City of Columbia Missouri

P.O. BOX 6015
COLUMBIA, MO 65205

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 27, 2015

CONTACT: Columbia Public Works
(573) 874-7251

COMO Connect planning ahead to help ease traffic predicted for November 5th

(COLUMBIA, MO) -

Columbia is expecting wide-spread traffic congestion on Thursday, November 5th as crowds flock to a rare mid-week Mizzou home football game, and the City's public transit system is doing everything they can to help keep customers moving.

Drew Brooks, the City's Multi-Modal Manager says "We're making all of COMO Connect's fixed bus routes totally free for anyone to use until 6:00pm on November 5th in order to incentivize more customers to leave their cars at home and take public transit." By encouraging the use of mass transit, the City hopes to reduce the number of personal vehicles on the road that are likely to clog streets and cause city-wide delays for everyone. The daytime fixed bus routes are designed for work commuters and everyday travel and see very low ridership numbers after 6:00pm. Since these routes will be unable to maintain normal schedules with the evening traffic blocking major arteries along the bus routes, the City will be ending daytime service two hours early that day at 6:00pm. Transit customers that require the normal daytime bus routes between 6:00-8:00pm are being notified and encouraged to make other arrangements for this day. ParaTransit service will also end at 6:00pm.

COMO Connect is one of many agencies in the city taking steps to reduce traffic problems, including Columbia Public Schools releasing students early, and the University of Missouri adjusting their student Tiger Line shuttle routes and schedules. The Tiger Line 401 Hearnes Loop and 403 Reactor Field Loop will stop running at 4:00pm and be diverted to offer more frequent service to the 402 Trowbridge Loop until 6:00pm, and the 403 will not run its normal night service. The Tiger Line 405 Campus Loop night route will be detouring the Hearnes Center until midnight.

To help further reduce the personal vehicle traffic on major road arteries around game time, COMO  Connect will also be providing transportation service to and from the stadium for $1.50 each way. "The bus routes to the stadium make it easy for customers to skip driving and we hope it helps make a dent in the traffic these events tend to create," says Brooks.

The City recommends planning ahead for your travel that day, and reminds customers that COMO Connect offers free individualized trip planning for anyone unsure of what routes they should use. Brooks also reminds customers to try the free COMO Connect app for real-time bus maps and information since traffic and buses may be moving slower than usual. 



City of Columbia Vision
Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.

City of Columbia Mission
To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.

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