MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Raider Xpress shuttle will operate on a new schedule during the summer semester, effective May 20 to Aug. 9.

Currently, the Raider Xpress operates the following schedule, which will continue for the spring and fall semesters:

• Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for stops on the Red and Blue Routes.
• Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for stops on the Green Route.
• Fridays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for stops on all routes.

You can view the routes at https://bit.ly/raiderxpressmap.

According to Parking and Transportation Services, beginning in the summer semester when rider demand decreases, the bus will operate Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for stops on the Red and Blue Routes. The current schedule for Fridays and stops on the Green Route will remain the same during the summer.

Because of the schedule change for the Raider Xpress bus routes, during the summer, ticketing will stop at 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday for No Campus Permit and Unassigned Space (green and red permits parking in a white permit lot). Currently, ticketing for green and red permits parking in a white permit lot stops at 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.

A vital service to campus community

Raider Xpress has served almost 750,000 riders since it started in 1993 and is designed to transport faculty, staff, students, and visitors throughout campus and to help alleviate congestion in the campus core. Shuttle service is available only when classes are in session and all shuttles are accessible to persons with disabilities.

“Having 20-plus thousand people on our campus, not everyone can park in the lots adjacent to their building. For that reason, Raider Xpress has grown and adapted to the ever-changing campus,” said Tracy Read, director of Parking and Transportation Services.

Abigail Ellis, a freshman majoring in psychology, said she parks at the Rutherford lot and rides the Raider Xpress to campus for convenience and because of the challenges of finding more interior spots during the busiest times of a semester. Off-campus visitors can park in the Rutherford Lot for free and ride a shuttle bus into the campus interior.

“Being able to ride the bus has been a lifesaver,” Ellis said.

Read, who has worked for Parking and Transportation Services for almost 25 years, said the shuttle service “has played and continues to play a vital role on our campus.”

In addition to providing rides on campus, the shuttle has transported riders to off-campus events and activities, such as taking MTSU students to vote at Central Magnet School during the 2020 election and giving Candlelight Tours through downtown Murfreesboro each year in December.

Shuttle services will also be provided to MTSU’s new Aerospace campus in Shelbyville. Routes and schedules will be available soon.

The new schedule for the Raider Xpress will be posted at all stops and will also be available at Parking and Transportation Services. For more information about bus routes and schedule changes, contact Read at Tracy.Read@mtsu.edu.

— Johari Hamilton (Johari.HamiltonGA@mtsu.edu)