The wheels on the bus go round and round, and thus far, so have the discussions between city and University officials about a potential merger between the Durham Area Transit Authority and Duke Transit.
Many of the parties involved in the talks are hesitant to make concrete predictions about the outcome, but DATA's recent suggestion for a merger has set the stage for a change.
"There's not a lot to say," said Joe Pietrantoni, associate vice president for auxiliary services. "We are waiting for a final document to come in [from DATA]." Regardless of what happens, he noted, the services provided to students will not be affected.
DATA recently sent a rough proposal regarding a merger to University officials, Pietrantoni continued. In the plan, he said, "they tried to put together a global statement. But the core document has not been refined."
The proposal discusses, in general terms, the benefits and goals of merging the two transportation systems. DATA's particular interest, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported in February, is that the increase in the size of the city's bus system would allow the city of Durham to apply for more federal grants.
City transportation officials have not yet determined whether their general plan will translate into a more detailed blueprint, and DATA Transit Administrator Stephen Mancuso was hesitant to provide details about future developments.
"At this point, I'm not at liberty to discuss the details," Mancuso said, "but we did submit a proposal to operate the service that Duke University runs on a contractual basis, essentially providing the exact same level, quality and type of service that Duke enjoys now."
University officials also declined to speculate about the chances that the merger would succeed. Pietrantoni said administrators have requested that DATA officials formulate a specific plan for cost and service, taking into account along the way the factors that make Duke Transit unique.
Duke Transit's current routes are isolated from most DATA routes, Pietrantoni said, and the differing hours of operations of the two systems may complicate the merger plans.
Nevertheless, he said, the University is interested enough to continue pursuing the merger.
"DATA has an efficiency that we believe has merit," he explained. "In theory, there are some connecting links between Durham and Duke." The two sides are working on scheduling a meeting.
The preliminary proposal should not alarm current University bus drivers, Pietrantoni said. "We told our bus drivers weeks ago that the city had come to Duke and would like to talk to us about a possible merger," he explained. "We also told them that no one would get hurt in terms of pay."
The University and DATA would incorporate the bus drivers' union into the talks as the plans move forward, he said, noting that Duke and DATA drivers earn comparable salaries.
University bus drivers have not heard much about the proposal, but they said they have heard enough to raise some concerns about their job security.
"When the students leave for the summer, there will be no one to back us up [on the matter]," said Emma Garrett, who has driven for Duke Transit for five years. "Next time we hear anything about it, we might be getting a slip of paper saying you got such and such amount of time, and the University will try and find you another job."
Steve Calder, a five-year veteran of Duke Transit, said the merger might affect the quality of transportation. "We really haven't been told that much right now, but I hope it doesn't happen," he said. "I don't think [DATA] can give [the students] the service that we give now."
Pietrantoni, however, stressed patience.
"From a surface conversation, it looked pretty good," he said. "Let's first see what the whole thing is about." Dialogue between the two systems will continue, he explained, and a more concrete plan may emerge from subsequent meetings.
Mancuso said he is optimistic about the merger talks. "This is where we are: We are hoping that things will work out, but we have to have some discussion first," he said.
The University has operated its own bus system since 1978, when Duke Power, which had a contract with the University, determined that it could no longer provide bus service for students.
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