Lawrence Transit

Last updated
Lawrence Transit System
Lawrence Transit logo.svg
ParentCity of Lawrence and the University of Kansas
Founded2000 [1]
Headquarters1260 Timberedge Rd, Lawrence, KS 66049
Locale Lawrence, Kansas
Service type bus service, paratransit
Routes20 between the city and university systems
Annual ridership936,320 (2024)
Fuel typeDiesel, Hybrid, Electric, Gasoline
Operator Transdev
Website lawrencetransit.org

The Lawrence Transit System is the municipal public transportation agency in Lawrence, Kansas. It is a coordinated transit system with the City of Lawrence and the University of Kansas, operating Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on most routes. [2] On election days, rides are free of charge. [3]

Contents

Bus Routes

Lawrence Transit operates nine routes (1-9) using Lawrence Transit-branded vehicles, which are shown in the route list below. In addition to these routes, there are eleven University of Kansas routes in Lawrence, Kansas (11, 12, 30, 34, 36, 38, 42, 43, 44, 45 and 53) operated using KU on Wheels buses. Most of these routes only operate while KU is in session during the Fall and Spring semesters at KU. Connections to Johnson County Transit Route 510 (K-10 Connector) as well as Greyhound are available at the Central Station. [4]

Route list

TerminiViaNotes
1DowntownEast HillsMassachusetts St, 23rd StInterlined with Route 5
2Central StationLakeview Road6th St, LMH Interlined with Route 3
3Downtown9th St, LMHInterlined with Route 2
4Wakarusa Dr & 6th StCentral Station, KU Campus
5Central StationEast Hills23rd St, HINU Interlined with Route 1
6Rock Chalk ParkNorth Lawrence6th St, Downtown
7DowntownSouth Iowa StHaskell Ave, 27th StInterlined with Route 9
8Central StationPeaslee TechKU Campus, HINU
9South Iowa StClinton Pkwy, Lawrence AveInterlined with Route 7

[2]

ADA Services

The Lawrence Transit System offers paratransit services (T Lift) to serve the needs of riders who, because of a disability, are unable to use the Lawrence Transit System fixed-route system, and who meet the criteria established by the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The JayLift provides ADA services for KU students, staff and faculty who are permanently or temporarily disabled to get to class or class-related activities.

On-Demand Services

A late-night service (Night Line) started June 1, 2013 and provides curb-to-curb, shared ride bus service from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Monday – Saturday anywhere within Lawrence. The rides must be scheduled in advance, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m Monday – Saturday. Each ride costs $2.00. [5]

A new, fare-free On Demand service launched in 2023, running from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday-Friday and 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays. In January 2024, this service was expanded to Sundays as well, and Saturday hours were extended to 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Trips can be booked using the Lawrence Transit On Demand app, which allows riders to book single trips or multiple reservations at once up to five days in advance. [6]

Policy Makers

Lawrence Transit System is a service of the City of Lawrence. Policies for Lawrence Transit system are set by the Lawrence City Commission, with recommendations for the Public Transit Advisory Committee. [7] The University of Kansas Transit Commission, composed of faculty, staff and students, is responsible for campus transportation services; KU on Wheels, JayLift and SafeRide. [8]

Fleet

Lawrence Transit currently operates a fleet largely composed of Gillig transit buses, along with a number of Ford cutaway buses for lower-ridership routes. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, Lawrence Transit was awarded three consecutive federal grants for electric buses, with the first five units deployed in 2022. [9] Two Gillig BEBs were received in January 2024 [10] and two electric low-floor cutaway buses from Optimal Electric Vehicles were deployed in 2025 on interlined Routes 2 and 3. [11] In 2024, the Lawrence Transit fleet was updated with a new livery featuring a modernized Lawrence Transit logo, the Phoenix Flame graphic representing the City of Lawrence, as well as denoting special features such as Electric, Hybrid, and On Demand. [12] Much of the current Lawrence Transit fleet can be referenced in the table below. [13]

Fleet number(s)PhotoYearManufacturerModelPowertrainNotes
600-604 Lawrence Transit 600.jpg 2022 Gillig Low Floor Plus EV 40'
  • Livery designed by David Gnojek. [12]
605-606 Lawrence Transit 606.jpg 2024 Gillig Low Floor Plus EV 40'
  • Livery designed by Iris Cliff. [12]
607-608 Lawrence Transit Ford Optimal EV 607.jpg 2025 Ford
Optimal Electric Vehicles
  • Livery designed by Tokeya Richardson. [12]
809-813 Lawrence Transit 809.jpg 2020 Ford E-450
814-815 Lawrence Transit 815.jpg 2022 Ford E-450
900 Lawrence Transit 900.jpg 2011 Gillig Low Floor HEV 40'
906-907 Lawrence Transit 906.jpg 2015 Gillig Low Floor 29'
908 Lawrence Transit 908.jpg 2015 Gillig Low Floor HEV 29'
909-911 Lawrence Transit 909.jpg 2020 Gillig Low Floor 29'
944-945 Lawrence Transit 944.jpg 2009 Gillig Low Floor 35'
  • Former KU on Wheels buses.
946-947 Lawrence Transit 947.jpg 2012 Gillig Low Floor 40'
  • Former KU on Wheels buses.

Fixed route ridership

The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response services. [14]

1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023

See also

References

  1. "Lawrence Transit System celebrates 20-year anniversary". Lawrence Transit. 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  2. 1 2 Routes and Maps
  3. "Lawrence Transit". Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  4. Central Station
  5. Night Line bus service extends public transportation options
  6. Lawrence Transit launches overnight rides on demand
  7. Public Transit Advisory Committee
  8. KU Transit Commission Archived 2013-06-16 at archive.today
  9. Electric Buses
  10. “Electrify Lawrence”: City of Lawrence Deploys Second Round of Battery Electric Buses
  11. Optimal Electric Vehicles Partners with Lawrence Transit to Deploy Two All-Electric Low-Floor Shuttle Buses
  12. 1 2 3 4 City bus fleet to have a unified, streamlined look
  13. "Transportation 2040" (PDF). Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  14. "The National Transit Database (NTD)" . Retrieved July 21, 2023.