Several years of planning and implementation paid off when the Greensboro (N.C.) Department of Transportation began passenger routes of its new HEAT (Higher Education Area Transit) service in August.

HEAT will serve the Greensboro and Jamestown area’s more than 60,000 students at eight major college and university campuses.

The service is supported primarily by federal and state grants, as well as through a partnership between the Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA), the City of Greensboro and local financially supporting institutions.

Several political and community dignitaries, as well as representatives of the partner institutions, were on hand to launch the service on Aug. 7, including Greensboro’s Mayor Keith Holliday.

Fares to ride HEAT will be $1 per trip, with multi-ride passes also available for purchase. Qualified students of partner institutions will have fare-free access using either their student ID card or a school-issued HEAT fare card on both HEAT and GTA buses.

The express service will operate as late as midnight on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends, and most routes will stop at the J. Douglas Galyon Depot, which connects to GTA, Carolina Trailways, PART Express, Greyhound and Amtrak services.

Customers can also access route maps and schedules at HEAT’s new Website, www.rideheat.com.