From buses to bikes: A guide to getting around Miami

Mentally and emotionally navigating college can be difficult for any student, especially if it's their first year, so geographically navigating the campus shouldn’t be hard. Luckily for Miami University students, both the university and the city of Oxford provide resources to get them where they need to go.

BCRTA Buses

Miami works with the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) to provide free transportation around campus, off-campus and to the Hamilton and Middletown campuses.

The buses run Sunday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

BCRTA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and offers free services to Miami students and employees as long as the appropriate forms are completed and filed with the transit authority.

BCRTA also provides services during late-night hours to students and employees. During the fall and spring semesters, these services are offered Monday through Saturday, from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., and Sunday, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Miami students and employees can track the buses to see when they arrive at their stop by downloading the Buztrakr app or transit.

Cars

For students who don’t prefer public transportation, Miami does allow some cars on campus. First-year students, however, are prohibited from having a car on campus unless their home address is more than 200 miles from the university or they fill out the need request form.

Upperclass students living on campus can purchase a yellow parking pass, allowing them to park in the Chestnut Fields and Millet lots, the Ditmer and Millet lots or just the Millet lot. The yellow permits also allow parking throughout campus after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.

Both the city of Oxford and Miami use parking meters as well, and parking is free after 8 p.m. Uptown. For a complete list of parking areas, visit Miami Parking and Transportation.

E-Scooters

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Students will find Bird and Lime scooters littering the sidewalks on and off campus. The electric scooters are available for anyone and do not have a cost associated with them.

Bird scooters cost $1 to unlock and cost about 20 cents per minute. Lime scooters cost $1 to unlock and cost about 15 cents per minute.

Although both types of scooters can be found around Oxford, Miami has its own policy surrounding e-scooters, which aren’t allowed in university buildings.

Bikes

For students who don’t prefer electronic transportation, Miami allows students and faculty to ride bikes in any roadway or area where motorized vehicle operation is permitted. There are bike racks at all the dorms on campus and almost all academic buildings. The university also maintains a bike trail at Peffer Park, five minutes from the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum.

The city of Oxford also has four multimodal paths where students can enjoy biking, but the city does not allow bicycles on the sidewalks Uptown or on other campus trails.

Walk

If none of the above options are satisfactory transportation options, then the best bet is to walk.

While the university can seem big and overwhelming at times, the campus and Uptown are extremely walkable.

A walk from the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum on the south of campus to Yager Stadium on the north of campus takes about 33 minutes. To walk from the Miami University Equestrian Center on the east of campus to McGuffey Hall on the west of campus takes about 24 minutes.

Miami has sidewalks on every street and crosswalks at every intersection, and the best part for every college student? Walking is free!

@alicemomany

momanyaj@miamoh.edu