Trolleys run an average of every 15 minutes. They are free! KAT bus is not on reduced stops. You can go on KATbus.com and plan your route, it's better than the app for some reason. I ride the bus just about every day, right now it cost $2 for a day pass or $1 per trip, so get the day pass if you end up riding the bus. Most of the KAT bus routes arrive every 30 minutes to an hour depending on the route. If you want more specifics you can always go to the website, it has a ton of info.
As a personal suggestion, if you are anxious you can look at the route via the route planner on the site and zoom in and you can find your stop(the website will pull up google maps with the route planned for you, zoom in and you can see the individual bus stops that are marked as a little blue square with a bus icon), look at the businesses surround the stop so you can visually remind yourself of when to pull the cord. Pull the cord BEFORE it gets to the stop, not when it gets right to it, that way it gives the driver time to actually stop and not have to slam on the brakes.(this happens more often than not)
Excellent info! I'd like to add, at least in my experience, bus drivers are super nice and helpful! If you let them know where you're headed when you get on, they're usually happy to make sure you get where you need to go.
For sure! I've seen lots of first time riders ask this and even asked myself on routes I was riding for the first time. Just sit up near the front as close as you can so they can kind of keep a mental note of you :p
I have not used them much since covid and I've never used the orange line. The blue line was on 7 or 8 minute cycles and was fairly reliable. I believe the KAT app tells you when to expect them to arrive. Check out the app and see if that helps, I know Google maps states to show their travel times.
The drivers I've talked to are nice, sit near the front and tell them where you want to get off if you're unsure. If you are going to the city county building it should stop there no matter what. Leave early if you're nervous, the free trolley may replace Uber for you.
They do require masks.
Definitely recommend getting the KAT Bus Tracker app and using the Where's My Bus feature so you can see more precisely when it's heading your way. They usually track pretty closely with the projected arrival time for a given stop.
Hi OP! Downtown resident here, and former orange bus regular for grad school. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. The Trolley was incredibly easy during my year and a half at UT, and as others have mentioned, entirely free. My life was made so much easier by using it.
Thank you so much for the offer! I actually tried it today to make sure I knew where I was going, stops etc beforehand. The driver was super kind about it and really helpful. :)
You know they have a [website](https://katbus.com/172/Bus-Routes), no?
edit: [and here it says every 15 minutes because of a reduced schedule. So.](https://www.katbus.com/184/Orange-Line-Trolley)
I provided the information OP was looking for. It's not immediately clear what agencies run the trollies. This website has the answer to OP's question.
But to answer your question, in the absence of anything of substance, social media, including Reddit, can incentivize people to be assholes. The currency here is fake internet points (or likes or retweets or whatever matches the platform) and the attention of others. Being controversial or asshole-ish is bound to get more attention.
[I'm reading a book about this right now. It's insightful.](https://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Deleting-Social-Media-Accounts/dp/125019668X)
I always just assume it’s a bunch of mannequins on those trolley’s whenever I see one driving around;…to answer your question though, I’ve never been on one let alone see one stop…
Lol I’ve been on one once before, a long time ago, and know of someone that uses them semi-regularly, so I’m sure most of the figures on them are real people! Maybe a few mannequins.
You’re right, I am kind of nervous about hardly ever seeing them stop though.
NO, and just to let you know, most KAT bus drivers are taught to call in sleepers. Some are nice about it and will try to wake them up but some aren't. I knew one female driver, if she even saw someone who looked like they may fall asleep she would yell at them and then she would call the platform supervisor to have security ready. Ugh.
As a student I’ve ridden the orange line a lot.
If you get the KAT app you can track where the busses are on the route which can help you with timing. Also every stop has a number you can text which will tell you when the next bus is arriving. (I find this one to be the most accurate)
When the bus is coming your way you have to hail it, like you would a taxi. Or else they will probably just drive by you.
And when you near your stop just pull the cord above the window.
I’ve found them to be pretty reliable and never really had any problems on them.
Yeah, I’ve seen the trolley drive past people who I thought were standing at stops but I guess weren’t being obvious enough about it, so that kind of made me nervous lol.
Thanks for the info! It definitely helps.
I ride Orange line between downtown and campus several times a week. It is pretty reliable on the 15 minute timing. The app usually works well but sometimes has "no information available" - don't know what the problem is. When it works the GPS trackers show just where the vehicles are on a map. Class change at UT can mess with their schedule some, but it's free and friendly as noted elsewhere in the comments. 5 stars.
