A new commuter service that will link Lawrence and higher education institutions to Johnson County is scheduled to begin operating in mid-January.

A bus from Johnson County Transit, based in Olathe, will start the route Jan. 17. It will connect Kansas University’s Lawrence campus with its Edwards Campus in Overland Park as well as Johnson County Community College. The bus also will make stops at Haskell Indian Nations University.

“This is actually a demonstration project, which means it’s kind of an experiment to see if there is interest out there for a transit service between Johnson County and Lawrence,” said Danny Kaiser, KU assistant dean of students.

No one from Johnson County Transit was available for comment Friday.

Kaiser thinks the route will draw interest from KU faculty, staff and students who normally commute between the two counties. A decision was made to give Haskell students and personnel the same opportunity.

The general public also will be able to use the service.

“This is public transit. Anybody can use it,” Kaiser said. “We’ve designed the routes to go between these educational institutions, but if anybody else can use it they are encouraged to do so.”

When it begins, the new service will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday. There will be a $2.50 fare for a one-way trip and a $5 fare for a round-trip. Monthly 10-ride passes also will be available. More details will be announced as the starting date gets closer.

A few years ago, there was an attempt to run a shuttle van between Lawrence and Johnson County, but it failed because the service wasn’t convenient for riders, Kaiser said.