FAU’s South Florida campuses are, for the most part, known as commuter colleges. As such, driving to school is the most popular form of transport. However, just because you may not have a car, doesn’t mean you’re out of options.

Here’s our rundown of the different methods for getting around the Boca campus as well as transportation between the Boca, Davie and Jupiter campuses.

One of the worst feelings when you first get to college is not having a clue where you are on campus. A simple solution is downloading the FAU Mobile App, which is available for iOS and Android users. The app includes a useful map with GPS, so you can see exactly where you are on campus and what direction you’re facing.

Another mobile app, FAU Owl Guides, features an event calendar as well as a New Student Orientation program designed to help introduce new students to the campus. The New Student Orientation section of the app includes orientation schedules, maps, and services for transfer students. It is available for iOS and Android users as well.

This is a free bus shuttle provided by the university for transportation around the Boca campus. If you use the buses in between classes, you can park in the morning and then not have to worry about finding parking a second time.

The FAU Mobile App provides a live GPS feed of each bus and how far away it is from the bus stop you’re waiting at. There is also a map of the shuttle routes on the FAU Parking and Transportation Services website.

SCHEDULE

RED

Monday – Thursday

7:30 a.m. – 7:15 p.m.

Friday

7:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Stops:

Innovation Village Apartments North (IV-98)
Engineering East (EE-96)
Administration Building (AD-10)
University Village Apartments (southbound) (SA-56-61)
Culture and Society Building (CU-97)
Glades Park Towers (westbound) (GP-92)
Student Union (northbound) (UN-31)
Oxley Athletic Center (AC-67)
College of Education (ED-47)
Breezeway
College of Engineering (EE-96)

BLUE

Monday – Thursday

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Stops:

Innovation Village Apartments South (IV-99)
Lot 5 (south)
Breezeway
The Burrow (inside Student Union)
Oxley Athletic Center (AC-67)
Student Union (southbound)
Glades Park Towers (eastbound) (GP-92)
Culture and Society Building (CU-97)
Parliament Hall (PH-102)
University Village Apartments (northbound) (SA-56-61)

SILVER

Tuesday & Thursday

10:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Stops:

Lot 5 (north)
Lot 5 (south)
College of Business (BU-86)
Breezeway

The Trowley is a nighttime and weekend bus service for students provided by the university.

The bus runs to nearby off campus hotspots, including Fifth Avenue Shoppes, shopping center

Mizner Park, Royal Palm Place, as well as Palmetto Park and Deerfield Beach. An Owl ID is required.

SCHEDULE

Nighttime

Thursday – Saturday | 8 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.

Stops:

Innovation Village Apartments North (IVA-98)
University Village Apartments (SA-56-61)
Glades Park Towers (westbound) (GP-92)
Student Union (northbound)
Fifth Avenue Shoppes
Mizner Park
Royal Palm Place

Weekend

Saturday and Sunday | 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Stops:

Innovation Village Apartments North (IVA-98)
University Village Apartments (SA-56-61)
Glades Park Towers (westbound) (GP-92)
Student Union (northbound)
Town Center Mall
Fifth Avenue Shoppes
Palmetto Park Beach
Deerfield Beach

Palm Tran is the public bus system operated by Palm Beach County. The bus has five routes in Boca Raton, including one (Route 94) that serves FAU directly. Students are eligible for a discounted Palm Tran Quick Pass.

Palm Tran route schedules are also available at Student Support Services (SU-80) located on campus. Route 94 has one stop in the parking lot behind the Administration Building (AD-10) and runs all over Boca Raton. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes from 6:45 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Zipcar is a rental car service that provides 24/7 access to students’ cars that are parked on campus. You can reserve a car on the website and then unlock the car door with the Zipcar app. Fees include an hourly rate of $7.50 and a rental fee of $69 per day that includes gas, insurance, and 180 miles of driving. Zipcar’s website and app provides locations of the cars that are available around campus.

FAU Night Owls is a student-run service that provides free transportation around campus late at night. If you’re ever in need of a ride home from a friend’s dorm or the library after a late night study session, you can call Night Owls for a quick ride back to your dorm.

Night Owls operates Monday through Friday from 7-11 p.m. Call (561) 297-6695 for a ride to and from anywhere on campus.

The Tri-Rail train is the perfect option for students without a car who need to get from the Boca to the Davie campus. Students receive 50 percent off their ride with proof of an Owl Card or class schedule.

BOCA TO DAVIE:

Use the Palm Tran (Route 94) to get from the Administration Building (AD-10) parking lot to the Yamato Tri-Rail station.

Take the Tri-Rail southbound to the Ft.Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport Tri-Rail Station at Dania Beach found on Griffin Road in the Outdoor World Complex.

Then take the South Florida Education Center Tri-Rail Express. This stops at the Liberal Arts Building on the Davie campus.

DAVIE TO BOCA:

Take the South Florida Education Center Tri-Rail Express from the Liberal Arts Building to the Ft.Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport Tri-Rail Station at Dania Beach found on Griffin Road in the Outdoor World Complex.

Then take the Tri-Rail northbound to the Yamato Tri-Rail Station.

Use the Palm Tran (Route 94) to travel from the Yamato station to the Boca campus Administration Building parking lot.

This bus service is free for students, faculty and staff and provides free transportation between the Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses.

The service departs and returns daily from the Boca Raton campus to the Jupiter campus.

SCHEDULE

Monday – Friday

Boca Raton to Jupiter – 9 a.m.
Jupiter to Boca Raton – 10:45 a.m.
Boca Raton to Jupiter – 2 p.m.
Jupiter to Boca Raton – 3:15 p.m.
Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations:
Boca Raton – Administration Building (AD-10)
Jupiter – Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College (MC-01)

< Return to UP Issue 1 articles

Thomas Chiles is the features editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @thomas_iv.

Kerri-Marie Covington is the managing editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @kerri_marie23.