A new Weekend Circulator bus service will connect the University of Minnesota’s East Bank and West Bank starting Friday.

It will run every half hour from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The route was created as a part of the University’s new four-part initiative to improve campus safety.

“It was a priority of the University to address safety and security concerns,” University spokesman Matt Hodson said. “This needs to happen, so it will.”

The new route will cost the University about $125,000 for the spring semester, he said, and the money will be reallocated from other areas in Parking and Transportation Services.

“We really think it will be a good thing,” PTS spokeswoman Jaqueline Brudlos said.

For more information on the new route, visit the University’s Parking and Transportation Services website. Maps and other resources are available.