Transit Options Help Students, Employees Travel to and Around Campus

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 23, 2016) — The campus and city bus systems are a quick, convenient way for members of the University of Kentucky community to navigate their way to, from and around campus. As fall semester begins later this week, UK Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) is reminding students, faculty and staff of the variety of free transit options available to them.

As of July 1, the Blue and White Campus Shuttle routes (Lextran 14) now operate year-round. This popular bi-directional campus shuttle service, which began in fall 2015, is a simple and convenient way to traverse campus. During the fall and spring semesters, service hours have been extended and routes will run from 6:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Despite reduced population, expansion of this service during the summer and other breaks will allow consistency of service year-round. The Blue and White routes will run from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, during the summer and academic breaks.

Also beginning July 1, the Green Route (Lextran 26) switched to year-round service and provides a connection from the Greg Page and Shawneetown residential areas to the Blue and White Route bus stop at Commonwealth Stadium. The Green Route will also operate from 6:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday during summer and academic breaks.

Due to the extended hours of the Blue, White and Green Routes, the campus Yellow Night Route will now operate from 8 p.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday. The Night Route operates every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and every 30 minutes from 10 p.m. to midnight.

After the Night Route service concludes for the evening, the On-Demand Night Bus provides on-campus transportation. Riders may call (859) 221-RIDE (7433) to make a pick-up request between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 p.m. to midnight on Sunday. Calls must be received at least 30 minutes prior to the end of service.

The Orange Route (formerly known as the Purple Route) and the Pink Route (Kentucky Clinic Shuttle) provide ride options for students and employees whose destinations are in the UK HealthCare sector of campus. The Orange Route operates from 5 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, while the Pink Route provides weekday shuttles during the peak arrival and departure times of 6:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Campus buses can be tracked in real time using the TransLoc Rider app on iPhone and Android devices allowing for users to plan for delays caused by traffic, accidents or inclement weather. TransLoc is a GPS-based tracking system that tracks all campus buses as well as the Red Mile Route (Lextran 15) frequently used by the campus community. Users should be sure to select both Lextran and the University of Kentucky under Current Transit Systems in order to include the Blue, White and Green Routes and Route 15 data on the app.

The free mass transit options are not restricted to campus. Last spring, Parking and Transportation Services announced an extension of the BluPass partnership with Lextran, which allows students, faculty and staff to ride any Lextran route free of charge when showing their Wildcard ID. The popular program resulted in more than 650,000 trips during the first nine months of BluPass service. The BluPass agreement has been extended through June 2019.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Blair Hoover, 859-257-6398; blair.hoover@uky.edu