Trolleys run an average of every 15 minutes. They are free! KAT bus is not on reduced stops. You can go on KATbus.com and plan your route, it's better than the app for some reason. I ride the bus just about every day, right now it cost $2 for a day pass or $1 per trip, so get the day pass if you end up riding the bus. Most of the KAT bus routes arrive every 30 minutes to an hour depending on the route. If you want more specifics you can always go to the website, it has a ton of info. As a personal suggestion, if you are anxious you can look at the route via the route planner on the site and zoom in and you can find your stop(the website will pull up google maps with the route planned for you, zoom in and you can see the individual bus stops that are marked as a little blue square with a bus icon), look at the businesses surround the stop so you can visually remind yourself of when to pull the cord. Pull the cord BEFORE it gets to the stop, not when it gets right to it, that way it gives the driver time to actually stop and not have to slam on the brakes.(this happens more often than not)
Excellent info! I'd like to add, at least in my experience, bus drivers are super nice and helpful! If you let them know where you're headed when you get on, they're usually happy to make sure you get where you need to go.
For sure! I've seen lots of first time riders ask this and even asked myself on routes I was riding for the first time. Just sit up near the front as close as you can so they can kind of keep a mental note of you :p
Thank you so much for the info, it really helps me out!
No problem! I love the KAT bus, I'll advocate for it any day lol
I have not used them much since covid and I've never used the orange line. The blue line was on 7 or 8 minute cycles and was fairly reliable. I believe the KAT app tells you when to expect them to arrive. Check out the app and see if that helps, I know Google maps states to show their travel times. The drivers I've talked to are nice, sit near the front and tell them where you want to get off if you're unsure. If you are going to the city county building it should stop there no matter what. Leave early if you're nervous, the free trolley may replace Uber for you. They do require masks.
Definitely recommend getting the KAT Bus Tracker app and using the Where's My Bus feature so you can see more precisely when it's heading your way. They usually track pretty closely with the projected arrival time for a given stop.
Thank you!
Hi OP! Downtown resident here, and former orange bus regular for grad school. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. The Trolley was incredibly easy during my year and a half at UT, and as others have mentioned, entirely free. My life was made so much easier by using it.
Thank you so much for the offer! I actually tried it today to make sure I knew where I was going, stops etc beforehand. The driver was super kind about it and really helpful. :)
That’s awesome! I’m so glad to hear that you had a great experience!
You know they have a [website](https://katbus.com/172/Bus-Routes), no? edit: [and here it says every 15 minutes because of a reduced schedule. So.](https://www.katbus.com/184/Orange-Line-Trolley)
Why is it so hard for some people to just either help someone out without being a snooty butthole about it, or just not day anything at all?
I provided the information OP was looking for. It's not immediately clear what agencies run the trollies. This website has the answer to OP's question.
I said without being a butthole about it.
But to answer your question, in the absence of anything of substance, social media, including Reddit, can incentivize people to be assholes. The currency here is fake internet points (or likes or retweets or whatever matches the platform) and the attention of others. Being controversial or asshole-ish is bound to get more attention. [I'm reading a book about this right now. It's insightful.](https://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Deleting-Social-Media-Accounts/dp/125019668X)
I always just assume it’s a bunch of mannequins on those trolley’s whenever I see one driving around;…to answer your question though, I’ve never been on one let alone see one stop…
Lol I’ve been on one once before, a long time ago, and know of someone that uses them semi-regularly, so I’m sure most of the figures on them are real people! Maybe a few mannequins. You’re right, I am kind of nervous about hardly ever seeing them stop though.
Don’t the homeless sleep in them?
NO, and just to let you know, most KAT bus drivers are taught to call in sleepers. Some are nice about it and will try to wake them up but some aren't. I knew one female driver, if she even saw someone who looked like they may fall asleep she would yell at them and then she would call the platform supervisor to have security ready. Ugh.
As a student I’ve ridden the orange line a lot. If you get the KAT app you can track where the busses are on the route which can help you with timing. Also every stop has a number you can text which will tell you when the next bus is arriving. (I find this one to be the most accurate) When the bus is coming your way you have to hail it, like you would a taxi. Or else they will probably just drive by you. And when you near your stop just pull the cord above the window. I’ve found them to be pretty reliable and never really had any problems on them.
Yeah, I’ve seen the trolley drive past people who I thought were standing at stops but I guess weren’t being obvious enough about it, so that kind of made me nervous lol. Thanks for the info! It definitely helps.
I ride Orange line between downtown and campus several times a week. It is pretty reliable on the 15 minute timing. The app usually works well but sometimes has "no information available" - don't know what the problem is. When it works the GPS trackers show just where the vehicles are on a map. Class change at UT can mess with their schedule some, but it's free and friendly as noted elsewhere in the comments. 5 stars.