photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

A bus drops off passengers in the 700 block of Vermont Street on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.

Riders generally “feel safe in most places” on Lawrence Transit’s bus routes, a new survey shows, “except for one” — the stop across from the Lawrence Public Library on Vermont Street.

That’s from a report the City of Lawrence shared this month on the transit survey, which got 222 responses, of which about 85% were from people who ride the bus at least a few times a month. Many told the transit system they’d seen people at the downtown stop loitering, screaming, fighting and worse.

At the same time, a number of respondents praised the city’s main transit facility, Central Station on Bob Billings Parkway. And transit staff thinks that when another facility like it has been added downtown, with employees on site to keep things orderly, the problems across from the library should get better.

The recent survey was meant to inform the transit system’s route adjustments and provide feedback on its general operations. Among the questions it asked were whether respondents felt very safe, safe or unsafe on the bus, at bus stops, at the downtown bus stop on Vermont Street and at Central Station. On the bus, at stops and at Central Station, around 15% to 20% of them said they felt unsafe. But at the downtown stop, 55% reported feeling unsafe.

The survey also allowed people to write in responses about what specifically made them feel safe or unsafe while using public transit. A couple hundred of these comments were attached to the report — roughly 120 about what made or would make people feel more safe, and roughly 140 about what made people feel unsafe. More than 30 of the “unsafe” comments specifically mentioned the downtown stop, and they included reports of unruly behavior, unhoused people congregating there and even violent crime.

“I am downtown often and the 700 Vermont bus stop has become completely unusable for riders and it’s the site of frequent altercations, harassment, disruption,” one person wrote.

A few people specifically referenced the fatal shooting of Vincent Lee Walker by Nicholas Laron Beaver, which occurred at the stop in 2024. Both men were homeless, and the shooting stemmed from an argument between them at that bus stop.

“I’m not worried at all about being a targeted victim, just concerned about getting caught in potential crossfire,” one of the respondents wrote. “I keep my situational awareness on high alert when I have to use the 700 Vermont stop, and worry about the families using the library.”

“I know there is a history of gun violence at that location,” another wrote. “I wish the city government and/or police department would do something about that site. I would like to see a stronger police presence there.”

(As the Journal-World has reported, the Lawrence police officers who specialize in patrolling downtown have said that this site is one of their biggest problem areas.)

Transit staff predicted that the city’s future downtown bus station project would alleviate some of these concerns.

“Transit staff also expect experiences of safety to increase after Downtown Station is built and transit operations are no longer hosted on a public sidewalk,” the report reads. “At that time there will be part-time staff available to assist passengers and enforce the (transit system’s) Code of Conduct.”

In 2024, the city selected a parking lot in the 700 block of Vermont Street for the downtown station, but construction has not begun on the project yet. It was first pushed back because of the FIFA World Cup this summer, and this year staff has said that the station project would likely be impacted if voters don’t approve a 0.1% increase in the city’s transit sales tax this fall.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

A “No Loitering” sign at the bus stop in the 700 block of Vermont Street is pictured on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.

Though the downtown bus stop may have been the place where commenters felt the least safe, it wasn’t the only place where they observed problems. The Journal-World tallied more than 60 comments in the “What makes you feel unsafe?” section that had to do with inappropriate behavior, and the report acknowledges these concerns.

“When answering the question ‘What makes you feel unsafe?’, the most prevalent theme presented by respondents was the presence of individuals who are perceived to be behaving erratically (29% of comments),” the report reads. “This was distinct from rule breaking behavior (27% of comments), in which people are actively breaking the code of conduct; this includes harassment, violence, yelling, or being accompanied by unruly animals.”

The code of conduct prohibits smoking, consuming illegal drugs or alcohol, speaking loudly, using profanity, vandalism and “Behavior that is disruptive to others’ use of transit and transit facilities,” among other things.

Nearly all of the above violations were reported by survey respondents. They said they’d seen drinking, drug use, arguments, fights and other problematic behavior on the bus or at stops. One said they saw a rider “having a full on sexually explicit conversation with an empty seat.” Another reported finding needles on the floor of the bus, and yet another said they’d witnessed a man publicly urinating before getting on a bus.

Some of the respondents also opined on where these problems came from. Two of the more common answers were fare-free service and a perceived lack of enforcement of bus rules.

Fixed-route bus service has been fare-free since 2023, and the report said there were 18 comments about this. Twelve were from commenters who thought free access to buses was making the system less safe.

“There are lots of incidents with the unhoused,” one commenter wrote. “I heard a frequent rider talk to a bus driver once about not feeling safe on a certain bus route. All of these have happened since free rides on the bus.”

In all, more than 30 respondents said that homeless riders made them feel unsafe, though not all of them said they wanted to get rid of free service.

When it came to bus rules, the report said 13% of comments from the public were “about the relationship between enforcement and safety,” and many commenters said they felt safer when there were visible cameras and security or staff presence. They also said they felt safer in certain areas, including the bus routes on the University of Kansas campus or at Central Station on Bob Billings Parkway.

“Someone at the desk at the Central Station helps me feel safe,” one person wrote. “I like that the Central Station is a well-lit facility with plenty of amenities,” said another. A third thought the facility was “nice and new and doesn’t feel like I’m gonna get stabbed.”

A few respondents did have criticism for transit staff. Of the “What makes you feel unsafe?” comments, roughly 10 contained complaints about staff. These complaints were varied, and included reports of drivers skipping stops, being distracted or being unable “to control their bus/its situation.”

On the other hand, almost 40 of the 120 “What makes you feel safe?” comments were about drivers and their performance. People frequently mentioned that the drivers were kind and friendly, and some thought that they did a good job of maintaining order.

“The drivers take care of any trouble when we are in the bus,” one wrote. Others said they felt safe when drivers seemed “in command,” maintained “a sense of control” or “kick off rowdy people.”

Staff said in the report that this year’s survey was intended to establish a “baseline” of how riders felt about safety, and the transit system expects to continue surveying riders about “how to best promote feelings of safety” in the future. It said that people who have experienced problems while riding the bus can contact info@lawrencetransit.org or 785-864-4644.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

A bus drops off passengers in the 700 block of Vermont Street on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.