More buses and a new route may make UF's campus more accessible this fall, but the changes will come out of students' pockets.
On Aug. 16, Route 22, from Forest Park to UF, will begin service and additional buses and runs will be added to several routes, according to Theresa Harrison, Regional Transit System spokeswoman.
"[This] will provide more seating and hopefully a better transit experience that will reinforce and encourage more people to ride the bus," Harrison said.
The changes will be funded by a 68-cent increase to the UF student transportation fee, which students pay in addition to tuition.
The UF Transportation Fee Committee approved the increase from $6.11 per credit hour, to $6.79 per credit hour, totaling $345,853, Harrison said.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said the changes directly benefit UF students.
"I think it's important to remember that those routes they are talking about are in areas where there is a large student population," Orlando said. "Other people might benefit from it, but the students are going to be the heaviest users."
RTS worked with the UF Transportation Committee to redesign the routes with UF's service goals in mind, Harrison said.
Orlando said that the upcoming changes made through the partnership between UF and RTS will have far-reaching benefits.
"I think it benefits the students because it makes it easier for them to get to and from campus, but it also gets more cars off the road, so it benefits the environment as well," said Orlando.
Schedule brochures will be updated with the new routes and will be available on bus stop kiosks and the RTS Web site.
