KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Rocky Top will be rocking once again this month as students flood into their new homes for the upcoming semester.
Students began moving onto the University of Tennessee campus over the weekend and some school leaders, such as Chancellor Donde Plowman, were ready to greet new and returning students.
Classes are set to begin on Aug. 19, with Knoxville Area Transit offering new transportation options to all staff and students starting Monday. Students can ride all KAT buses for free using their school ID, otherwise known as a "Vol Card." Staff and faculty can also ride for free if they're traveling to and from campus.
Another option is the newly offered "Park and Ride" permit. Anyone with this permit can park in a lot at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum and a UT shuttle will run every 10 minutes to bring students to campus. This program costs $99 a year.
The parking lot at the coliseum is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the weekdays, with more than 1,500 unused parking spots. More than half of those spots will be available to UT students.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said this is a "win-win" for the university, Knoxville and KAT.