UGA Off-Campus Housing Bus Routes: 10 Athens Apartments for Living Car-Free

The best UGA off-campus housing bus routes for living car-free are the UGA Campus Transit M (Milledge) and V (Vet Med) lines plus Athens-Clarke County Transit Routes 5, 14 and 27, and both systems cost you nothing to ride. Below are 10 Athens apartments and houses we list that sit on those lines, from a Milledge Avenue house at a Campus Transit stop to an Eastside complex where the V line now stops at the corner. Every price comes from the live Find My Place listings, checked October 23, 2026.

Full disclosure: these are all places we list as UGA off-campus housing, and the route data comes straight from the UGA Transportation and Parking Services route pages and the Athens-Clarke County Transit system map.

Key Takeaways

• Free, both of them. ACC Transit is fare-free for everyone, and UGA Campus Transit is "fare free and open to the public," per UGA Transportation and Parking Services.
• The M and MN lines cover Milledge Avenue, and on Thursday through Saturday the MN runs until 3:00 a.m.
• Watch out for Route 14 (Lumpkin / S Milledge): it runs weekdays only, roughly every 30 minutes, with no weekend buses at all.
• Since the June 4, 2026 changes, the V line runs down College Station Road to Green Acres, with stops at International Drive, Kroger and Barnett Shoals Road.
• Cheapest bus-served pick on this list: Arches on the Lake, where a 4x2 lists from $555 (the rent-by-bedroom curve points to per-bed pricing).
• Off-campus Campus Transit stops are on demand (signal the driver or the bus keeps rolling).

How UGA Off-Campus Housing Bus Routes Work in Athens

Two separate bus systems overlap around campus. You can ride both without a pass.

UGA Campus Transit runs 15 fall and spring routes, from the A (Central East) to the W (West Campus). Three night routes (CN, DN and MN) take over after daytime service ends. On weekends there's the Weekender, which runs 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, and a Weekender East pilot that started August 22, 2026.

ACC Transit is the city system: 18 numbered routes leaving from the Multimodal Transportation Center downtown. The January 12, 2026 timetable runs Monday through Friday from 6:15 a.m. to about 9:45 p.m., and weekends from 7:15 a.m. to about 7:15 p.m. Not every route runs nights or weekends, though, and that one detail decides which apartments actually work without a car.

Our rule of thumb, the FMP Last-Bus Rule: before you sign, look up the last bus from your stop on the night you'd most likely need it. If it leaves before your latest lab or shift ends, you need a backup plan.

1. The Mark Athens (Downtown): Best if You Want to Skip the Bus Entirely

The Mark is the "you won't need a bus" pick. It sits at 130 Hickory St., 0.3 miles from UGA according to the listing. Its rent falls as bedroom count rises, from $1,883 for the studio down to $1,227 for a 5x5, which only makes sense as per-bed pricing. So figure on about $1,227 per bed at the low end.

Five reviews average a 4.2. You pay a premium for the walk, but you also never stand at a stop in the rain. See The Mark Athens floor plans.

2. The Flats at Carrs Hill (Oconee Street): Best for Walk-Plus-Bus Flexibility

The Flats at Carrs Hill, at 592 Oconee St., is a half mile from UGA per its listing, so most days you'll just walk. On bad-weather days, ACC Routes 25 and 27 both serve the Oconee Street Park and Ride, and the UGA L line starts its southbound run at Spring Street and Thomas Street on the east edge of downtown.

Floor plans list from $1,389 for a 3x3. The plans are labeled "Whole Unit" and there are only four of them, so ask the leasing office whether that number is per bed. It probably is. The Flats at Carrs Hill on Find My Place.

3. 595 Waddell St (Milledge Avenue): Best Bus Stop Location on This List

This house is the one we'd pick for car-free living. Campus Transit has a stop called "Milledge Ave at Waddell St," served northbound by both the M (Milledge) and the MN (Milledge Night). The M runs 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, about every 12.5 minutes midday. After that the MN takes over until 1:00 a.m. Monday through Wednesday and 3:00 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

A 3-bedroom lists at $2,445 a month and a 4-bedroom at $3,260. Rent rises with bedrooms here, so that's whole-house rent: about $815 each split three ways. 595 Waddell St listing.

4. 1095 W Hancock Ave (Normaltown Side): Best for Health Sciences Students

If your classes are on the Health Sciences Campus, look here first. The UGA H (Health Science) line runs Prince Avenue at Nacoochee Avenue from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, every 15 minutes most of the day, and the MN covers the same stretch at night. ACC Route 6 (Hancock / Baxter) also passes Hancock and Milledge on its way out of downtown, about once an hour.

The listing shows a 4-bedroom, 1-bath house at $3,500 a month. If that's the whole-house rent (likely, for a house), it works out to $875 each. One bathroom for four people, though. Think about that one. 1095 W Hancock Ave on Find My Place.

