To ease congestion around campus, the University is offering students, staff and faculty the U-Pass and Metropass, discounted city bus passes.
The passes cost $50 per semester for students and $35 a month for faculty and staff. They can be purchased online at http://buspass.umn.edu.
About 80,000 people are expected to converge on campus today when fall semester classes begin.
To ease traffic, Metro Transit has also added two new campus routes. Route 101 will link the East Bank with the Quarry, a shopping center in northeast Minneapolis. Route 52R will transport riders between Maplewood and Rosedale malls and campus.
Transportation services also encourages carpooling — the lots charge $1.50 a day.
Commuters driving alone can park in the lots along Huron Boulevard on the East Bank and at the state fairgrounds near the St. Paul campus. The fee is $2.75.

— Compiled from staff reports.