Students who used the Dillos to get to school have had to seek out alternate routes. On Aug. 24, the day before classes started, Capital Metro redesigned the Dillo system, eliminating the stops at ACC.
The Dillos will cover a smaller area and service downtown Austin. "This is how the Dillos where originally designed to work," said Matt Curtis, Capital Metro director for community involvement.
The Dillos now run every five minutes instead of every 15. They run north and south on Congress, and east and west on Fifth and Sixth Streets. As of right now, they are free,but starting Oct. 13 they will cost 50 cents for a two hour pass, or five dollars for a monthly pass. The fees for the fixed route buses will also increase 25 cents to 75 cents.
Initially, students were concerned about the new system, which Capital Metro expected.
"I imagine that Rio Grande students will see this as detrimental, but the No.3 is being redesigned to provide them better, more frequent service," said Curtis before the changes went into effect.
The No. 3 is running closer and more frequently to Rio Grande. There have been problems with overcrowding. Capital Metro sends out queue buses to help with extra passengers. These buses are dispatched when normal fixed route buses get full beyond the point of standing room.
"We don't want to leave anyone behind," said Meredith Highsmith from the Capital Metro Planning Department.
One of the biggest concerns was the connection between the University of Texas and the Rio Grande campus.
"We were conscious of the connectivity between those campuses," said Highsmith.
There are two UT shuttles servicing Rio Grande. The No. 3 goes into West campus, and a stop was added to the ER (Enfield Rd.) route on 15th St.
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