Getting Around Austin
Capital Metro
The bus service that serves the Austin area. Almost all areas are accessible by a Capital Metro bus. UT students ride for free! Just scan your UT ID. Most buses stop running around 10-11 PM.
The E-Bus picks up at either West Campus, 21st St. (outside of Dobie, Jester, and San Jac), or Riverside and takes students straight to 6th street. That bus runs until about 3 AM.
The UT shuttles, while operated by Capital Metro, are burnt orange and free to everyone. The 40 acres route goes all around campus, and their are several other shuttles that service popular student-living areas, such as the West Campus route. These are great for getting across campus fast.
To plan your trip around Austin, check out their trip planner.
Uber and Lyft UPDATE: UBER AND LYFT ARE BACK IN AUSTIN!
Both apps are similar and simple to use. Just choose where you want to go and someone will pick you up! Drivers do go through a background check, so they should be okay. Yes, you will run into some weird ones, but this is Austin after all. It's a safe, guaranteed ride home! Way more reliable than taxis!
My preference: Lyft all the way!!! I've never had a bad experience with Lyft. My drivers have all been awesome and we've had great conversations on the way. One person even had an arcade in the back seat! Lyft interviews their drivers before they hire them, whereas Uber does not...
Learn more: Uber or Lyft
Taxi
Unfortunately, taxis in Austin have gained a reputation of being extremely unreliable. Unless you are somewhere popular where you can hail a cab easily (I've never had a problem using cabs to get home from downtown), I would not recommend arranging a ride ahead of time with them. I have had friends wait over an hour for their cab to pick them up (just check out the reviews online for an idea of how bad it is). If you can hail a cab, good! If not, call an Uber or a Lyft.
The bus service that serves the Austin area. Almost all areas are accessible by a Capital Metro bus. UT students ride for free! Just scan your UT ID. Most buses stop running around 10-11 PM.
The E-Bus picks up at either West Campus, 21st St. (outside of Dobie, Jester, and San Jac), or Riverside and takes students straight to 6th street. That bus runs until about 3 AM.
The UT shuttles, while operated by Capital Metro, are burnt orange and free to everyone. The 40 acres route goes all around campus, and their are several other shuttles that service popular student-living areas, such as the West Campus route. These are great for getting across campus fast.
To plan your trip around Austin, check out their trip planner.
Uber and Lyft UPDATE: UBER AND LYFT ARE BACK IN AUSTIN!
Both apps are similar and simple to use. Just choose where you want to go and someone will pick you up! Drivers do go through a background check, so they should be okay. Yes, you will run into some weird ones, but this is Austin after all. It's a safe, guaranteed ride home! Way more reliable than taxis!
My preference: Lyft all the way!!! I've never had a bad experience with Lyft. My drivers have all been awesome and we've had great conversations on the way. One person even had an arcade in the back seat! Lyft interviews their drivers before they hire them, whereas Uber does not...
Learn more: Uber or Lyft
Taxi
Unfortunately, taxis in Austin have gained a reputation of being extremely unreliable. Unless you are somewhere popular where you can hail a cab easily (I've never had a problem using cabs to get home from downtown), I would not recommend arranging a ride ahead of time with them. I have had friends wait over an hour for their cab to pick them up (just check out the reviews online for an idea of how bad it is). If you can hail a cab, good! If not, call an Uber or a Lyft.