Bus Route & Schedule Changes effective January 19:

The Bobcat Tram (BT) will be modifying service on three BT City routes and one BT Campus route.  These changes will provide additional service where demand is the greatest.

City Routes:

1. BT Route 27 (service to Clarewood apartments) will no longer be provided as a BT City route 27.  This service will be provided by CARTS routes 4 and 5; this change will increase service from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes.  There is no charge for CARTS; passengers only need to show their Texas State I.D. when boarding any CARTS bus in San Marcos.  Evening and night service to Clarewood via BT City route 25, (Wonder World combo), and BT Night route 3 will continue unchanged providing service to this area at times of day when CARTS service does not operate.
2. BT Route 22 (Post Road) peak service will increase the level-of- service, (from once every 10-20 minutes during peak periods to once every 10 minutes).
3. BT Route 26 (Wonder World) will increase the level-of-service, (service frequency), from once every 20 minutes to once every 13 minutes during peak travel periods.  This bus route also provides a viable central to west campus link for passengers traveling from the Quad bus loop to the Mitte stop at Student Center Drive and Comanche Street.

Campus Routes (Service changes providing service directly to and near the Student Center):

1. Quad to West Campus:  In addition to increased Wonder World service to Student Center Drive at Mitte, the Campus route 12 will continue to provide service from the Quad to the Student Center, (one-way westbound), using BT Interurban bus routes departing the Quad.  Passengers will be able to board any Austin or San Antonio bus at the Quad for service directly to the Student Center beginning at 7:25 a.m. and continuing until 8:25 p.m. (19 trips per day on Monday through Thursday; 11 trips each Friday).  Service is also available from the Quad to Sessom and Comanche, (across from the Student Center), over 90 times a day or approximately every 6-8 minutes during peak service times on Ranch Road route 24.
2. West Campus to South and Central Campus:  Service on route 26 from Mitte at Student Center Drive every 13 minutes during peak travel hours to San Jacinto Hall across from Jones dining hall or Frost Bank across from Fire Station Studio.  Service is also available on route 11 from Speck Garage; the Rec Center or Supple Science to San Jacinto Hall and the Commons across from Flowers Hall on Bobcat Trail. 

BT Interurban Routes (Service between Austin and San Antonio)

1. No new routes will be added to either destination, but the departure times will be adjusted for several routes by up to 10 minutes.  Check our BTI service page for an updated schedule.
   

Additional Accessible Service:

For those unable to use existing fixed routes provided by the Bobcat Tram or CARTS:  CARTS provides curb-to-curb service, (from any address point at the curb to any address point at the curb), in San Marcos to eligible passengers, (a certification form documenting the passenger’s disability may be required).  24 hour advance booking is recommended.

 

Additional increases in service effective October 14, 2009
In an effort to reduce wait time, (especially during afternoon departures from campus), the Bobcat Tram has increased frequency by adding 19 arrival and departure times to our Monday through Thursday service schedule and 11 service times to our Friday schedule; this represents a 3.2 percent and 3.3 percent service increase, (respectively), over the beginning of this fall semester and an 8.1 percent increase over service levels during the fall 2008 semester.

Service has been added to the Bobcat Stadium (10); Campus Loop (11); Aquarena Springs (20); Blanco River (21); and Post Road (22) routes.  These additional service times go into effect Wednesday, October 14, 2009; click on the Bobcat Tram Schedules & Maps tab above to view each of these service schedules.

Added August 19, 2009:  Fall 2009 Service (August 26 through December 15, 2009)
Service and schedule information for City and Campus routes are now posted.  Most route and service times are similar in stops and frequencies provided during the spring semester.  The largest change is to the Clarewood route which now serves only the Clarewood Apartment area east of IH35.  Route 26 (Wonder World) has been added to serve apartments off of Wonder World on the south side of San Marcos.  Existing apartments from the old Clarewood route include Cedars, Park Hill and Graystone; new stops include Cabana Beach, Vantage, and University Club.

BT Interurban service to Austin and San Antonio are also posted with service times and stops available through the end of 2009.

The following service changes where made on June 8, 2009
The Clarewood bus route will cancel the bus stop at Starplex, Cuevas Market, and Townwood and will add a bus stop at Sam’s club across from University Club apartments.  Summer route frequency will be increased from 45 minutes to 40 minutes.  This will also allow additional bus stops to be added in the fall at high density locations without reducing service frequency. (Posted May 6, 2009)

The following are service changes beginning April 6, 2009
To better comply with the Architectural Barriers Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS) and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Campus Loop bus stop at the intersection of Speck Street and Academy Street will be moved approximately 150 feet north on Academy Street.  The present location did not meet TAS standards; the new location does.  Amenities such as benches and trash cans have already been moved to the new location.

The following are service changes beginning January 20, 2009

   New primary bus stop (N LBJ Bus Loop) located off of Sessom next to the Music building and Pleasant Street garage; all bus routes will use this loop as their primary campus drop-off.

Two new service stops:

• The Clarewood route will have a new call stop/flag stop at the Mitte building on Comanche St. just prior to the new stoplight at University Dr.
• The Ranch Road route will have a new call stop/flag stop on Sessom headed westbound just prior to the new stoplight at Sessom and Comanche.

The following are service changes beginning January 5, 2009:

  service between Austin and San Antonio will add on new route time:

• Departure from San Marcos (Monday through Thursday) at 9:35 pm – Route 319
• Includes an addition service connection between Austin and San Antonio, (arriving at 9:17 pm from Austin on Route 223 and continuing to San Antonio at 9:35 pm)
• Interurban stops in San Marcos are now arriving along CM Allen and S. LBJ and departing via Guadalupe streets with a primary campus drop-off at the new LBJ bus loop and departing from the LBJ Student Center.