Creighton announces new JayPass free bus program with Metro Transit

Beginning with the new academic year, students, faculty and staff on Creighton University's Omaha campus will have access to a new sustainable, economical and convenient transportation option through a free bus-ride program with Metro Transit.

Called JayPass, students, faculty and staff can ride any Metro or ORBT bus, on any route, for free using their Creighton ID card. (The program is open now to validate the technology. If faculty, staff or students experience any problems, they can simply show the bus driver their ID and then report the issue to parking@creighton.edu.)

Commuter students, along with faculty and staff, can ride the bus to and from campus. There are multiple convenient bus stops that intersect with or are within a few blocks of Creighton's Omaha campus, including routes 4, 13, 18, 24 and 30.

“We are excited to offer this transportation option for our Creighton community,” said Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD. “It reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability, as well as provides our students with increased opportunities to travel to campus and explore what the city of Omaha has to offer without needing a car.”

The parking and card services team within Creighton’s Department of Public Safety worked with Metro to establish the program, which also aims to help reduce parking demand on the Omaha campus. It’s one of several parking and transportation options Creighton offers, including Bluejay Shuttle services that connect key academic, residential and recreational areas.

The bus program dovetails with Creighton’s sustainability efforts in a number of areas, as outlined in its 2022 Sustainable Creighton Initiative report.

In November, Creighton was awarded a silver STARS rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

The University has increased orientation and programming around sustainability and reduced its greenhouse gas emissions on the Omaha campus by 38% since 2010 through prudent campus planning, building efficiency updates and recommissioning of building management software and operations.

“The Metro bus program is one tool Creighton is leveraging to shift more commuting and local travel to public transit, while also supporting added mobility and access equity,” said Andrew Baruth, PhD, director of Creighton’s Office of Sustainability.

“Reducing the number of single occupant vehicles traveling to and from campus helps reduce Creighton’s greenhouse gas emissions associated with commuting, helping us fulfill our Sustainable Creighton Initiative.”

Caden Collins, a junior environmental science and economics major from Waunakee, Wisconsin, said the JayPass program is a welcome addition.

“I’m excited about JayPass because I can get places in the same amount of time without cost or worry,” Collins said. “It’s one line to Target at 72nd and Dodge streets, and I don’t have to battle any traffic.”

Meaghan Hill, a senior sociology and justice and society major from Hudson, Ohio, is equally excited about the new JayPass.

“It’s a great way to open the Omaha community to students who come to Creighton from across the nation and around the world,” said Hill. “Accessibility through the bus lines in Omaha is a great way to connect Creighton with the rest of Omaha.”

For more information on bus routes and schedules, visit Metro Transit.