Budget boost
GLTC increases profit margin in 2017 from transit partnership with Liberty
The Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC) recently released its budget for fiscal year 2017, renewing its partnership with Liberty university and increasing its budget by 12 percent.
In GLTC’s released board packet, it states that the fiscal budget allocated to Liberty grew from $1.2 million to just below $2.3 million.
According to the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, GLTC specifically increased the budget for Liberty University by 85 percent.
CATCH THE BUS — Students are dropped off from a GLTC bus at the Green Hall stop in North Campus. Busses run on five-minute intervals during the week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Photo Credit: Michela Diddle
The increase to GLTC’s and Liberty’s partnership means it now comprises 26 percent of GLTC’s overall operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The increased partnership is due to changes that have occurred around campus.
Lee Beaumont, senior vice president of Auxiliary Services, said the relocation of undergraduate classes to Green Hall and the reopening of the Annex made the adjustment necessary.
The agreement adds significant hours to GLTC that help Liberty manage the increase in activity with a tighter schedule,Beaumont said.
The school of communications and creative arts, the Helms School of Government and the school of business are a few of the areas drawing more attention to Green Hall.
The increased use of GLTC buses helps students and faculty get around campus in a timely manner.
While the benefits of the hours make the agreement worthwhile, GLTC buses are also better equipped to handle the student body than a Liberty-owned bus.
“It is much faster to load and unload a GLTC bus than some of the LU buses due to the door and floor configurations,” Beaumont said.
Because of this, a GLTC bus covers the routes that Liberty deems to be receiving high traffic. They are also used during peak times of day.
“We are using as many buses as GLTC can reasonably provide,” Beaumont said.
Such a time would be after Convocation. GLTC buses are held outside the Vines Center to help students quickly get to their respective buildings.
The partnership with GLTC is on a yearly-renewal basis, according to The News & Advance.
Liberty benefits from the better equipment that GLTC has not having to fund the capitol to purchase more buses, Beaumont said.
BORDELON is a news reporter