photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Lawrence Transit's Central Station, 2315 Bob Billings Parkway, is pictured Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.

Lawrence’s transit office has released an operations plan for its new Central Station at 2315 Bob Billings Parkway, and it details amenities at the new space and a code of conduct that can result in suspensions or even an indefinite ban from the property and all city buses and bus stops depending on the behavior.

Lawrence Transit shared that plan via a news release Thursday, ahead of its opening day on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. As the Journal-World has reported, the facility has been in the works for years and was originally slated to open in August. The release notes that a grand opening event is set to take place later this spring to officially recognize the project’s completion.

“We’re excited to welcome everyone into this beautiful building and site,” Transit and Parking Manager Adam Weigel said in the release. “This station will provide riders with a really high quality and modern transit experience.”

The station will be served by seven local routes, the K-10 Connector and Greyhound. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The new facility comes with a wide range of amenities, including seating, wind protection, push-button heaters that are operational during service hours in the winter, and digital bus departure and trip-planning signage on the bus platform outside.

In the lobby, riders will be able to find customer service support, restrooms, infant changing tables, Wi-Fi access, device and wheelchair charging, free books from the Lawrence Public Library, concession goods and programmed community partner information and services. The station will also be home to Lawrence Transit’s lost and found.

Finally, Central Station will include additional amenities for bike users, including bike racks inside and outside the building. There are also exterior bike lockers and a bike ramp installed outside on the main entrance staircase. The interior bike racks are available only during lobby hours.

Along with those amenities, the plan also outlines safety and security and the station’s code of conduct. The property uses exterior and interior security cameras for 24-hour surveillance, and the release notes that the Lawrence Police Department will be responsible for first response to the site, coordinating with the KU Police Department when necessary.

The code of conduct, meanwhile, includes four discipline levels that will be applied based on certain types of severe misconduct. Depending on the infraction, riders can be suspended — or even outright banned or trespassed — from Central Station, the downtown bus hub located across the street from the Lawrence Public Library, and all Lawrence buses and bus stops anywhere from up to a month to more than a year.

“Level 1” offenses, for example, include smoking, drinking or using illegal drugs on the property; exhibiting behavior that is disruptive to others’ use of the facility, like using inappropriate or threatening language or verbally harassing staff; littering; theft or damage of Lawrence Transit or personal property valued at less than $50; and storing personal belongings on the property. All those behaviors can result in a suspension of up to one month.

“Level 2” offenses apply to behavior like verbal threats of violence; unauthorized presence in staff-designated areas; using buses, bus stops or transit facilities while suspended; and staying on transit sites or bus stops outside fixed route hours of operation. This category could result in a suspension from one month to three months long.

“Level 3” offenses include physical fights, sexual harassment and theft or damage of Lawrence Transit or personal materials valued at more than $50. Those behaviors are subject to a suspension lasting from three months to a year.

The most severe discipline level, “Level 4,” applies to offenses like possession or display of a weapon, sexual assault and physical fights with staff, drivers or other contracted staff. Instead of a suspension, those behaviors are punishable by a 12-month, or even indefinite, ban or trespass from transit properties, buses and bus stops. Only Weigel or a designee has the authority to issue such a ban, though the plan notes that staff may in extreme cases restrict a patron from returning until they’re able to rule on the severity of the penalty.

Repeated violations of lower-level behavior can also qualify for a more severe consequence level. The plan also broadly notes that behavior that violates local, state or federal laws is also prohibited. Misconduct of a “minor nature” will result in a request from staff to stop and a reminder of Lawrence Transit’s behavior policy.

“We ask for help from riders with following our code of conduct so that everyone feels safe and welcome using the bus and Central Station,” Weigel said in the release. “We think that most folks will respect staff and drivers when we redirect unwanted behaviors, but we may use suspension from transit services to ensure a safe and clean environment.”