Providing free downtown parking and free shuttle service to Kansas University football games was a great idea.

In fact, the system implemented last fall was such a great idea that it attracted more riders and, therefore, cost more to operate than city officials had estimated. Now, Lawrence city commissioners are considering whether to offer the shuttle service again and, if so, how to pay for it.

In 2008, the city allocated $13,720 from guest tax and public parking receipts to finance the service, which offered free parking at two downtown garages and shuttles to and from Memorial Stadium. When that money ran out, KU Athletics Inc. chipped in an additional $6,400 to keep the shuttle running. Athletics officials also must have thought this was a good idea.

This year, however, the city is considering charging riders something to offset its costs for the shuttle service. After determining that the $4 fare that would be required to cover the entire cost of the service would be more than most people would pay, the city staff came up with a cumbersome plan to cover about half of the cost.

Their idea is to charge $1 or $2 per rider but waive the fee for each individual or group (of up to four people) who shows a key from a Lawrence motel or hotel or a receipt from a downtown business dated on the day of the game. Presumably this “proof of purchase” would be checked only on the front end of the trip and not for the return from Memorial Stadium, but is it worth it?

The city would have to have someone checking passengers, collecting money and presumably turning people away if they didn’t have cash or the requisite receipt or key. Many people would be happy to pay, but collecting a fare just adds a lot of hassle to the process and creates more potential for bad feelings.

The question to ask here is: Who benefits most from this shuttle service? One goal was to reduce parking along residential streets near campus, but neighborhood associations in that area said the shuttle had little effect on parking in their areas.

The key beneficiaries are Kansas Athletics and the businesses in downtown Lawrence. The athletics department helped share the cost of the shuttle last year and should be asked to do even more this year. Downtown Lawrence Inc. didn’t support the shuttle last year, but a survey of its members indicated that many businesses had an influx of customers that they attributed to the increased traffic the shuttle created downtown. It’s time for those businesses to share the cost of a service that clearly benefits them.

If the city wants to collect some money from riders, let them make a voluntary donation, but implementing a fare system is more trouble than it’s worth. It’s fine for the city to shoulder a share of the cost, but the downtown businesses and KU’s athletics department — those who benefit the most — also should pony up.