Several transportation options available at KU

Kansas University students have several transportation options to get around campus and the city.

Here’s a glance at what’s available to students:

KU on Wheels

Buses go to campus from residence halls on Daisy Hill eight times an hour on the McCollum route. Off-campus routes go to most of the major apartment complexes in town and downtown. Buses will drop off passengers at stops on Jayhawk Boulevard.

“It’s very convenient,” said Meghan Murphy-Lee, instructor in Slavic languages and literature. “It takes me right where I work. It saves on gas and wear and tear on my car, and I don’t have to bother with parking.”

Times for off-campus routes vary, and most only come to campus about every 30 minutes, which can pose a problem for students with full schedules.

“I have only one bus, and if I miss the scheduled time, I have to wait for another half hour,” said Heather Stone, Burlington sophomore.

Bus route schedules and maps are posted online at www.ku.edu/~kuwheels, or they can be picked up in any KU on Wheels bus or at the SUA Box Office on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union.

Buses run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. After hours, three night routes cover most of the same areas as the daytime routes, but they only visit each stop every half-hour for on campus and every hour for the two off-campus routes. Night routes run until just after midnight and are free of charge.

The fee for day-route buses is a dollar or a bus pass. Passes allow riders unlimited rides on any KU on Wheels bus. They are $120 annually or $65 per semester and can be purchased on the sixth floor of the Kansas Union during the first week of classes or in the SUA Box Office the rest of the year. They can be preordered with other optional campus fees.

This fall will be the first time KU on Wheels offers a free on-campus bus for students. The bus has a limited route, forming a figure-eight shape down Jayhawk Boulevard, around the Kansas Union, across to Summerfield Hall, and then back down Jayhawk Boulevard. The bus will not go to the residence halls or off campus.

“The goal was to help students out without hurting bus pass sales,” said Patrick Quinn, off-campus student senator.

KU on Wheels also offers a Park and Ride program. The pass is $175 annually or $75 per semester and includes a full bus pass and a permit to park in the Lied Center parking lot. Park and Ride permits are available wherever regular bus passes are sold.

SafeRide

Here are cycling safety tips, provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:¢ Protect your head: wear a helmet.¢ Make sure your bicycle is adjusted properly.¢ Always check brakes before riding.¢ See and be seen: wear clothes that make you more visible.¢ Avoid biking at night.¢ Always be alert for obstacles in your path.¢ Go with the flow of traffic: ride on the right side in a straight, single-file path.¢ Obey traffic laws.¢ Ensure your wheels are securely fastened.

SafeRide is a free service provided by KU on Wheels to give students a safe ride home between 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. The program is funded through a transportation fee every KU student pays each semester.

Only KU students who can show a valid student I.D. are eligible to use SafeRide. To access the program, the rider calls 864-SAFE from anywhere in the city limits. A car will pick up riders, but will only take them to their residence. While many students consider SafeRide a designated driver, people who just don’t feel safe walking at night are encouraged to use the program.

Yellow Bike program

Student Senate did a trial run of this program in the spring and will fully implement it in the fall. Up to 90 people can sign up for the program, which allows participants to use 30 yellow bikes around campus. The bikes all have locks that can be opened by universal keys given to participants. The cost is $10 to join the program, and those interested can register at www.ku.edu/~yellow.

Yellow bike riders can use any bikes they find but are not allowed to take them off campus. Exact boundaries haven’t been set, but they do include the residence halls on Daisy Hill and scholarship halls. The program is new, but senate leaders hope it will expand as more people become aware of it.

“The people I’ve talked to say it’s a great way to travel around campus,” said Kyle Johnson, a student senator who helped devise the program. “It’s fast, convenient, environmentally friendly and there when you need it.”

Lawrence Transit System

The city also runs a bus system that goes through the KU campus. Rides are 50 cents apiece, and students who need to ride multiple routes can transfer for free. Route maps are available at any Dillon or Hy-Vee stores, City Hall, the Lawrence Public Library or the T office in the parking garage at 10th and New Hampshire streets. The Lawrence bus system does not have specific stops. Riders flag down the bus at any point on a set route.