Revamping the Vermillion Public Transit System

Vermillion, a city in South Dakota (SD), does not currently have a public transit system that is both easily accessible and affordable. The Vermillion Public Transit (VPT), a program of the Southeast South Dakota Activity Center (SESDAC), currently runs an appointment-based transit system which is hassle-prone owing to its advanced scheduling requirements as well as its lack of flexibility. This professional report recommends the VPT to revert to its original rapid bus transit system to reach its pre-transition and pre-pandemic ridership levels of 60,000. This is an uphill battle for VPT, primarily owing to its massive lack of staff. This report suggests a partnership between the University of South Dakota (USD) and VPT. The former is a key stakeholder in public transit because it is responsible for its international students, a large subsection in the group of people without the ability to drive. USD should initiate conversations with VPT and offer a new revenue source in the form of a mandatory transit fee worth $70 per semester. USD currently has a student base of 10,000 in its Vermillion campus. Therefore, the mandatory transit fee would accrue a revenue of 10,000 x $70 = $70,000 per semester. The partnership would allow the employment of international students on self-fund who are willing to drive campus vehicles alongside their studies. A preliminary online survey included in the appendix of this report has revealed that domestic students are also open to drive campus vehicles part-time. This large pool of domestic and international part-time drivers would mitigate VPT’s labor shortage.