Navigating UCF: A Comprehensive Guide to the Grocery Shuttle and Transportation Options

The University of Central Florida (UCF) offers a variety of transportation options for students, faculty, and staff to navigate the campus and surrounding areas. Among these services, the grocery shuttle stands out as a convenient solution for students needing to access essential supplies. This article provides a detailed overview of the UCF grocery shuttle schedule, other shuttle services, and additional transportation resources available to the UCF community.

The Convenience of the UCF Grocery Shuttle

UCF recognizes the challenges students face in accessing grocery stores, especially those without personal vehicles. To address this need, the university provides a dedicated grocery shuttle service. This service aims to alleviate the burden of transportation costs, time constraints, and the difficulty of carrying groceries long distances.

Main Campus Grocery Shuttle

On Tuesdays, UCF provides grocery shuttles on the main campus. The grocery shuttle runs every 45 minutes from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, making stops at:

Marketplace
Academic Village (Nike)
Towers (front of CFE Arena)
Lake Claire

The shuttle transports students to and from the Publix Super Market located at the University Palms Shopping Center on Alafaya Trail.

Downtown Orlando Grocery Shuttle

UCF and Valencia students in Downtown Orlando can also take advantage of a grocery shuttle bus. This service, launched by UCF Parking and Transportation in partnership with the UCF Student Government, addresses the needs of downtown students, particularly those who consider the area a "food desert."

The UCF Downtown grocery shuttle travels from Livingston Street, in front of the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons building, to the Publix at The Paramount on Lake Eola, located at 400 E. Central Blvd. A valid UCF or Valencia Downtown ID is required to board the shuttle.

The service started on Oct. 6 and has continued every two weeks and is being offered throughout the fall semester. There are plans for expansion to other campuses, if the demand and volume requires it.

Importance of the Grocery Shuttle

The grocery shuttle service is particularly beneficial for students without cars, eliminating the need for expensive Uber rides. Student riders are required to wear a face covering when on the bus and in Publix. The capacity level on the shuttle has been decreased by 20% to minimize crowding on the bus.

Other UCF Shuttle Services

Beyond the grocery shuttle, UCF offers a comprehensive shuttle system to facilitate transportation across its various campuses and nearby locations.

On-Campus Shuttles

The on-campus shuttle operates two routes, the black and the gold, with two buses per route. The two lines travel opposite each other with the black line running clockwise and the gold line counterclockwise. Operating Monday through Friday, the shuttle makes its rounds from 7 am - 7 pm during the fall and spring semesters and from 7 am - 4 pm in the summer, except on Fridays. Students won't have to wait long, as stops are visited in 15-minute rotations. The shuttle visits nine stops:

Student Union
Lake Claire
CFE Arena
Engineering
Academic Village
63 South Dining
Welcome Center
Teaching Academy
Transit Center Education Complex

Rosen College Shuttle

The Rosen College line operates Monday through Thursday, starting and ending at the Pegasus Circle roundabout near the Student Union. The shuttle drops riders off at Rosen's main entrance and picks them back up in the main parking lot. You can catch a ride as early at 6:45 am and as late at 9:00 pm.

Health Sciences Shuttle

On weekdays, the Health Sciences shuttle covers three stops:

Physical Sciences building
Biomolecular Research Annex
Health Sciences Campus

Off-Campus Shuttles

The off-campus shuttle serves over 20 apartment communities in the area including Orion on Orpington, Northgate Lakes, Mercury 3100, and the Lofts. Operating nearly all day, you can catch the shuttle from 5:30 am until 10:00 pm. The shuttle runs between stops every 15 minutes, and you can track the shuttle's location through the UCFMobile app or online to see when and where your ride is.

Alternatively, you can drop your car off in Lot E4 and take a stress-free ride into campus. This route operates Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.

Gameday Shuttle

During home games, the shuttle operates on 15 routes in the UCF area. The shuttle runs 5 hours before each game and 2 hours after, allowing for plenty of celebratory fun pre- and post-game.

Downtown Shuttles

Shuttles operate between UCF’s main and downtown campuses Monday through Thursday with varying hours between 6:30 am and 10:30 pm . Main campus departures take place at the LYNX Transit Center (between Parking Garages A and I). Drop-offs and pick-ups for the downtown campus will be on Livingston Street in front of Dr.

Health Science Campus (Lake Nona) Shuttles

Shuttles travel between the main and Lake Nona campuses Monday through Friday between 7:20 am and 6 pm. Main campus stops are at the Physical Sciences building and the Biomolecular Research Annex on Research Parkway.

