The University of Illinois-Chicago recently sent employees notice that a rush-hour bus service providing medical center employees and some students quick and affordable access to Union and Ogilivie Stations would be cut this fall.

In the e-mail, UIC administrator Mark Donovan explained that the program had run at a deficit for a decade and cuts were part of a more efficient and greener transportation plan in concert with school’s master plan.

While his phrasing rings true for UIC’s bottom line, the institution simply passes on transportation costs and a piece of their carbon footprint to the individual or the CTA. That explanation is wonky for those affected on a daily basis and will now individually assume the costs and the footprint.

One troubling aspect of the commuter cuts is that a spokesperson for Donovan could not, or would not, disclose the actual red ink numbers — the impetus for the cut after providing more than 10 years of deficit-driven commuter services. “The amount of the deficit is not important,” he told Chicago Journal.

In that respect, it’s hard to evaluate whether the school is justified in making these cuts.

Another downside to sidelining the commuter routes is it may give Local 73 of the Service Employees International Union one more reason to strike next Monday as students return.