Beginning Monday, the Campus Connector and East Bank Circulator will temporarily add a new Stadium Village bus stop to their schedules.
The announcement of a stop at Oak and Beacon streets satisfied student group members dislocated by the Coffman Union renovation and Gateway Center tenants who asked for more service east of campus.
“We were happy they made the bus stop,” said Ben Bowman, Minnesota Student Association president.
For the remainder of the semester, buses will stop on both sides of the intersection at Oak and Beacon streets.
The additional stop will delay total transfer times by two to five minutes, said Bob Baker, director of Parking and Transportation Services.
“We just want our customers to understand it’s just a test. There may be discomfort,” Baker said. “(The bus system) was not designed for short trips.”
The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, Disability Services and others had complained about the distances students would have to walk to get to on-campus offices.
Natalie Bower, a first-year CLA student, said the new bus stop is too close to the Oak and University stop to make a big difference.
She and other University Village residents would rather have a stop that helps them get to class more quickly.
But whether the bus stop stays after its trial period will depend on its success during the next month. Funding might be sought for additional buses or other scheduled stops could be dropped if the new Stadium Village stop works, Baker said.

Bryan Keogh welcomes comments at [email protected]. He can also be reached at (612) 627-4070 x3232.