Additional Transportation Options

In addition to the shuttle services, UCF offers various other transportation options to cater to the diverse needs of its community.

LYNX Bus Service

UCF has partnered with Lynx so that students may ride throughout Orlando free of charge with their UCF ID. UCF students and employees can ride all LYNX routes for free, whether they’re near campus or not, with a valid UCF ID.

LYMMO

The free LYMMO lines are an easy, convenient way to get around downtown Orlando, with two lines stopping at UCF Downtown. The rapid transport system operates from 6:00 am to 10:45 pm on weekdays, with hours varying on the weekend.

RedCoach

RedCoach provides bus services from UCF to South Florida, Tallahassee and Gainesville in business class seats. Purchase tickets online.

Bikes

There are 65 bike racks on campus that are free to use. Bikes should be locked to the racks using U-bolt lock and cable combinations. Students with a valid UCF ID can also take advantage of SG’s free Bike N’ Gold bike share program as alternative to driving. Bike N’ Gold will operate 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Monday through Friday. Weekly check-ins at the bike shop are required to ensure the bike is in proper working condition. Students may come, free of charge, and have their bikes repaired with quality service by our Bike Repair Team.

Spin Scooters

Spin scooters will be available to help students better navigate the university’s 1,415-acre main campus. The scooters will operate from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm, will only be operational on campus, and require downloading the Spin app, which is available on Android and Apple devices. Scooters will be available at 15 charging stations across campus and will cost $1 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to ride.

Lyft

SG has partnered with Lyft to provide students with discounts for the ride-sharing app. The codes are only valid for two rides each month and the rides must be within a specific zone around UCF.

Parking Information

For those who choose to drive, UCF offers various parking options, including virtual permits and metered parking.

Virtual Parking Permits

In order to attain parking access on campus, a parking permit is required. The department has implemented virtual parking permits for students and employees. If you are new to campus, you must register your vehicle and purchase a virtual permit. Once permits are purchased at parking.ucf.edu, your vehicle’s license plate is your parking permit. Remember to park nose-in where your vehicle plate is facing the drive lanes. Individuals who would like to register a second vehicle to their account can do so for an additional fee of $15. The second vehicle must be owned and registered to the original permit holder or within the same household. The second registration will expire on the same date as the first permit. While the use virtual permits remove the need to transfer parking permits between vehicles, only one vehicle per account can be parked on any one of the UCF campuses (Downtown, Health Sciences, Main, Research Park and Rosen College) at a time. If your vehicle is in the shop for repairs, the account holder can do a temporary vehicle change by manually switching the vehicle’s tag number online. Pricing for 150-day and 365-day permits vary depending on the type of permit purchased, such as Resident and commuting students.

Accessible Parking Permits

Individuals who possess a valid state-issued (blue) disabled placard or a temporary (red) state disabled placard assigned to their name. Disabled placards are issued by The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) not the university. Individual is required to purchase a UCF parking permit of appropriate classification, i.e., Employee or Student, or Daily Visitor to park on the campus. Individuals with such appropriate permit may park in any available disabled parking space on the campus.

Commuting Students

Students traveling to main campus must purchase a General/Student parking permit and park in designated General/Student lots and garages. Daily permits are $8 and are valid for 24-hours from the time of purchase.

Main Campus and Rosen Campus Residents

Students who live on main and Rosen campuses must park in the designated spaces for their assigned housing community Monday through Friday between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm. Vehicles parked in designated residential areas without a valid residential permit are subject to tow.On weekdays, campus residents are not allowed to park in student or employee spaces, including the general parking lots and garages, and will be subject to parking citations before 5:30 pm.

UnionWest Residents

Students who live at UCF Downtown’s UnionWest at Creative Village community must lease a space from the UnionWest garage since it is the only overnight-parking option on campus.

Nose-in Parking

Back-in parking is not allowed on any of UCF’s campuses. The proper way to park is nose-in, back-out, effective Summer 2019.

Metered and Mobile Payment Parking

Drivers must pay for parking at designated spaces by using the ParkMobile app or by scanning the QR code on the signs by the designated spaces. Street parking on East Plaza Drive and West Plaza Drive near the Addition Financial Arena is complimentary from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm daily. Drivers will have to pay to use the meters during other hours.

Additional Resources

UCF Mobile App

The UCF Mobile app provides real-time parking availability updates. Under Notifications, select “Explore all Channels”, select Parking Availability Updates.

Motorist Assistance

If you’re having issues with your vehicle, Parking and Transportation Services provides motorist assistance with battery jumps, tire inflations, finding your vehicle or opening your locked doors.

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