There are many ways to get to class — or to get home from a fun evening downtown — at Kansas University.

“You’ve got to get to school somehow,” said Tim Akright, coordinator for the student run KU on Wheels bus service. “Not everybody has a car, and not everybody wants to drive because it’s difficult to find a (parking) spot.”

That’s why the university offers several transportation programs for KU students.

• KU on Wheels runs 25 buses a day on 15 routes in and around campus. Service operates from 7 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, when classes are in session. During the summer, two routes run from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.

A year pass for the system costs $130 for KU students. For another $25, riders can purchase a sticker for their KU bus pass that allows them access to the T, the city-run bus service that serves other parts of Lawrence.

“We’re moving more into a stage where everybody’s trying to work together more,” Akright said. “Not a full integration. That would be very difficult to do with the different rules and different funding sources.”

One-time rides cost $1 for the KU buses, 50 cents for the T. Children under 5 ride free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

KU on Wheels has quietly cut some routes to areas of town served by the T.

“The goal is to work on getting systems unified,” Akright said. “It’s definitely not something that’s going to happen in a year or two. But five or 10 years, yes.”

Students wait on campus for a KU on Wheels bus. KU on Wheels runs 25 buses daily on 15 routes.

• A related program, Park and Ride, has been provided since 1998 by KU on Wheels and the university’s parking department.

A Park and Ride pass allows off-campus students to park their cars in Lied Center lot No. 300. From there, KU on Wheels provides a ride to campus. In 2003, passes cost $130 for a full year.

• SafeRide is a free taxicab service for KU students that runs from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. every night during the school year.

The service includes cars, vans and one lift-equipped vehicle for disabled students. Roughly 20,000 rides are provided annually through this service.

• KU on Wheels also provides the LiftVan, a door-to-door transportation system for students with disabilities. The hours are the same as KU on Wheels.

Students are charged $18 per semester in fees to support transportation programs.

“KU on Wheels receives no federal, state, local or university funding,” Akright said.

The bus service is paid for entirely by the students through student fees, bus pass sales and cash fares. SafeRide and Lift Van are paid for with student-fee money. This year, the budget for the bus service is $1,432,296, for SafeRide $217,828.60, and for Lift Van $40,115.