Students may soon be unable to bring bulky suitcases on the Blue Loop, if a potential Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) policy is approved.
The CATA policy would limit the amount of items passengers can take on the bus with them -- an effort designed to ensure the overall safety of passengers.
Sherry Snyder, director of operations for CATA, said the proposed policy would require passengers to hold items on their laps or put the items under their seats to prevent uncontrolled objects from blocking the walkway.
The policy was suggested by several bus drivers to ensure the safety of everyone aboard the buses, she said.
The possible change in policy was discussed during CATA's monthly Board of Directors meeting Monday.
CATA General Manager Hugh Mose said the proposed policy is being considered because CATA has never had a set policy on what people can and cannot bring on the buses.
Mose said the transportation company has received questions over the years concerning whether passengers can bring items like multiple suitcases and bicycles that do not fit in the bike rack.
"All sorts of questions have come up," Mose said. "We've been trying to get our arms around a concise policy that everybody could agree to and that the bus drivers could adhere to uniformly."
Mose said the proposed policy -- which was planned to go into effect for the fall -- was delayed for further discussion after several members of the community stated their opposition to the policy.
The proposed policy could prevent passengers from bringing items like shopping carts onto the bus.
Snyder said some passengers -- mostly senior citizens -- expressed concerns about the proposed policy because it would prevent them from bringing their groceries onto the bus if shopping carts were prohibited.
"We decided that a better course of action to take is to defer implementing a new policy until we have a better opportunity to collect public input," Mose said. "And make sure we make the best possible decision because this is a challenging issue."
Mose said CATA acknowledges that many people use the bus system as their primary source of transportation and will consider that in determining the policy.
The proposed change in policy could affect passengers with luggage who use the bus system to get to the MegaBus stop near Walmart, 1665 N. Atherton St.
Dale Moser, president of Coach USA and MegaBus.com, said a limit on the amount of luggage would be similar to the standards of airlines. MegaBus allows passengers to bring a maximum of one rolling suitcase and one carry-on for trips, Moser said.
The proposed CATA policy would not be implemented until January 2011 at the earliest, Mose said.
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