Want free bus rides around Knoxville? University of Tennessee students, staff get new perk

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is taking a substantial step - or shall we say "ride" - toward changing parking on campus through a new partnership with Knoxville Area Transit that will provide free bus rides to students and faculty.

UT also will offer a park-and-ride pass for faculty, staff members and commuter students. This will allow permit holders to park at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum and ride a UT bus to Neyland Stadium from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.

The pass costs $99 and becomes available July 15.

For students and staff on campus after 5:30 p.m., KAT buses run from Cumberland Avenue to the Knoxville Transit Center across the street from the coliseum. Students and staff with one of these permits also can park in unreserved staff and commuter areas on campus after 5 p.m.

How to get free bus rides through University of Tennessee

Starting Aug. 12, UT students can ride KAT buses for free, traveling anywhere their Volunteer spirit takes them. Faculty and staff, however, will be limited to free KAT rides to and from campus.

All students and staff need to do is scan their VolCards when boarding a KAT bus along the transit system's 23 routes.

“Providing practical commuter solutions is vital as we strive to transform the parking and transportation culture on campus," Tanara Teal-Tate, UT's executive director of parking and transportation, said in a news release. "This partnership with the City of Knoxville and Knoxville Area Transit will play a pivotal role in enabling us to create capacity on campus to accommodate growth and deliver the Volunteer experience for all students.”

KAT buses complement UT's new parking zones

UT's partnership with KAT is just one of the parking changes coming to campus for the fall 2024 semester.

Commuters will have three types of permits available, organized by zones. The zones are determined by traffic counts and are tiered based on their proximity to popular areas for students.

• Core zone: $390

• Intermediate zone: $250

• Remote zone: $198

Noncommuter students will have only two zones available: a core zone pass for $450 and an intermediate zone pass for $310. These passes are only available to students who have signed a UT housing contract.

Greek Life students have the option to purchase a core pass for $450.

When can UT students purchase campus parking passes?

UT students can purchase parking passes on the followings dates assigned to their class.

• Graduate students and seniors: July 24

• Juniors: July 29

• Sophomores: July 30

• Freshmen: July 31

More University of Tennessee parking changes

UT will add eight more campus buses to its routes this year to alleviate traffic and wait times on campus. At the same time, the university is investing in technology improvements to provide a mobile pay options, an updated website and better data for parking space availability across campus.

UT will add more than 1,000 hourly mobile pay spaces starting Aug. 1, but the university wants students to ride, walk or bike to campus instead of driving a car, especially first-year students living on campus.

Several student apartment buildings are popping up ? not just on Cumberland Avenue, but south of the Tennessee River and elsewhere throughout the city. Many of these apartment communities are serviced by KAT.

Faculty and staff did not receive a parking fee increase this year, but one is expected in 2025.

Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Free Knoxville bus rides for University of Tennessee students, staff