The City of Gainesville renewed its bus contract with RTS and the University of Florida, extending the prepaid bus fare program for an additional two and a half years.
This program provides UF students with unlimited access to public transportation throughout the city, fostering connectivity between campus life and the broader Gainesville community. Many students, including UF student Caitlyn Aleman, expressed appreciation for the program.
“It allows students to not only exist in school, but in other spaces,” Aleman said.
While the contract benefits students, it also introduced significant route changes, including the discontinuation of Route 125 and Route 25. The loss of Route 25 has created challenges for residents of GRACE Marketplace, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness. Many shelter residents relied on Route 25 for weekend transportation to work, food sources and other necessities.
Residents wrote to the city commission. They shared their concerns. Currently, Route 26 continues to serve GRACE Marketplace but does not operate on weekends.
These route changes went into effect earlier this month.