ASUM Transportation History

ASUM Transportation was started in 1999, when students became frustrated with the limited transportation options on campus. The students voted to enact a fee that would fund a bus service. Although it started out with a 15-passenger van, the ridership was overwhelming and the van wasn't sufficient. Buses were soon integrated, and today our fleet consists of nine buses and four fixed routes.

Our History

1999: ASUM Transportation, after students expressed frustration with the limited campus transportation options, was born with a 15 passenger van shuttling students back and forth from the unpaved parking lot at Dornblaser field! 2000: The ridership demand quickly outpaced the 15-passenger van, so the Office of Transportation purchased a used bus from Mountain Line and provided over 14,000 rides to UM Students! Started the bike loan program, known once upon a time as the Cruise Co-op!
2002: Began using bio-diesel in our buses and increased Park N' Ride ridership to over 400 rides per day. 2003: Started the late-night bus service, known as UDASH for the route it served: University, Downtown, Arthur, South, and Higgins! 2004: Student fee increased from original $4/semester to $9.
2005: Began operating the well-loved football shuttle on game days. 2010: New bus garage built on campus to house 7 buses. 2011: Established a service where students could text a number to know when their bus was coming! 2012: Over 450,000 rides provided by ASUM Transportation!
2014: Clean(er) new diesel bus purchased, old bus demolished, installation of bike vending machine! 2015: Purple Line added to ASUM Transportation Routes!
206: Two new electric buses are purchased through a combination of federal grants, Montana Department of Environmental Quality grants and other funding!
2017: Electric Bus charger is installed at Transportation Hub outside the Music Building! 2019: Bike rental program is revived after a multi-year hiatus.
2020: Provided COVID transport and On-Demand rides. 2021: Started the summer River Shuttle! received delivery of three more electric buses, for a total of 5 electric vehicles. Over 50% of the fleet is now electric!
2022: Transit app is adopted by UDASH 2023: Gold Line is brought back for the first time since COVID, and Green and Purple line services are expanded! ASUM Transportation will continue to be dedicated to our mission statement: to promote and provide ethical and sustainable transportation options for the campus community!
The history of ASUM Transportation.

Launch UM virtual tour.