KU News Release

New KU bus route offers free ride through main Lawrence campus

LAWRENCE — This coming Monday, Aug. 13, getting from here to there by bus will become easier for students, faculty and staff on the Lawrence campus of the University of Kansas. What’s better, on two routes no bus passes will be required.

KU on Wheels has announced the launch of a new, free bus route to serve a number of outlying parking areas — Lot 90 (near the Student Recreation Fitness Center); Lot 91 (near the Spencer Museum of Art); and Lot 94 (close to Memorial Stadium) are included in the new service — and make drop-offs throughout the main campus. Three buses will serve the Rec Center/JRP Route 42 simultaneously along its 30-minute loop.

“They’ll operate at about 10 minutes apart from each other,” said Danny Kaiser, assistant director of KU Parking and Transit. “It’s free because its primary purpose is to be a campus circulator for people already driving to campus. They’ve already paid to park, so we’re not going to charge them again for a bus pass.”

Additionally, the new route will include stops at locations not previously served by KU buses directly, including the Student Recreation Fitness Center, Watkins Memorial Health Center and Joseph R. Pearson Hall.

Boarding the Route 42 buses will be free at any point. The route will be serviced by vehicles from KU’s new fleet of refurbished Gillig Phantom diesel buses, which have already proven themselves popular with summer session riders.

“People like the looks of them,” said Kaiser of the buses, which are painted KU blue and crimson and emblazoned with the Jayhawk and KU signature. “And people in general like to have air conditioning, which the old buses lacked.”

In addition, KU’s new workhorse buses are wheelchair accessible, burn a blend of diesel fuel and 5 percent biodiesel and are kinder to the environment than campus buses of yore.

“No more big black clouds,” said Kaiser.

KU on Wheels has not eliminated any bus routes that operated last year; the introduction of Route 42 boosts overall service. In addition to offering a convenient and free transportation option, the goals of the enhancement are to reduce campus traffic congestion, decrease demand for parking at the main Lawrence campus and cut total exhaust emissions from vehicles.

The Park and Ride Express bus route that connects the west campus Park and Ride lot with main campus also does not require a bus pass. The Park and Ride Express is entering its second year of service.

Route maps and schedules for Route 42 and all other routes operated by KU on Wheels are available online.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.