After my first couple of weeks utilizing UT’s Park and Ride service, I figured I would share my experience – especially for those who may have missed the priority parking-pass deadline, are tight on cash or are nervous about navigating UTK’s campus traffic. Spoiler alert: it’s cheaper, lower-stress and faster than I expected.

Going into my senior year, I am living off campus for the first time. As such, finding a way to get to classes became a little more difficult. Having heard all of the horror stories about commuter parking, I actually deeply considered riding my bike across the river, and while I have nothing against riding bikes, the idea of ringing a bell, using hand turn signals and a helmet became quite comical to me the weekend before classes started. So – I sought out another way of getting from point A, my apartment, to point B, campus.

I didn’t love the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on a parking pass, especially with a December graduation date, which is why when my friends texted reminding me that parking pass sales went live back in July, I didn’t even bother looking. However, recently feeling slightly desperate to avoid the bike scenario, I finally pulled up the UT Parking website. To my surprise there were still passes left – but only Park and Ride.

As luck would have it, not only was Park and Ride the only option, but it was also the cheapest at just $99 per year. Likely even cheaper than the bike from Goodwill I was banking on finding.

Waking up Monday morning for my first day of classes, I had no idea what to expect. I planned to leave my apartment one hour prior to the start of my first class. From what I gathered, I would park at a lot that would be inconvenient to walk to classes from, wait for a shuttle bus – one of which comes every ten minutes – and then get dropped off somewhere on campus that would, ideally, be more convenient to walk from, simple enough.

Upon getting on the Park and Ride bus for the first time, I found out from my peers there are two drop-off stops, the Torchbearer and Gate 21 and one pickup stop, Gate 21. There are also other buses that can take you to other parts of campus too, such as the Ag Campus.

As far as timing goes, from the time I leave my apartment across the river to the time I get off the bus at the Torchbearer, it takes anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes. The time it takes driving around the parking garages on campus hoping someone leaves during one of your loops takes at least that long, not even counting the drive to campus. All that to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

The parking garages for Park and Ride are also great. You park at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum in Garage A or B. I have gone in the mornings and afternoons and have never experienced any difficulty finding a spot, which is a relief.

Here’s something directly from UT Parking and Transportation:

“T buses run from Gate 21 to the Park and Ride lot continuously from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students needing to remain on campus beyond 5 p.m. may park in any commuter lot after 4 p.m. and any unreserved staff space after 5 p.m. Additionally, students needing to leave their car at the Civic Coliseum after 5 p.m. may park in the overflow surface lot on Honor Our Troops Dr. After the T stops running at 6 p.m., students may ride KAT buses to Knoxville Station to return to their cars in the overflow lot.”

All of my classes end by 3:45 p.m., so parking elsewhere doesn’t apply to me, but it’s nice knowing UT has other options in place, providing greater flexibility to students.

Lastly, something I didn’t come to appreciate until recently is that all of the drivers are really friendly, which goes a long way. After spending this summer in Europe using public transportation daily, having someone greet you and ask how you’re doing is something I didn’t come by at all.

All in all, my experience has been great, and I highly encourage anyone living off campus to consider it. It’s not as inconvenient as it may sound – it’s actually kind of the best.

Ryleigh Dougall is a senior at UT this year studying accounting. She can be reached at [email protected]

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