TCU’s new bus transit seems to run efficiently, though still with few riders

By Caleb Gottry and Michael Fazen

Published Aug 29, 2025

TCU’s newest transportation system “The Leap” drives down West Berry Street in Fort Worth, Texas on Aug. 24. (TCU360/Tyler Chan)

Ed Landreth Hall — Students can get live shuttle updates on The Leap website while they wait at any bus stop on campus. (Caleb Gottry)

I rode The Leap, and it works.

As of August 18, TCU rebranded and restructured the seemingly non-functional shuttle bus service as The Leap bus transit. It runs five total buses on three different lines from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

Though the Red Line does extend east of campus and the Blue Line has a stop near some west campus housing, none of the buses travel north of Cantey Street or south of West Berry Street. Notably, The Leap also does not stop near Kroger or the University Recreation Center.

Still, the shuttle does seem to serve its intended purpose of transporting students from the parking lots near the stadium to various academic and residential locations on campus.

TCU commuters want to catch shuttles to campus

Reporting by Michael Fazen

TCU recently lost more than 1,200 parking spaces due to construction. Many commuter students who live close to TCU had hoped the new shuttle system would allow them to avoid driving to campus this year.

The area north of West Bowie Street along McCart Avenue isn’t on any of the three routes that the shuttles run. Students in that area said they have to choose either vying for the newly reduced parking spots or facing a 30-minute or longer walk.

Megan Yates, a senior strategic communication major, said the lack of options frustrates her. If she chooses to walk in the morning, the lack of quick access to her car after classes makes it difficult.

“If I have to go somewhere off-campus right after class, then I really have to rush home because I don’t have the convenience of having my car parked on campus,” Yates said.

Clara Creed, a senior speech-language pathology major, said the reduced parking spaces often force her to walk even though she purchased a commuter pass this year. Her classes are on the south and central areas of campus.

“I can’t walk that far in the morning, that’s over a mile and a half,” Creed said.

C.C. McCullough, a senior movement science major, said her commute used to be around five minutes.

“If I walk to my classes in the rec center, it’s closer to 30 minutes,” McCullough said.

Students said the shuttles don't seem to be getting much use as it is.

“When I see The Leap, it’s always three buses following each other, all with empty seats,” Yates said. “If they adjusted the routes to reach students who live off campus, I think that could be beneficial.”

Other students said that if the shuttles ran closer to their homes, they would use their services more.

The Leap bus transit offers three bus lines running simultaneously throughout the day. This is approximately how long it takes. This photo illustration was made using a parking.tcu.edu route map.
The Leap bus transit offers three bus lines running simultaneously throughout the day. This is approximately how long it takes. This photo illustration was made using a parking.tcu.edu route map.
The Leap bus transit offers three bus lines running simultaneously throughout the day. This is approximately how long it takes. This photo illustration was made using a parking.tcu.edu route map.

The Tuesday mid-morning buses sat mostly empty, and one of The Leap’s drivers said ridership varies day-to-day with hardly anyone riding on the weekends.

A lone student rides The Leap from Lot 2 to KFCB on Tuesday. At that mid-morning time, the bus never had more than a handful of riders. (Caleb Gottry)

“Maybe every other bus is full on a busy day,” the driver said. “A lot of students don’t know about the service, so I think once they figure it out, it’ll start picking up.”

The Froggie Five-O Student Safety Service, a TCU Police Department program intended to provide escorts to late-night walkers, has recently limited its hours of operations to “serve only those needing a security escort,” according to the website. The Leap will now serve TCU students looking for convenient transportation.

Given that students don’t have to show any ID to board the shuttle, the bus routes not extending beyond TCU’s campus may be a safety precaution. TCU 360 has yet to hear back from Adrian Andrews, TCU’s assistant vice chancellor for public safety, on this issue.