Our BluPass Partnership: 1.1 Million Rides

This fall, we’ve gathered many times to celebrate the transformation of our campus. State-of-the-art academic buildings, modern residence halls, new dining venues, and new athletic facilities are all part of our effort to create the best space for our community to thrive.

We’ve done so by harnessing the power of partnership. You can learn more about our housing and dining partners here.

However, we are not just transforming the physical footprint of UK; we are also transforming the ways we traverse the campus. Our Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is aimed at improving access and mobility to, from, and around campus for all members of the UK community.

The BluPass program is manifestation of this commitment and another example of the power of partnership.  Last July, we began a partnership with Lextran that allows UK students, faculty and staff to ride any Lextran bus route free of charge simply by showing their valid Wildcard ID. The partnership, which evolved directly from the TMP, has grown tremendously in its first 15 months of service.

It surpassed a million rides in October, the 16th month of the program. As of this month, it has provided more than 1.1 million rides. 

The program – funded by Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) – was implemented in an effort to decrease single occupancy vehicle use, give students and employees more choices in transportation options, and to ultimately reduce campus parking demand.

It aligns with one crucial goal of the TMP: alleviating parking demand using alternative transportation and transportation demand management. We hope to help members of the UK community use a variety of alternative transportation options, including buses, bicycles and walking.

Lextran travels throughout 24 different city routes extending throughout and beyond the UK campus into the Lexington community. BluPass includes all Lextran routes, both on- and off-campus, allowing UK students, faculty and staff to travel to, from, and around campus while also accessing the city.

BluPass has proven to provide a number of benefits for our community.  

Those who were already riding Lextran prior to the introduction of BluPass experienced an immediate cost savings with a fare-free commute. Students and employees who switched to mass transit after the introduction of BluPass also saw reduced vehicle operating and parking costs, along with a smaller carbon footprint.

Along those lines, over the past several years we've expanded our efforts to offer a broader host of mobility options for the UK family--particularly ones that encourage and empower community members to shift their primary modes of transportation.

BluPass is just one component of this suite of alternative transportation investments and programs that led to the UK's recent recognition from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for sustainability in transportation operations: http://uknow.uky.edu/content/uk-recognized-sustainable-transportation-op... program is a prime example of our commitment to continuously enhancing the experience for the UK family.

Of course, we are always evaluating how we can do more. After all, as the University FOR Kentucky, our community improves people's lives through excellence in education, research and creative work, service and health care. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us to provide the best possible environment for this important work to take place.

Thank you for everything you do.

Eric N. Monday @UKYMonday #seeblue