Rutgers buses, ranked: While REXL trumps LX, weekend buses flop

Rutgers buses — love them or hate them, we’ve all had our fair share of experiences with them. But when it comes down to it, one big question exists: Which Rutgers bus routes are the best?

I created this tier list to showcase my personal opinions on the Rutgers buses. I will note that it’s hard to have an objective opinion on the bus routes, considering we all live on different campuses and take different classes — so this is all based on my personal experience with each route.

The F bus — S tier

As a resident of Douglass campus, I’ll admit I’m probably a bit biased toward the F bus. Most of my classes are on the College Avenue campus, so I’m on the F all the time. It’s reliable, gets me where I need to go and stops at every bus stop on both campuses (except for downtown). For me personally, the F is my most used bus and the most efficient bus, earning it a spot in the S tier.

The EE — A tier

The EE bus has almost the same route as its slightly speedier twin, the F. This is the bus to take if you need to get to downtown New Brunswick, which can be really helpful. But, because this is the only bus that stops downtown, it gets crowded way faster than the F. Still, I take the EE all the time, and it’s been reliable, granting it a place in the A tier.

The REXL — B tier

It’s nice having the REXL as a way to get between Livingston campus and Cook and Douglass campuses, but the downside is that it doesn’t stop at all the usual Cook and Douglass campuses' bus stops.

I get that the “EX” part of REXL stands for express, but it can still be a bit frustrating to have to walk all the way to a bus stop you don’t usually take or transfer buses at a stop the REXL goes to. But still, it’s pretty efficient and usually not that crowded, making it deserve its place in the B tier.

The REXB — B tier

The REXB is pretty much the same deal as the REXL — the REXB gets you from Cook and Douglass campuses to Busch campus, but it doesn’t stop at all of the bus stops. I go to Busch campus a lot less often than any other campus, so I’ve only taken the REXB once or twice, but those have been fine experiences. It's the same with the REXL: I’ve never seen the REXB get overly crowded, which is nice. This bus also ends up in the B tier.

The A and the H — B tier

I have a confession: I still don’t fully understand the difference between the A and the H buses. I’m ranking them together because, in my experience, they serve the same purpose since I’m not really on Busch campus often enough that the variation in route makes a difference. But the times I have taken them have been pretty chill, uneventful rides, earning these routes a place in the B tier.

The B — B tier

I’ve only taken the B once, but it seems like a pretty good, reliable route. Plus, because the distance between Busch campus and Livingston campus is so small, I think this is the fastest route — or at least one of the fastest. Again, my lack of experience with the B limits my rating ability, but I’d say it belongs in the B tier.

The LX — C tier

I have to be honest — I was afraid to take the LX for the first time, given everything I’ve heard about it from the moment I arrived at Rutgers. There have been so many stories about how it’s always completely packed, and impossible to get on.

The few times I’ve taken the LX haven’t been too bad, but during peak class times, it’s not uncommon to see the LX pull up to the bus stop already crowded with people. A lot of people might disagree with me on this one, but I’d say the general frustration associated with this bus earns it a place in the C tier.

The Weekend 1 and 2 — D tier

Let me start off by saying I am super grateful that buses do still run on the weekend, but the weekend buses at Rutgers can be incredibly frustrating. Because they run through the entire school, if you get on the wrong bus, you end up sitting on the bus for an hour waiting to get back to your stop.

And because the routes take that long, if you miss the bus you meant to get on, you’ll probably end up stuck at the bus stop for an extra 45 minutes. All of this difficulty earns the weekend buses a place in the D tier.

The C — ??? tier

This is 1 of 2 bus routes that I’ve never taken before, so it’s hard for me to provide an actual ranking. It does seem nice that there’s a bus specifically for commuters, but I don’t know if it’s actually that helpful or efficient. I hope it is, but since I’m not really sure, I have to put the C in my mystery tier.

The B/He — ??? tier

I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know this route existed until I was waiting for the bus on Livingston campus one day. I’ve taken the B, but never the B/He. I’m not actually sure if there’s that much of a difference between the two, but I figured I’d include this one since it technically has a different name than the B. Still, because I have no actual experience with the B/He, I have to put it in my mystery tier.

That’s my official tier ranking of all of the Rutgers buses! Again — this is all subjective. If the LX is your favorite bus, that’s totally cool. If you do have a strong opinion on how the buses should be ranked and want to make a tier list of your own, you can create your own with my template.