Clemson-Greenville Bus Service Begins September 9

The distance between Clemson University and Greenville is getting shorter. On Monday, Sept. 9, the university and Greenlink, the city's public transportation system, will launch a new weekday commuter service to connect the main campus with Clemson’s instructional and research sites in Greenville and other Greenlink stops.

Nearly 500 Clemson employees either live or work in Greenville, and nearly 1,000 students are enrolled at Greenville instructional sites. In addition, 2,500 students at Clemson list Greenville home addresses. A new health research collaboration in which Clemson will serve as the research arm for Greenville Health System is likely to add to those numbers.

“We have a lot of faculty, staff and students who have ‘dual citizenship’ with one foot in each location. That’s a lot of cars driving back and forth every day, often with just one passenger,” said President Jim Barker.

“This service will help us reduce our carbon footprint, ease the demand for parking on campus, allow people to use their commuting time more productively and encourage more interaction and networking among Clemson faculty, staff and students,” he said.

"The partnership between Greenville and Clemson will be realized every time the buses roll," said Greenville Mayor Knox White. "We are proud to see Greenlink live up to its purpose of building linkages between people and communities."

The Clemson-Greenville Connection will operate two 30-passenger buses equipped with free wi-fi service and bicycle racks, with service Monday through Friday connecting:

• The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (park-and-ride hub)
• Clemson at the Falls
• University Center at Greenville
• Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus at the Greenville Health System Patewood campus        

A full route schedule is available on the Greenlink and Clemson Parking and Transportation Services websites. Routes may be adjusted depending on actual usage, but Clemson Parking and Transportation Services Director Dan Hofmann anticipates strong response.

“There is demand now, and a recent survey of faculty and staff who live in Greenville indicate significant interest. I expect the service will continue to grow as demand grows,” he said. “

Operating costs will be shared. Clemson will fund its share of the service by reallocating dollars currently being used to operate a number of small, independent shuttle services. Greenlink will provide funding from local, state grant and federal grant sources. For the first year, students, faculty and staff will ride fare free with a university identification card, while a fare box will be available for use by non-university riders.