Lawrence has recently opened its new public transit facility, Central Station, and the buses that serve it are also receiving an update.

The Kansas Department of Transportation provided 80% of the funding for this project through the Access, Innovation, and Collaboration grant program. Find more details about the project in this report to the City Commission.

Lawrence Transit is a partnership between the City of Lawrence and The University of Kansas. Although city and university buses may look somewhat different, it is important for the public to understand that it is a coordinated system, and all buses are available for everyone to use. Public transit remains fare free in Lawrence for 2024, including fixed-route, paratransit, and on-demand services.

Updates to the city bus fleet include a cohesive color palette and modernized Lawrence Transit logo, as well as adding the Phoenix Flame graphic that represents the City of Lawrence. The website address, lawrencetransit.org, was added along the top. Buses are clearly labeled when they have a special feature or operate a certain service. Some examples are: T Lift, On Demand, Hybrid, Electric.

When designing paint schemes for the city’s electric buses, Lawrence Transit staff have been fortunate to work with several artists from the community.

• David Gnojek provided designs for the first set, along the theme of electricity, transportation and the environment.
• Iris Cliff designed the second set of electric buses, which have just started operating recently. Their designs celebrate remarkable buildings, structures, and symbols found in Lawrence and Kansas as a whole.
• Tokeya Richardson’s work will be featured on a third set of electric buses, due to be delivered in 2025. His work highlights indigenous people’s culture and outlook on the world.

“We’re excited not only to bring a fresh look to the bus fleet, but to take a step that provides consistency to riders for how all buses look,” said Adam Weigel, Transit & Parking Manager. “The City and KU have worked hard on coordination across operations, grants, and studies, and this is another great example of that.”

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