NightRide shuttle

NightRide shuttle with purple and Dubs design

NightRide shuttles are white and purple ADA accessible shuttle buses with “Transportation Services” on one side and a Dubs image on the other.

Track shuttle locations and see stop and schedule information: East zone shuttles, West zone shuttles.

Mobile app available for iOS and Android.

NightRide provides a fare-free, safe and easy way for Husky Card holders to get home at night.

How it works

NightRide shuttles pick up passengers at one of eight scheduled stops around campus. After the Flagpole stop, the last scheduled stop on campus, shuttles deviate from the fixed route to drop off riders at their requested location within the East or West zone boundaries. To be dropped off in the East zone, riders need to be on an East zone shuttle. Similarly, to be dropped off in the West zone, riders need to be on a West zone shuttle. Riders can transfer from a West zone shuttle to an East zone shuttle or vice versa at the Flagpole stop. Review the Frequently asked questions for more information.

When it operates

Shuttles pick up passengers from 8 p.m. until 1:34 a.m. for the East zone and from 8 p.m. until 1:39 a.m. for the West zone, Monday through Friday (excluding University holidays) during the Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters with extended service running until 3:30 a.m. the week before and the week of finals. Pick up time schedules for both zones are listed below.

Things to note

  • Because the service allows for deviations, it may run behind schedule periodically.
  • Please do not ask the driver to access an area that is challenging to navigate.

Where's my bus?

Get updates via SMS by texting uwbus # to 41411 where # is the stop number. All shuttle schedules have stop numbers listed in the table heading (East zone schedule, West zone schedule).

East zone stop descriptions

Get updates via SMS by texting uwbus # to 41411 where # is the stop number.

  • IMA stop #27: In front of IMA at north end of parking lot near entrance to Montlake Blvd NE.
  • Communications Building stop #26: At METRO stop along E Stevens Way NE near Communications Building.
  • HUB stop #25: At METRO stop along E Stevens Way NE adjacent to HUB at intersection with Jefferson Rd NE.
  • Okanogan Lane stop #28: At METRO stop along W Stevens Way NE east of Okanogan Lane
  • Meany Hall stop #14: At METRO stop along W Stevens Way NE at intersection with Grant Ln.
  • Flagpole stop #22: At Flagpole circle near Parrington Hall.

West zone stop descriptions

Get updates via SMS by texting uwbus # to 41411 where # is the stop number.

  • UW Tower stop #7: West side of 12th Ave NE, halfway between NE 43rd St and NE 45th St.
  • Alder Hall stop #23: METRO Bay 2 stop on NE Campus Pkwy and University Way NE, in front of District Market
  • IMA stop #27: In front of IMA at north end of parking lot near entrance to Montlake Blvd NE.
  • Communications Building stop #26: At METRO stop along E Stevens Way NE near Communications Building.
  • HUB stop #25: At METRO stop along E Stevens Way NE adjacent to HUB at intersection with Jefferson Rd NE.
  • Okanogan Lane stop #28: At METRO stop along W Stevens Way NE east of Okanogan Lane
  • Meany Hall stop #14: At METRO stop along W Stevens Way NE at intersection with Grant Ln.
  • Flagpole stop #22: At Flagpole circle near Parrington Hall.

East zone stops: IMA, Communications Building, the HUB, Okanogan Lane, Meany Hall, Flagpole. Review the East zone schedule information for text descriptions of the stops.

East zone boundary description: The East zone encompasses an area east of 15th Ave NE with a northern border of NE 55th St. Along NE 55th St, the zone continues east until 30th Ave NE. From the 30 Ave NE eastern edge, the zone boundary continues to the south and east along Union Bay Pl NE to NE 45th St where it extends to 36th Ave NE encompassing the Laurel Village housing area. To the south, from 15th Ave NE, the zone continues along NE Boat St and then along San Juan Rd encompassing UWMC and Husky Stadium to the east. Just north of Husky Stadium, the zone continues north with Walla Walla Rd as its eastern edge until intersecting with NE Clark Rd at which point the zone extends to the east to Mary Gates Memorial Dr NE connecting with the Laurel Village housing area.

West zone stops: UW Tower, Alder Hall, IMA, Communications Building, the HUB, Okanogan Lane, Meany Hall. Flagpole. Review the West zone schedule information for text descriptions of the stops.

West zone boundary description: The West zone encompasses an area west of 15th Ave NE with a northern border of NE 55th St. Along NE 55th St, the zone continues west until I-5. I-5 marks the western edge of the zone as it continues to the south with its southwestern corner at I-5 and NE Northlake Way. NE Northlake Way marks the West zone’s southern edge as the zone continues to the south and east along NE Pacific St and NE Boat St until meeting up with NE 15th Ave.

2024-2025 Operating schedule

  • Autumn quarter: September 25 – December 6
    Finals week: Dec. 7-13
  • Winter quarter: January 6 – March 14 
    Finals week: March 15-21
  • Spring quarter: March 31 – June 6
    Finals week: June 7-13
  • Extended Service: Extended service runs until 3:30 a.m. the week before and the week of finals.

Husky SafeTrip (formerly Husky NightWalk) provides a safe vehicle escort at night with a uniformed security guard for students, faculty and staff. Use Husky SafeTrip to safely get from campus to your home, to your car or to another UW building within a designated service area. Call 206-685-9255 to request an escort.

Frequently asked questions

NightRide shuttles are white and purple ADA accessible shuttle buses with "Transportation Services" written on one side and a Dubs image displayed on the other. An SP+ vendor logo is also visible above the front doors.

nightride shuttle bus parked at a stop

Except for the IMA and UW Tower stops, all stops share a King County Metro bus stop, (five of those stops are along Stevens Way), and are designated as NightRide stops by a decal posted on the bus schedule kiosk. The IMA and the UW Tower stops have full signage.

purple sign with white and yellow text for night ride indicating ima stop
NightRide sticker on Metro bus stop indicating the Husky Union Building (HUB) stop

Drivers open the shuttle doors at each stop and scan the area for potential riders before proceeding to the next stop.

For stop descriptions, check out the route schedules for the East zone and West zone. You can also view the Zone map for a visual of the stop locations.

This is called a deviation, a rider's requested drop off location within the zone boundaries (but not along the scheduled route). The service will only drop off at scheduled stops while traveling along the scheduled stops route. However, riders may remain on the bus and request a deviation at the Flagpole stop, the last scheduled stop on campus (East deviations from an East zone shuttle and West deviations from a West zone shuttle).

After the Flagpole stop, East and West zone shuttles continue on to drop off riders in the East and West zones. (See service routes for the East zone and West zone.)

If you want to be dropped off at a scheduled stop in the East zone, you need to be on an East zone shuttle. If you want to be dropped off at a scheduled stop in the West zone, you need to be on a West zone shuttle.

You have two options:

  • Option 1: You could remain on the East zone shuttle and let the driver know you wish to transfer to a West zone shuttle at the Flagpole stop.
  • Option 2: You could exit at any of the six stops in the East zone, and wait for a West zone bus to arrive, in which case there is no need to transfer to another shuttle at the Flagpole stop.

All four NightRide shuttles service the East zone stops. So, if you board a West zone bus, you will get to all East zone stops by staying on board. Depending on where you board, it may mean riding the entire route to get to an East zone stop (for example, if you board at the HUB and want to go to the IMA).

UW Shuttles staff are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 206-685-3146 or at shuttles@uw.edu. During NightRide service hours you can call 206-300-9087 to reach the dispatch center.