SMU Express Shuttles FAQs
SMU Express Shuttle Service - Red and Blue Routes
Q. What is the SMU Express shuttle service?
A. SMU partners with DART to provide a convenient campus shuttle service for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Q. Where can I find the new SMU Express Blue Route shuttle route and map?
A. The SMU Express Blue Route map and schedule are posted online.
Q. What is the new Blue Route of the SMU Express shuttle service and its operating hours?
A. The SMU Express Blue Route offers complimentary transportation around the SMU main and East campuses for SMU faculty, staff, students and guests. The new Blue Route significantly increases the number of stops on the main SMU campus while also serving additional parking areas on the East campus. The shuttle operates in a clockwise loop, originating on Dyer Street on the East Campus and encircling the Main Campus every half hour from 5:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The service does not operate on official University holidays. Check the schedule for more information.
Q. What is the Red Route of the SMU Express shuttle service?
A. The SMU Express Red Route offers complimentary service for SMU faculty, staff, students and guests and provides regular service between the SMU main and East campuses, DART’s SMU/Mockingbird Station and the surrounding neighborhood along Greenville Avenue to Southwestern and Amesbury.
Q. Where can I find the new SMU Express Red Route shuttle route and map, and what are the operating hours?
A. The SMU Express Red Route map and schedule are posted online. The SMU Express Red Route will run approximately every 20 minutes between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Check the schedule for weekend and holiday hours.
NEW: Shuttle Tracker (TransLoc Mobile App)
Q. Can I track the real-time location of the SMU Express shuttles?
A. Yes. A free mobile app is available in the App Store and Google Play. Find the TransLoc app, download it to your device, and select “Southern Methodist University” to see the routes and locations of the shuttles.
You can also scan this QR code to access the mobile app:
Q. Is there a website that shows the location of the SMU Express shuttles and shuttle routes?
A. Yes. In addition to the TransLoc app, you can view route maps and the real-time locations of the shuttles from your desktop computer on this website.
Q. Will the app notify you if there are any changes to the shuttle schedule or other services that might impact travel?
A. Yes. The new app will send you push notifications to keep you updated on shuttle service changes and other related announcements. You can easily manage your notification preferences in the app’s settings.
Q. What SMU Express routes should I take to travel between the main and East campuses?
A. Both the Blue and Red routes connect the main and East campuses and stop at different locations at various times throughout the day and evening hours. Check the route maps schedules for more information.
Q. Will I need a DART Go Pass to ride the SMU Express shuttle?
A. No. The service is free.
Q. In addition to the SMU Express shuttle, what other transportation options are available?
A. SMU participates in a DART Higher Education Pass Program and all currently enrolled students are eligible to receive an annual DART transit pass through the Parking and ID Card Services Office. With a DART GoPass transit pass, riders are able to commute to campus by bus and rail with public transportation that is reliable and economical. Use your DART GoPass for your daily commute and forget the traffic hassles and the fuel and parking costs.
The University will subsidize the cost of a DART local or regional pass by $400 on a prorated basis for employees who do not have an SMU parking permit. To help further offset the cost of DART transit passes, benefits-eligible SMU employees may choose to pay for their annual DART transit pass through payroll deduction on a pre-tax basis. Current full-time, benefits-eligible SMU employees can request their annual GoPass Phone App.
More information about the DART GoPass transit pass is available online.
Additional transportation alternatives can be reviewed on the Parking and ID Services website.
Q. I use the University’s Zipcar program. Where do I park?
A. ZipCar locations on campus can be viewed online.
NEW: Parking Gate Access and TollTag Information
Q. How do I access the gate at my assigned parking center or lot?
A. You will need to have a valid virtual SMU parking permit and use your SMU ID card or registered TollTag to enter the parking areas. Enroll your TollTag for hands-free access to the gated parking lots and centers on campus. Your TollTag will not be charged - the information is used only to identify your vehicle when you approach the gate. You must still have a valid SMU ID card and a current SMU virtual parking permit to register and use your TollTag for parking access.
For those drivers who do not enroll their TollTag, please keep your SMU ID card with you. You will need it to enter and exit the parking centers and lots on campus.
TollTags from Dallas or Houston are supported (with prefixes DNT, DFW, or HOU).
To present your ID card to the gate access reader, hold your card flat against the face of the reader and hold it still for two to three seconds. The reader will beep once, letting you know the card was detected, then either give you a red light (access denied) or alternating green/red light (access granted) and the gate will open.
Q. Why is the parking access gat to the Airline Parking Center open in the early morning hours? Why is there no parking access gate to the Daniel Parking Center?
A. The City of University Park asked that we keep the access gate to the Airline Parking Center open until 9 a.m. weekdays so it does not interrupt traffic patterns on Airlie Road or Daniel Ave. There is no access gate to the Daniel Parking Center due to the disruption it might cause to traffic flow on Daniel Ave.