Getting to Campus

Public Transit

Section Contents

Ride the Bus, Train or Paratransit

Taking the bus, train and paratransit is FREE, convenient, sustainable and available to Vanderbilt faculty, staff and students. Just plan, scan and ride!

Vanderbilt’s public transit benefit provides all full- and part-time Vanderbilt University students, faculty, staff and postdocs with free access to WeGo Public Transit local buses and regional buses, the WeGo Star commuter rail train, and WeGo Access paratransit services with their Vanderbilt-registered QuickTicket app or card. This service is available for any place and time, not only when commuting to and from campus.

Your Vanderbilt-registered QuickTicket app can take you where you want to go…with WeGo!

*Registration codes sent July 2024 have expired. Please email MoveVU@vanderbilt.edu to request a new QuickTicket registration code.*

Why take public transit?

  • FREE for VU community members. Less costly and more reliable than ridehail. Daily Parking Program participants earn a $1.00 sustainable commute incentive when they use this mode.
  • CONVENIENT bus lines near campus to popular and practical destinations. Great alternative if you don’t have access to your own vehicle. Travel without the hassle of finding parking!
  • SUSTAINABLE way to move around the city that is in line with Vanderbilt’s value of sustainability. Riding the bus leads to reduced carbon emissions, air pollution and traffic congestion and increased fuel efficiency (APTA estimates that public transit saves 4.2 billion gallons of gas in the US alone each year).
  • AVAILABLE TO ALL including students, faculty, staff and postdocs, whether full-time or part-time.

QuickTicket registration

The university is transitioning from using Commodore Cards to the "QuickTicket by WeGo" app or physical QuickTicket card. 

*Registration codes sent July 2024 have expired. Please email MoveVU@vanderbilt.edu to request a new QuickTicket registration code.*

Setting up your free “QuickTicket by WeGo” app account on your phone is easy and will make riding the public transit simpler.

  • You can use the "QuickTicket by WeGo" app (or QuickTicket card) to ride WeGo anytime, anywhere on their buses or trains, after registering your account and activating the Vanderbilt University WeGo Ride program.
  • All users will receive a unique registration code sent to their Vanderbilt email address. This email will come from "QuickTicket by WeGo No Reply noreply-quickticket@nashville.gov."
    • Follow the email instructions for setting up free rides with a registered QuickTicket account.
    • If your registration code has expired or you can't find the email, please email MoveVU@vanderbilt.edu to request a new registration code.
    • Physical Commodore Cards may be used on WeGo until you register your QuickTicket app (or card) or September 1, whichever comes first.

QuickTicket tips

  • Choose the app or card

    You can only register for one option (“QuickTicket by WeGo” app or physical card); app and card accounts are not interchangeable. Users must pick one or the other.

  • Physical QuickTicket cards

    Physical QuickTicket cards will be available in the Card Services office for those who prefer that option. Users will be charged for replacement physical QuickTicket cards.

  • How to verify QuickTicket registration

    To verify completed QuickTicket registration and start riding for free, open the app, select “Manage,” tap “Card History” and you should see both “MobileAppCard” and “WeGo Ride Unlimited.”

    You can also find this information in your account at www.QuickTicketTN.com.

  • Transferring the QuickTicket app to a new phone

    Transferring your QuickTicket account to a new phone is easy and free, find out how on the QuickTicket website.

  • QuickTicket account balances

    A new QuickTicket account should show a $0 balance. You do not need to add credit card information to your account or load funds or passes to your account; Vanderbilt University covers the cost of WeGo rides for full- and part-time faculty, staff and students.

    Existing funds on a QuickTicket account will be frozen until you separate from Vanderbilt university. Your VU registration will prioritize free rides on WeGo services and lock any funds or passes.

  • How to stop e-wallet or ApplePay is activating when scanning the app

    Hold the phone with the app open far away under the card reader on the right as you board the bus, then move it closer for the reader to pick up the QR code before activating ApplePay or your e-wallet. 

  • Changing email accounts

    You can update your QuickTicket account email address anytime. In order to use your account after separating from the university, update your account to your personal email address. 

  • Using QuickTicket after leaving Vanderbilt

    After leaving Vanderbilt, you can load personal funds onto your account and continue to ride WeGo services anytime. 

     

How to ride

Mr. C riding a WeGo bus, pulling the stop cord to get off at the next bus stop.
Mr. C shows you how easy it is to ride WeGo and pull the cord to request the bus to stop.

How to ride

  • Use real-time information from WeGo Public Transit, Google Maps or the Transit app (see tabs below) to help plan your bus or train ride.
  • Register your QuickTicket app or card.
  • WeGo Access and Access on Demand door-to-door paratransit services are available free of charge for full- and part-time VU faculty, staff and students with qualifying long- and short-term, permanent and temporary disabilities. More information on eligibility and scheduling can be found on WeGo's website. 

Real-time Navigation

  • Download the app: Apple iOS | Google Android.
  • Use the “Where to?” search tool to enter your destination.
  • You can change your current location if needed.
  • Select “Leave now” for next available buses or choose “Leave at” or “Arrive by” to see additional options.
  • Review your route options. Click on the bus number to see more. The walking and bus ride travel times will be shown. You can reverse your start and end destinations to plan your return trip too.
  • Choose the route that is best for you and proceed to the bus stop at the appropriate time.

Bus stops and destinations

More than 15 convenient bus stops around campus.

  • Routes 3A and 3B on West End Avenue
  • Route 7 on 21st Avenue
  • Route 75 on 21st/Edgehill Avenue
  • Route 77 on 31st/Blakemore

Popular bus destinations – music venues, museums and more – are just minutes away. Practical places (grocery stores, internships, etc.) are too.

Times from the Ingram Commons factor taking the bus to the closest stop and a walk and may vary due to location and traffic.

  • BNA airport – 20 minutes on Route 18 after a transfer in downtown
  • Downtown (Broadway, Bridgestone Arena, Ryman Auditorium, Frist Art Museum, National Museum of African American Music, TN State Capitol/Legislative Plaza, Ascend Amphitheater, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Country Music Hall of Fame) – 8-11 minutes on Routes 3A, 3B and 7
  • White Bridge Road (Target, Trader Joe's, Richland Creek Greenway) – 30 minutes on Route 3A (10 minutes on the bus)
  • Hillsboro Village (Jeni's Ice Cream, Belcourt Theatre)– 10 minutes on Route 7
  • Green Hills (The Mall at Green Hills, Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Bluebird Cafe)– 14 minutes on Route 7
  • The Gulch – 15 minutes on Route 7
  • Nashville Fairgrounds/GEODIS Park (Nashville SC stadium) – 26 minutes on Route 77
  • One Hundred Oaks – 23 minutes on Route 77

Universities and Colleges:

  • Fisk University – Routes 19, 29 and 75
  • Meharry Medical College – Routes 19, 29 and 75
  • Tennessee State University (TSU) – Route 77
  • TSU Avon Campus –  Routes 3A, 3B, 7 and 50
  • Nashville State Community College, Tennessee College of Applied Technology  – Route 3A