It was a busy year for Lawrence Transit in 2025. The city’s transit system celebrated 25 years of service on December 16. Transit staff reflected recently on some of the milestones, continued partnerships, and service improvements that were achieved last year.

Milestones

• Celebrating its 25-year anniversary was a big moment for Lawrence Transit.
• 2025 was the third year Lawrence Transit has sustained fare free bus service.
• Transit completed two years operating at Central Station, on Bob Billings Parkway & Crestline Drive.
• The team launched a Transit Shop, where riders can find Lawrence Transit gear, including limited edition anniversary designs. Every purchase supports the transit system.

Service Improvements

• Bus riders took 4 million trips on Lawrence Transit last year across fixed-route, paratransit, and on-demand services.
• Travel Training, the personalized service for learning how to use public transit, served around 120 people in 2025.
• Provided continuous improvements to bus stop amenities in partnership with major roadwork. When possible, partnered with organizations and individuals to add amenities, such as the Sunset Hills neighborhood bench.

Partnerships

• Lawrence Transit continued its Thriving Thursdays partnerships, offering access to free groceries twice a month at Central Station. In 2025, Just Food served 218 households and 295 individuals, and Harvesters served 266 households and 499 individuals.
• In addition to food access, transit staff organized two coat drives last year.
• Partnerships continued to strengthen Central Station, including the bookstore by Lawrence Public Library Friends & Foundation; the Naloxone vending machine in partnership with Douglas County Government, DCCCA, and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health; and Brave Sensors for overdose monitoring in public restrooms.
• Boba & Beyond launched a new location in the lobby of Central Station. Many partners worked together to bring the project to life, including the Douglas County Food Policy Council.
• Lawrence Transit has been partnering for 10 years on the Books & Buses program with Lawrence Public Library. Take Me For a Ride Storytime happens each fall, and many young ones take their first trip on the bus through those events.
• 2025 was the second year of the Lawrence Transit Poet Laureate program. The program has featured 12 poets so far.
• Two small electric buses were added to Lawrence Transit’s fleet. They feature designs by a local Indigenous artist, Tokeya Waci U. These unique low-floor buses allow passengers with a mobility device to board from the curb with a ramp, like a larger fixed-route vehicle.

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