Skip to main content
University of Florida

Ongoing talks between UF, city yield RTS bus service updates

UF News
October 25, 2024

Ongoing productive discussions between the University of Florida and the city of Gainesville bore their first results Thursday, with the city’s Transportation Department announcing a number of changes to its Regional Transit System bus services. The changes are aimed at managing budget constraints linked to reductions in federal, state and local funding as well as abnormally high increases in operating costs over the past three years.

The changes also will give UF students the assurance that their transportation fees, which help fund RTS, are being spent wisely and efficiently.

“We value our partners in the city of Gainesville and look forward to continuing to work with them on this vital issue,” said Brandi Renton, UF’s interim vice president for business affairs.

Although passenger counts are moving steadily back toward pre-pandemic levels, with Fiscal Year 2024 ridership increasing 7.3% compared to the previous year (5.5 million compared to 5.1 million), this is not enough to cover rising costs, city officials said. As a result, RTS is among the public transit agencies nationwide seeking new revenue sources while streamlining to reduce costs.

The change announced are as follows:

  • Holiday Service

RTS discontinued holiday service as of Oct. 1, 2024. The bus routes previously scheduled on Veterans Day, Black Friday and Christmas Eve will not run this year.

  • Paratransit Service

For eligible riders who have a disability that prevents them from making some or all of their trips on the fixed-route buses, RTS offers a shared ride door-to-door service called Paratransit. Beginning Oct. 1, 2024, this service has been scaled back to locations within three-quarters of a mile from a fixed route.

  • Fare Free

To ensure the program is working as intended, beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, riders who are 18 and younger and 65 and older will require a pass for Fare Free boarding. RTS will add an online application webpage to register for these passes by year’s end.

RTS and UF Partnership

The city and the University of Florida are continuing discussions to improve route efficiency for students while maintaining a public transit system that works for all riders.

Route 25 to Gainesville Regional Airport

Route 25 will end with the start of spring service on Jan. 3, 2025. Given this route's low UF ridership, and to be good stewards of the student funds that finance this route, the University of Florida will reallocate those assets to other student transportation solutions.

UF Route Changes

The following route changes are recommended by UF improve efficiency and service to students and other campus riders. If agreed upon by both sides, the following route modifications would take effect with the start of RTS spring service on Jan. 3, 2025.

  • Route 125 – UF Campus Connectors will operate this route.
  • Route 122 – Returns to the original north/south orientation.
  • Route 150 – UF assumes operation of this route.
  • Route 1 – Route moved to enter/exit campus on Museum Road to stop at the Reitz Union before resuming the regular route.