Adverse weather events in Iowa City in past weeks, such as severe cold and snow, have led to more students relying on local bus systems for transportation. As a result, students have questions regarding the effectiveness and reliability of the buses during poor weather conditions.

Kenna Moranville, a first-year student at the University of Iowa, takes the university’s public transit system, known as CAMBUS, multiple times daily to get to, from, and around campus.

She said while the CAMBUS system is not entirely reliable, she has experienced increased delays during snowstorms and extreme cold-weather days this winter. Still, she attributes the congestion to the increased traffic and the number of students who wish to take the bus to class instead of walking.

“More people want to be on the bus,” Moranville said. “When loading up the buses, with that many people, you have to stand and wait longer for people to move to the back, for everyone to find a place to go so we can get everyone to fit. For a normal stop, for people to get on and off, it definitely doubles in time.”

Moranville added while she generally feels safe riding the CAMBUS, she did have some concerns after Iowa City received heavy snowfall in recent weeks.

“You can feel the bus sliding around and stuff. There was one [time] where we hit a snowbank, and we had to stop so the driver could get out and check the tires and everything,” she said. “So, that was kind of scary.”

Despite this, Jace Gongora, the CAMBUS operations supervisor, said drivers are well-equipped to drive in poor conditions. He explained drivers go through a rigorous training program — part of which is specifically dedicated to adverse weather.

“Our drivers are well-informed to slow down extra, leave extra space, pay extra attention,” he said.

He said CAMBUS makes an extra effort to remind drivers to be cautious if there is any bad weather in the forecast.

“During those days when we know we are going to have weather, we are reminding our drivers and communicating with them over the radio and in person the importance of increasing their distance and staying cautious,” Gongora said.

Gongora added the buses generally handle the snow and ice well because of their size, but the weather has affected bus schedules in recent weeks.

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“It has definitely had an impact on us,” he said. “A lot more people are electing to drive their own vehicles instead of walking, biking, or taking public transportation, so the roads are just a bit more congested. And we are having more passengers, so there’s kind of a natural slow-down effect that cold weather causes.”

Iowa City Transportation Director Darian Nagle-Gamm echoed Gonorra’s comments for the Iowa City Transit system, attributing delays to congestion and traffic.

“What hinders us generally, more than anything, is other vehicles,” she said. “When traffic is moving really slow, then we maybe can’t move at the normal pace we would.”

Nagle-Gamm added 15 percent of Iowa City’s buses are now electric and are more affected by the cold than a typical diesel vehicle.

“The electric buses do get less range. Like all electric vehicles, the batteries essentially hold less energy during the extreme cold,” she said.

Nagle-Gamm also explained that while all bus routes continue to operate through adverse weather, the electric buses are placed more strategically because they can not travel as far without getting charged.

“We will place [the buses] on routes that don’t have as great of distance to travel, or maybe they’re out during peak time in the morning,” she said. “Then they can come back to charge midday, and then potentially be [back] out in the afternoon.”

Gongora said CAMBUS runs all regularly scheduled routes regardless of the weather, and they do not ever plan on reducing service due to the ability of the buses to withstand certain conditions.

April Wells, the communications manager for the UI Parking and Transportation Department, emphasized the need for the CAMBUS system even during extreme weather events. She said if they can safely continue to operate the service, they will do so.

“We have a responsibility to the campus, students, faculty, and staff to ensure safe transportation, even during adverse weather conditions, unless it poses an immediate risk,” she said. “In the wintertime, that would depend upon classes being cancelled or modified in some way in which there would be a decreased demand for service.”

Wells added that making sure faculty and staff can get to the university hospitals and clinics is critical.

Nagle-Gamm said the same for the Iowa City Transit system, saying they temporarily suspend operations approximately once each winter, typically for severe ice-related conditions.

“If we can’t have traction, and it doesn’t happen very often, but it is usually ice-related, we will suspend service until it is safe to resume,” she said.