KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Students with families hours away, across the state, don't need to spend the Thanksgiving holiday alone at the University of Tennessee.
Every long holiday, such as the Thanksgiving break and winter break, UT offers an initiative that helps make sure students have safe and affordable transportation to get back home. The UT to West TN initiative costs $55 and left campus Wednesday morning.
Students can choose to either ride the bus round-trip or one-way — the fee is the same either way. It's set to return on Nov. 26, before classes start on Monday. Students can usually register online for a ride, and registration opens closer to long holidays.
After registering for a ride, students are emailed additional information about how to safely travel and how to make sure they get on the bus to return to UT. This year, the bus stopped in Jackson, Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville during the Thanksgiving holiday.
"I feel like it wouldn't have been possible for me to go back home, because of traffic. It's a real hassle for my family, since they have a lot of people to account for, just knowing the school cares about me is really important to me," said Trinity Cannon, a freshman at UT.
Students with questions about the initiative can send questions to dez@utk.edu.