The CatTran will have a new downtown stop starting on May 18, said Bill Davidson, marketing specialist for Parking and Transportation Services.

“”We’re excited because it’s the first time CatTran has had service downtown,”” he said.

The CatTran bus will go to the downtown Ronstadt Transit Center, 215 E. Congress St., with several stops along Fourth Avenue as well. Since the transit center is also a large stop for Sun Tran buses, the goal is for students and faculty to be able to meet up with local and regional buses to get to campus easier, Davidson said.

“”I think (Fourth Avenue stops) will be another big convenience for campus students and employees,”” Davidson said.

He said they are starting the downtown service for the summer so they can work out any kinks and have the route completely ready for when school starts in August. One shuttle will cover the route during the summer months and there will be two shuttles once school starts up.

“”This will be a great addition to our CatTran shuttle system … helping commuters access the campus from the southeast and northwest sections of town. The UA employees are excited to try out the new Free USA route and connect with (Fourth) Avenue shops and the Downtown business district,”” said David Heineking, director of PTS, in a media release.

The first CatTran of the morning is scheduled to leave the Ronstadt Transit Center at 6:44 a.m. The last bus will leave campus at 5:58 in the evening, Davidson said. The shuttles win run every 30 minutes.

“”We have had requests for it and it is something we had talked about in our planning for the future,”” he said. “”There will still be convenience services for people just traveling around campus.””