Fear not, new students – University transit will get you from that calculus class on South Campus to Park Hall in 15 minutes, even if OASIS tries to tell you otherwise.

Just make sure you take the right bus.

Ashley Higginbotham, a junior from Gray, saw firsthand what happens to unwary students who do not know Orbit from East Campus Express.

While waiting at the Psychology/Journalism bus stop, Higginbotham said she saw a woman approach a group of men to ask for assistance. Higginbotham said the woman told the men she was a freshman who needed to take a bus to the Ramsey Center.

“The guys looked at each other and snickered just as a North-South bus pulled up,” Higginbotham said.

“They assured her that it would get her where she needed to go and before I could tell her otherwise, she got on the bus – which, of course, would not take her to Ramsey.”

Charlie Burgamy, a senior from Cusseta, drives several transit routes. He said students should get a bus map on the first day of school.

His number one tip for new students?

“If you see a bus coming, run to the bus stop,” Burgamy said. “We will leave you if you are walking.”

Kyle Hamilton, an alumnus from Roswell, is a University transit driver for the East-West route.

He said students who have Facebook should look at the group “The UGA Bus Riding Experience for Dummies.” He said the group was created so unsuspecting freshmen could “avoid being mauled by the upperclassmen.”

But upperclassman behavior aside, new students should become aware of transit policies and schedules before classes begin.

Ron Hamlin, manager for the University Transit system, said students should not carry any large items such as bicycles on University buses, nor should they bring anything that might endanger others.

When it comes to getting on a bus, Hamlin said standing in the aisles “is allowed and required,” but standing in stairwells, near doors or leaning against doors is not allowed. He also said some seats were marked as reserved for the disabled and the elderly.

He advised against taking a bus to go from one stop to another – catching an East Campus Express to go from East Campus Village to the Joe Frank Harris commons is a good example. Hamilton also said students who needed a ride but were not sure which bus they needed should ask the driver clear questions.

“Please don’t ask me, ‘where do you go,’” Hamilton said. “The correct question would be, ‘do you go to blank?’”

Higginbotham also had some riding tips for new students. She said when the bus stops to load, students standing in the aisles should move to the center of the bus and take off their book bags to create more room, and students should not be rude to other passengers by taking up two seats on a crowded bus.

She also warned against being too loud.

“Keep your voice down when you’re talking to your friends or on the phone,” she said. “Nobody wants to hear what happened downtown the night before.”

For students who go downtown until the wee hours of the morning, Hamlin said students should consider taking one of several nighttime routes back to campus or apartments.

East-West and Family Housing night routes run from 6:30 p.m. until 1 a.m. and go to several apartment complexes in addition to their regular daytime stops, he said.

Hamlin said the Milledge Avenue night bus runs from 6:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., and for night owls, the Overnight bus will continue running this year from 1 a.m. until 6 a.m.

Hamlin also said on home game Saturdays this fall, there will be a bus route running until 2 a.m.