BUSES

In high school, your transportation was taken care of in style. You cruised into your parking lot bright and early in a shiny ’95 Ford Taurus, rap station blaring at 7 in the morning, and walked into your school building swinging your lanyard with swag that only a master commuter could bear. However, at Tech, you’re reduced to a feeble snail reliant upon your top foot speed to cross the labyrinth of campus. That is, of course, until you uncover the workings of your greatest friends on the road: Georgia Tech’s Buses.

There are several apps you can download that will allow you to track buses in real time and see when they will be

arriving, including LiveSafe, GT Buses, and NextBus.

All buses are completely free to students. No need to show your BuzzCard; just hop on and let it take you where you want to go. Here’s some information about each type of bus:

****(Can make descriptions and hours separate by using a table)

Red Stingers:

Run clockwise along Ferst Drive, Techwood Drive, North Avenue, and Cherry Street. They have a stop at Fitten Hall near West Campus halls and stops along Techwood near East Campus halls.

Times:

Monday - Friday

7:00 a.m. - 5:10 p.m.

(6-minute headway)

5:10 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

(12-minute headway)

6:45 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.

(24-minute headway)

DO NOT OPERATE ON WEEKENDS!

Last Stop: North Ave. Apartments

Blue Stingers:

Run in the opposite direction to the Red Stingers with the same stops (counterclockwise along Ferst Drive, Techwood Drive, North Avenue, and Cherry Street). However, they have 1 minor route difference: As Blue Stingers are driving south on Ferst Drive, they turn right onto 6th street and then 8th street to reach the Fitten and 6th and 8th street stops, turn right onto Hemphill Avenue, and then turn right again onto Ferst Drive to continue driving south past the CRC.

Times:

Monday - Friday

7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

(7-minute headway)

5:30 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

(14-minute headway)

6:45 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

(24-28 minute headway)

Last Stop: Fitten Hall

DO NOT OPERATE ON WEEKENDS!

WARNING: Both the Blue and Red Stingers are known to occasionally stop for extended periods of time at Fitten Hall and North Ave. Apartments (at least 10 minutes). They will also randomly take breaks at the Student Center stop. Bottom line: if you’re going to use the Red and Blue Stingers, make sure you have enough time to get where you’re going.

Green Stingers:

Go around Ferst Drive and up State Street. Then, they loops around 10th Street and 14th Street back to State Street and onto Ferst. They're extremely confusing, and they're generally advised against using (you will probably get lost or get stuck in the middle of Atlanta).

Times

Monday - Friday

6:45 a.m - 6:10 p.m.

(20-minute headway)

6:10 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

(30-minute headway)

Stinger Map

Trolleys:

These are the buses that legitimately look like trolleys. Beginning at the Transit Hub (by the Student Center), they go up Ferst Drive all the way up onto 5th street past Techwood Drive. What makes them special is that they keep going through Tech Square (where there are a bunch of restaurants and the Barnes and Nobles), and stop at the Midtown Marta station before looping back to 5th street, Ferst Drive, and coming back to the Transit Hub. These are generally more reliable than the Red or Blue Stingers since they usually take breaks at the MARTA station and the Transit Hub (where they may stop for about 2 to 3 minutes). Also, they operate on weekends.

One downside of trolleys: around 4-5 pm on weekdays, they tend to fill up with passengers and get stuck in traffic on Ferst Drive. You may have to stand and the ride can be bumpy. Avoid them at this time if possible.

Times:

Monday - Friday

5:45 a.m. - 6:20 a.m.

(36-minute headway)

6:20 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.

(12-minute headway)

7:30 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.

(6-minute headway)

5:45 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

(7-10 minute headway)

6:45 p.m. - 7:40 p.m.

(10-16 minute headway)

7:40 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

(20 minute headway)

Saturday

10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

(36-minute headway)

Sunday

3:00 p.m. - 9:45 p.m.

(36-minute headway)

Last Stop: Transit Hub

Midnight Rambler:

Operates from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am every day. It begins at the CULC and drives along 4th street before turning right on Techwood Drive. Then, it turns right on North Avenue, turns right onto Cherry Street, and continues on Ferst Drive, 6th Street, and Hemphill before coming back onto Ferst and returning to the CULC along the same route. It has stops on all West and East Campus dorms.

This is extremely convenient if you want to come back to your dorm after some studying at the CULC or after working out at the CRC, and you don’t feel like walking in the dead of night. Use it.

Times:

Sunday-Saturday

9:00 pm to 3:00 am

Stingerette:

Operates from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am every night. They will transport you anywhere on campus and within a couple minutes’ drive outside of campus. Just call 404.385.RIDE (7433) or visit www.stingerette.com to request a ride.

Weekend Grocery Shuttle:

Stops hourly at a stop near the Publix grocery store, Atlantic Station, Target, and Ikea. Runs on weekends from 10:00 am to its last stop on campus at 5:30 pm. Be sure to check the schedule on the Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) Website so that you know when the bus will be coming to your stop and so that you don’t get stranded outside of Tech at 6:00 pm.

Emory Shuttle:

Goes to and from Emory University on weekdays. A schedule is posted on the PTS website. You probably won’t be needing this shuttle.

All GT Buses do not operate on institute holidays.

Lastly, if you have to get to a class in 10 minutes or really anywhere within a small amount of time, do not rely on the buses. The timings for these buses are approximated; they are known from time to time to arrive a few minutes late due to traffic or other delays. If you absolutely have to get to somewhere on campus extremely quickly, invest in a bicycle, scooter, Segway, RipStick, unicycle, etc.