If you’re a commuter student and are still confused about which bus routes you should ride, then you’re in the right place. However, If you’ve never used the RIT bus before and would like to know more information about it, check out the first series of my article called “Life At Rit: Should I Ride the Bus?.” It gives a brief overview of how the bus routes work, which app you should download, and reasons why you should consider trying it out for free.
There are a variety of buses on campus to choose from depending on your destination. A lot of students tend to hop on the bus and are not sure which route to take. One reason why downloading the TransLoc app is necessary, because it displays all the information you need about the bus routes in order for you to not get lost. Although, if you don’t rely on your phone most of the time, then I would recommend printing the Bus Services schedule that’s been posted at the RIT website. With that said, let’s dig into the topic.
Types of RIT Shuttles (2020-2021)
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Combined-Campus Shuttle
This bus is known to be the “on-campus” bus where it only goes around RIT including Barnes and Noble, Perkins Green, Park Point and the Province. There are a total of four on-campus shuttles and they are categorized by colors, such as: Green, Blue, Red, and Orange. Each campus shuttle is on a different time schedule and they happen to have all the same route. Except, the Orange shuttle bus does not not have a bus stop at Perkins Green, instead it drives all the way to Lowenthal road then goes straight to Park Point. So, if you’re a student that lives in Perkins Green, don’t ride the Orange Shuttle bus.
One thing to remember that not all four buses operate at the same time. For instance, the Blue Campus Shuttle only drives from 8:00am to 2:20pm. While the Red Campus Shuttle operates from 7:00am to 11:09pm. It can cause a lot of confusion among students and I don’t think anyone can remember the exact time each bus passes by a stop. That’s why it’s important to carry around the bus schedule or the TransLoc app on your phone.
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Combined RIT-Inn Shuttle
There’s not much to say, this bus is specifically made for students that live in the RIT Inn. It does go around campus, but there are only a few bus stops and it does not go around the west side of campus (Barnes and Nobles). I did, however, came across a student that rode the Off-campus bus and thought it would stop by the RIT Inn. Please don’t be that student. It takes forever to get back on campus if ever you ride the wrong bus. On the side note, that person did speak up and gladly asked the bus driver on where to go. Remember to speak up if ever you’re not sure where to go. It can save you a lot of time.
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Off-Campus Express
Sometimes, being around campus can be boring. The Off-campus bus is a great start exploring around Rochester if you don’t have a car. This bus only operates during the weekdays and it brings you to a lot of places like The Marketplace Mall, Walmart, Rustic Village, and other places near that area. Students who ride this bus are most likely window shopping or buying groceries. Other times, it could be students that live in Rustic Village and would ride on the shuttle for their jobs or classes in person. Either way, every student should try out the off-campus bus since it’s free and you can find interesting things to do outside of campus. Note: This bus only has one bus stop on campus and it is located at F lot (right besides Magic Spell Studios) so it is required to either ride the Combined shuttle bus to get there or walk towards F lot.
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Retail Bus
Similar to the off-campus bus, you can tour around Rochester with far more places to see since they added more bus stops around West Henrietta. These places include SouthTown/ Jefferson Plaza, Target, and Wegmans. One thing to take note of is that the retail Bus only operates on Sundays. This may give off as an opinion, but the reason for that is because that day is typically used for students to go out and relax before school begins on Monday. A majority of students would hop on the bus to go shopping at Target, Wegmans, or Walmart.
Some students don’t realize that the off campus bus and the retail bus are two different buses. For instance, one student thought the bus to go off campus only operates on Sundays, but it is not true. RIT students can ride the off-campus bus and have a getaway. It may be confusing, but just remember that the off-campus bus is for the weekdays, and the retail bus is only on a Sunday.
To sum everything up, use the Campus Shuttle routes to access residential and campus locations, and ride the off-campus bus to take a trip outside of campus. If you happen to still be confused about riding the bus, check out the resources down below and see if it could give you some more information. The only way for you to confidently enjoy a bus ride is to go out and ride the bus yourself. Have fun and I hope to see you on the next ride!
Resources:
https://www.rit.edu/fa/parking/transportation/bus
https://www.rit.edu/fa/parking/transportation/shuttle