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A seat on the Mocs Express, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s shuttle system, is always free.
This fall, students returning to campus will find a streamlined Mocs Express route designed to get them around UTC more quickly and provide convenient access to available parking.
The shuttle system, run in partnership with the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), has been serving UTC for more than a decade and is free to all students, faculty and staff with a Mocs ID. All Mocs Express buses are ADA accessible.
Brandon Meredith, CARTA’s director of communications and external relations and a parent of a recent UTC graduate, acknowledged that students often overlook the service.
“When my daughter started at UTC, she had a bus stop right in front of her house,” Meredith said. “I asked her, ‘Do you ever take the bus?’ She said she had no idea the bus even went there.”
For the 2026-27 academic year, the Mocs Express operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters.
The updated weekday route has fewer stops and a faster route through campus, allowing students to get to their destinations more quickly while maintaining access to key campus destinations.
The changes also make the Mocs Express a convenient option for students looking for parking. The route serves Lot 45, near Engel Stadium, and Lot 70, giving students the option to park and take the shuttle to other areas of campus rather than searching for a closer space.
On Fridays from 6 p.m. to midnight, the Mocs Express operates a special Friday Evening Route that provides students with transportation to dining, shopping and entertainment areas beyond campus.
The route connects campus to Main Street, Central Avenue, Broad Street and other areas, providing transportation to destinations such as Food City, Warehouse Row, STIR, Niedlov’s Bakery and Southside Pizza.
Meredith encouraged students who have never used public transportation to give the Mocs Express a try. He said drivers are happy to help riders who are unfamiliar with the system.
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View the updated Mocs Express route and stops.
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The Mocs Express shuttle connects UTC students to key spots on campus and, with new routes, to popular Chattanooga destinations. Photo by Angela Foster.
The Mocs Express is not the only public transportation option for UTC students. All CARTA buses are free for UTC students with a Mocs ID, giving students another way to travel beyond campus.
“The good thing about UTC is its location in proximity to our routes,” Meredith said. “UTC students are within walking distance from most of our main routes.”
CARTA’s Route 4, for example, stops along McCallie Avenue near campus and connects riders to downtown Chattanooga near the Tennessee Aquarium. Students can also stay on the route to reach Hamilton Place.
Another option is CARTA’s electric North Shore Shuttle, which travels along Market Street and connects riders to restaurants, shops and entertainment on and around the North Shore.
Students unsure of which route to take can use CARTA’s trip planner to enter their starting point and destination and find available transit options.
For students looking to keep track of their ride, Meredith recommended using CARTA’s real-time bus tracker on a mobile device.
“Let’s say someone wanted to track the 14 route Mocs Express bus,” Meredith explained. “They could just put in ‘route 14,’ and that is a real-time bus tracker so they can follow the bus and figure out when it’s going to be at their stop.”
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View the Friday Evening Route.
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Meredith had a word of advice to students who are still nervous about the campus shuttle.
“My recommendation would be just to try it one time,” he said. “I think you’ll find how easy it is. The Mocs Express buses are some of our newest and cleanest buses on the routes. I think if you ride it one time, you’re going to be like, ‘Wow, this is so easy.’”
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