With a new school year approaching, students and residents of Boone can expect changes to some AppalCart routes, eliminating worries about late-night rides.

Some of these variations are extensions, which include the Pink and Orange Routes, so students who get out of class at 6 p.m. do not have to wait 30 or 40 minutes for their bus, said director of AppalCart, Craig Hughes.

The Purple Route is extending service from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., benefiting those who live at the Village of Meadowview.

“They were getting out at 6 p.m. or a little bit after and having to take Express, which runs every 30 minutes, but would sometimes get behind,” Hughes said. “We made it more convenient to get home and take some pressure off Express.”

Then Express Route will serve Village of Meadowview residents until 10 p.m.

Night Owl Service is AppalCart’s newest “big announcement,” Hughes said. 

The Night Owl routes include four routes running on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. On Thursday and Friday, the routes start at 10 p.m. and run until 2:30 a.m. On Saturday, they start at 6 p.m. and run until 2:30 a.m. 

Two of the Night Owl buses run on the Gold Route, Hughes said. The other two buses run on the Orange Route and the Express Route.

Sophomore special education major Katie Stauffer is excited for the Night Owl buses.

“I think this is nice because having to pay for a beeper adds up after a while,” Stauffer said.

Sophomore public health major Selina Quinones said she feels like the routes are a safer option than beeping.

“We want to make sure that we are hitting most of the apartment complexes on the east side of town. We had to modify the Orange to do that,” Hughes said. “Then the Express Route, it won’t go up to college of health sciences at night, but it will serve Walmart and the Village of Meadowview.”

The Wellness District Route now runs every 15 minutes as opposed to every 10 minutes. 

The State Farm Route will no longer stop at Appalachian Heights Now, just the Blue Route stops at Appalachian Heights until the Gold Route starts at 6:05 p.m.

AppalCart will close, along with classes, on Tuesday, Aug. 27, for the Black and Gold Convocation, Hughes said.