Moving to Gainesville

A helpful guide for a smooth transition to the City of Gainesville

Bus

Gainesville's bus system is called RTS (Regional Transit System). The live bus tracker shows you where all RTS buses are in real-time.

You can download the Rider app to track buses on-the-go or download the Transloc app to use Gainesville's Last-Mile, First-Mile service, a shuttle that transports you from your home to the bus stop when it's further away.

You can get information about fares and passes here. Free bus fare with ID applies to: Students, faculty and staff at the University of Florida & Santa Fe, employees at Shands, employees at City of Gainesville and GRU.

Parking

Learn about Gainesville parking options on their website. Buy a parking permit for a downtown garage here. Find out about neighborhood parking decals here.

Scooters

Scooters are popular around UF campus and downtown Gainesville. Purchase a city parking decal to park your scooter in residential zones. Consider taking a scooter safety course and ride safe!

Biking

Biking is very popular in Gainesville. In fact, Gainesville is a silver-level "Bicycle Friendly Community".

Check out the city's Bicycle/Pedestrian Programs and look at a map of Gainesville's bicycle facilities.

Learn how to put your bike on an RTS bus.

To protect your bike, register it with the Gainesville Police Department.

Utilities

If you live within the red boundary, your utility provider is Gainesville Regional Utilities, known as GRU. You can click here to start your service. You can pay your bill online or by using the city's mobile app, myGNV.

Learn how to conserve energy or sign up for an energy tune-up with the Community Weatherization Coalition.

Check out Gainesville Green to view energy usage in Gainesville

Garbage & Recycling

This map shows the trash pickup days for the city. You can also find out more about curbside pickup here.

Check out the Recycling Guide to see what can be recycled in Gainesville.

Bring your used goods to The Repurpose Project a non-profit community effort to keep waste out of landfills. You can buy anything used from craft supplies to furniture at their store.

Local News

The local newspapers in Gainesville are The Gainesville Sun, Alachua County Today and The Independent Alligator.

The City of Gainesville's broadcast station to inform and engage Gainesville Citizens is Community TV12 on Cox channel 12. You can check the program listings or use live web streaming.

Find TV channel listings on The Gainesville Sun website.

Find your new favorite Gainesville radio stations.

Public School

Get information about enrolling your child in Alachua County Public Schools by clicking here.

Santa Fe

Santa Fe is Gainesville's community college, serving 21,435 students. You can find out more about Santa Fe here. Check out our "student guide" to find relevant information for students in Gainesville.

University of Florida

Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, the #7 public school in the nation with 54,000 students. You can find out more about UF by visiting the UF website. Check out our "student guide" to find relevant information for students in Gainesville.

Driver's License

Easily update your address on your driver's license by clicking here. If you'd like to visit the DMV in-person, you can find a location here. Need to get a Florida driver license? Click here.

Voter's Registration

Register to vote or update your registration in Alachua County by clicking here.
Visit the Vote Alachua website for information about polling locations and upcoming elections.

Important Buildings

Find the Alachua County Administration Building and Gainesville City Hall.