Three Gators-themed buses hit the streets Monday.
UF partnered with Gainesville's Regional Transit System to bring the buses to Gainesville, said Chip Skinner, spokesman for RTS. The buses arrived in Gainesville from California in December but could not run until license plate tags were available.
The buses are fitted with a vinyl Gators-print wrap and the slogan "The Gator Nation is Everywhere."
They took about a year to make, he said.
Skinner said campus development funds, which are provided by the Florida legislature and allow state-run universities to develop transportation and other infrastructure. Skinner estimates that each bus cost UF $415,000.
The three buses are currently running on routes 43, 35 and 28.
Skinner said the spirited buses were proposed and designed to highlight RTS's partnership with UF. Revenue from UF and Santa Fe College will account for more than half of the RTS operating budget in the 2012-13 fiscal year, according to a news release.
"We worked in conjunction with UF to get the design approved and then get them on the buses once they were," Skinner said. "Since we do get a lot of advertising and bus wraps out on the road, we start thinking of ways that we can make the buses stand out more to the public."
