By Steven King

Some students will drive or fly back home for Spring Break, but UK Parking and Transportation Services is offering students the option to sit back and relax during their commute.

Tickets are now available for the Spring Break edition of the Ride Home Express.

The prices range from $49 to $149 depending on the distance from Lexington, UK Parking spokeswoman Chrissie Balding Tune said.

With final destinations including Atlanta, Chicago and Cleveland, the Ride Home Express will have three routes with a total of 15 stops, according to the UK Parking website.

Tune said the locations were selected by collaborating with the Registrar’s office to determine which locations contained the most UK students.

Lance Broeking, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said the Ride Home Express is an initiative designed to provide alternative transportation outside of Lexington while helping solve the scarce parking issue.

“We are realistic about the amount of parking we can build and afford,” Broeking said. “The SB Ride Home Express helps satisfy our initiative for alternative transportation for students.”

Tune said this particular program is not only a viable travel option for students, but also an enjoyable experience.

“We offer free Wi-Fi, and satellite TV on the charter buses, which have plenty of room,” Tune said.

Tune, who has been with UK Parking for seven years, said that UK Parking has studied similar programs at 20 other top universities to determine that offering a Ride Home Express would be beneficial because of the benefits it presented to the other institutions.

Broeking also said the SB Ride Home Express has multiple benefits.

“This program is a way to have reliable transportation that is relatively inexpensive, while letting students ride with other students,” he said.

Samantha McNease, a communications and theater freshman, used the Ride Home Express for Thanksgiving to return home to Hopkinsville, Ky.

“I thought it was really awesome,” McNease said. “The bus driver was really good and I would definitely do it again.”

Broeking said students looking to purchase two-way tickets can purchase tickets online on Parking Account Manager with their LinkBlue ID.

Students seeking a one-way ticket need to go into the UK Parking and Transportation Services office in Parking Structure No. 6 on Press Avenue.

According to the website, space is limited and seats are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information, including a list of fares and individual route maps, visit the UK Parking and Transportation Services website.