TARTA taking over the campus bus system. No reason for a university to own buses

Yep, it'll save roughly $400,000 in operating expenses per year. Very smart move by the upper administration...

I thought it was a wash on operating expenses, but big savings for UT not having to replace their aging buses?

From what I've been told, migrating the maintenance costs and hour pay will cut operating expenses, but UT is paying TARTA a yearly lump sum which may be where the wash lies. There is an added benefit of being able to place the FWS drivers back into the pool which will allow more offices to not have to dip out of their own budgets for student workers.

Students will be able to go anywhere TARTA goes. That is a huge benefit for students

TARTA anywhere

If there can be ANY reliance on a long term relationship UT-TARTA, time to put a dorm downtown or in the Museum District. Maybe Adams Street but I don't think that would work without a transfer. Would definitely want to avoid that.

(05-03-2018 09:51 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  TARTA anywhere

If there can be ANY reliance on a long term relationship UT-TARTA, time to put a dorm downtown or in the Museum District. Maybe Adams Street but I don't think that would work without a transfer. Would definitely want to avoid that.

UT could have bought the apartment complex across from the museum for peanuts, but obviously wren't interested. We're having problems filling the on-campus dorms. Promises of increased enrollment haven't come to fruition.

(05-03-2018 09:59 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(05-03-2018 09:51 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  TARTA anywhere

If there can be ANY reliance on a long term relationship UT-TARTA, time to put a dorm downtown or in the Museum District. Maybe Adams Street but I don't think that would work without a transfer. Would definitely want to avoid that.

UT could have bought the apartment complex across from the museum for peanuts, but obviously wren't interested. We're having problems filling the on-campus dorms. Promises of increased enrollment haven't come to fruition.

Who are you hearing this from? We were at full capacity this year according to their Director at the last meeting I had with him two weeks ago. The new Parks renovations are very cool by the way...much needed IMO.