Creighton University, Omaha Metro Transit partner on free bus-ride program

Students, faculty and staff on Creighton University's Omaha, Neb., campus will have access to a new sustainable, economical and convenient transportation option through a free bus-ride program with Omaha Metro Transit, beginning with the 2024-2025 academic school year.

Called JayPass, students, faculty and staff can ride any Omaha Metro or ORBT bus, on any route, for free using their Creighton ID card.  

Creighton University notes the program is open now to validate the technology. 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 Daniel S. Hendrickson, S.J. “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 Omaha 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 University offers, including Bluejay Shuttle services that connect key academic, residential and recreational areas.

The bus program dovetails with Creighton University's sustainability efforts in several areas, as outlined in its 2022 Sustainable Creighton Initiative report.

In November, the university was awarded a silver STARS rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. It has increased orientation and programming around sustainability and reduced its greenhouse gas emissions on the Omaha campus by 38 percent 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 University’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, Wis., 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,” Hill said. “Accessibility through the bus lines in Omaha is a great way to connect Creighton with the rest of Omaha.”