We have several exciting transportation enhancements to share with you.
Campus Express Bus service
To support the high quantity of bus users during peak times, Community Life started a new Campus Express bus service last March. Starting August 15, several new locations/stops have been added to the route.
- Operating Hours: Workdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- The bus circulates every 20 minutes between the Racquet Club, Oasis, ECC1 Daycare, Garden Elementary School, and Building 16
- To use this service, simply wait at the sign-posted Campus Express Bus Stops. Booking is not required.
- For more information, visit KAUST Bus Services
On-Demand Bus service
With the return of summer travelers and opening of schools, requests for the On-Demand Bus have increased which caused a longer-than-expected wait time for some users at peak times. Several service adjustments were made on August 25 to the bus app which are designed to reduce wait times. We continually monitor user statistics for this service and will continue to adjust as needed. If your journey is time sensitive, please book early.
Did you know? The On-Demand Bus service provides as many as 4,500 journeys a day, with an average wait time of under 10 minutes and an average journey time of under 7 minutes.
The On-Demand Bus service will continue to operate 7-days-per-week from 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Booking is required to use this service. Download the app available on Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Learn more about the on-demand bus
Golf Cart Shuttle service
The well-liked golf cart shuttle is back! Park your vehicle in the Discovery Square car park, located across from the KAUST Inn, and jump straight on the shuttle from Shuttle Stop 1. Get dropped off close to a variety of food and retail options in Discovery Square or the Harbor Walk.
- Service is available 7 days per week from 11:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
- For more information, visit KAUST Bus Services
Trial period and feedback
We always appreciate your feedback, especially for this one-month trial period of the updated Campus Express Bus service. Scan the QR code that is available on the bus or share your feedback on the Community Life customer satisfaction page.
Contact us
Learn more about all bus services, or contact Saptco directly for further support at saptco.bus@kaust.edu.sa or 012-808-5222.
Regards,
Nabeel Masoudi
Director, Community Services
Why isn’t the express bus service offered at end of working day i.e. 4.30pm through to 6.30pm? Also why are we not offering a scheduled bus service again? I know that sustainability is very much at the forefront of everybody’s agenda and all I see is the on demand buses running around campus like a taxi service with one person on – the app will not allow you to board a bus if it is just there waiting – for instance outside of building 16 during the day, there are constant pickups, however if a number 5 is waiting for somebody, they will not allow another person to board that bus if they haven’t booked via the on demand app, they then have to wait until their numbered bus turns up – surely this isn’t aligning with sustainability? I understand that during the day between 0900-1200 and then from say 1330-1630 the buses maybe under utilised but during peak times surely there is a demand for a regulated service?
Would it be possible to have a morning bus service to Red Sea Mall or Mall of Arabia once on a weekday, (like it used to be before Covid) – lets say leaving Kaust Monday morning at 8:15 and returning to Kaust around 14:00?
Houses located far from the express bus services will have no choice other than On demand buses!!! sometimes it is hard to find the desired schedule. could it be possible to bring back the color line buses back with 15 minutes schedule?
I am afraid that this campus express service will not be sufficient to alleviate the current problem. The on-demand system went very smoothly – during the period when the demand was low. It is clearly no longer sustainable now because we have resumed in-person classes. I hope that you will reconsider putting back the regular bus schedule (every 15 minutes) during the peak hours (especially during 7:30 am – 10 am; 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm).
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We appreciate it!
With the return of summer travelers and the opening of schools, requests for the On-Demand Bus have increased which caused a longer-than-expected wait time for some users at peak times. We made some immediate tweaks to the service which have already made a positive impact, however as this has not fully remedied the situation, we are also currently considering further changes to the On-Demand and Express Bus services. Please keep your eye on the Lens for any further announcements on this topic in the comping period.
We used to be proud in KAUST of having a functional and reliable bus system. That is no longer the case.
The on-demand system might have worked during COVID restrictions when less people were using it, even though you were using full busses to do a job of a single passenger Uber. However, with the increased number of users it is simply not a reliable option what so ever. I just feel sad for those who have to wait long periods of time in this terrible weather because the bus route keeps changing and trip and wait time become longer.
You claim the average wait time is 10 minutes, well before the on-demand the wait time was 0 minutes if you plan properly. This is not possible when the bus system is not reliable as it has become now.
Many have suggested to have scheduled busses during peak times, and keep the on demand option for off peak times when there is no point of having busses circulating empty.
Even on the sustainability point, I don’t see how the current on demand system is more sustainable since we see multiple busses stopping at the same stops at almost the same time. If there are less trips now it may be because people don’t trust the busses and would rather get their own means of transport.
It would really help to see the average miles the busses run everyday per number of users before and after the on demand system.