5. Baxter Street Lofts (Baxter Street): Best One-Bedroom on a 30-Minute Route

Baxter Street Lofts, at 1075 Baxter St, is 1.7 miles from UGA per the listing, which is too far to walk every day. ACC Route 5 (Beechwood / Baxter) covers the corridor between UGA's Hill dorms and Beechwood, with a Baxter and Milledge timepoint. Buses come roughly every 30 minutes on weekday daytimes and about hourly on evenings and weekends.

One-bedrooms list from $1,295. Five reviews average 4.0, and one reviewer gave it a 3.0, so read those before touring. Baxter Street Lofts details.

6. University Garden (Baxter Drive): Cheapest Solo Apartment on the Baxter Corridor

Want to live alone on a budget? University Garden, at 189 Baxter Dr, lists a 1-bedroom from $818 a month, the lowest price for a solo apartment in this guide. It's 1.8 miles from UGA per its listing, on the same west-side stretch Route 5 serves.

Five reviews average 4.2. One quirk: the $818 plan is named "Studio" but listed as one bedroom, so confirm the layout before you sign. University Garden on Find My Place.

7. University Oaks (West Broad Street): Best Price West of Campus

University Oaks sits at 2360 W Broad St, 2.3 miles from UGA per the listing. ACC Route 6 runs West Broad with timepoints at Broad and Hawthorne and at Alps and Broad. It's about hourly, so this one only works if you plan your day around the schedule.

Floor plans list from $671 (a 4x2). The prices run close together across 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms, which means you can't tell from the data alone whether you're paying per bed or per unit. Ask the leasing office. University Oaks listing.

8. Arches on the Lake (Lakeside Drive): Cheapest Bus-Served Rent Near UGA

Arches on the Lake is the price play. A 4x2 lists from $555, a 2x1 from $714, and since rent drops as bedrooms go up, read those as per-bed prices. It's at 1000 Lakeside Drive, 2.9 miles from UGA per its listing.

ACC Route 14 (Lumpkin / S Milledge) runs from the UGA Arch to Lakeside Drive about every 30 minutes on weekdays. No weekends, though. The UGA R (Riverbend) line also stops along Lakeside Drive until 9:00 p.m. on weekdays. Saturday grocery runs take planning. Arches on the Lake on Find My Place.

9. Polo Club Athens (International Drive): Best Eastside Complex for the V Line

Polo Club Athens, at 110 International Drive, got a big upgrade this year. Since the June 4, 2026 Campus Transit changes, the V (Vet Med) line has a northbound stop at College Station Road and International Drive. The V runs every 15 minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays. ACC Route 25 also has an inbound timepoint at College Station and International Drive, about hourly.

A 2x2 lists from $875, a 3x3 from $745 and a 4x4 from $690. The cheapest price drops as bedrooms go up, which points to per-bed pricing. It's 2.8 miles from UGA per its listing. Polo Club Athens floor plans.

10. Clearwater Creek (Barnett Shoals Road): Best Eastside Option for a Group of Four

Clearwater Creek, at 1220 Barnett Shoals Road, lists a 4-bedroom, 1-bath unit at $2,400 a month, 2.3 miles from UGA per its listing. If that's the whole-unit rent, it comes to $600 each for four friends. Confirm it with the landlord, since there's only one floor plan to compare.

ACC Route 27 (Barnett Shoals / Cedar Shoals) runs this road to the UGA Main Library and downtown, every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly after 7:15 p.m. and on weekends. The V line now stops on Barnett Shoals at Forest Road, Access Road and Green Acres too. Clearwater Creek on Find My Place.

Picking a UGA Bus Route Before You Pick an Apartment

Choose the route first. Then shop the apartments on it.

If you have late classes or a night job, stick to the Milledge corridor, because the MN is the only route on this list that runs past midnight. For cheap rent and a weekday-only schedule, the Eastside along the V line and Routes 25 and 27 is hard to beat. Lakeside Drive is cheaper still, but Route 14 skips weekends. Is that a dealbreaker? Probably not, if you bike.

Detours happen often. UGA posted roughly 20 detour or suspension notices in 2026 alone, including a Milledge Extension closure that cut Campus Housing stops in August. Track buses live at uga.passiogo.com. For neighborhood-level rent numbers, see our breakdown of UGA off-campus housing cost by neighborhood, or browse every student apartment in Athens, GA.

Frequently Asked Questions About UGA Off-Campus Housing Bus Routes

Is the Athens bus free for UGA students?

Yes, for everyone. The ACC Transit system map reads "ACC Transit is fare free," so you don't need to show a student ID. UGA Campus Transit is fare-free and open to the public as well.

How late does the UGA bus run on Milledge Avenue?

Until 3:00 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, on the MN (Milledge Night), and until 1:00 a.m. Monday through Wednesday. The MN covers Milledge Avenue, Prince Avenue and the Health Sciences Campus, plus downtown and main campus stops.

Do Athens city buses run on weekends?

Some do. Weekend ACC service runs from about 7:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m., but Route 14 (Lumpkin / S Milledge) runs weekdays only. Check your specific route's timetable before you sign a lease that depends on it.

Do I have to wave down a UGA bus off campus?

Yep. Campus Transit's route pages say off-campus stops are made on demand, so signal the driver when you see the bus coming. Push the stop request when you're getting off.