A shuttle van is seen on the UConn campus in Storrs, Connecticut on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. The new service is available for travel between the UConn and the UConn Health Center in Farmington. (Rebecca Newman/The Daily Campus)
A new shuttle service became available for travel between the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus and the UConn Health Center in Farmington on Tuesday, UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz wrote in UConn Today.
The bus service is intended to make that trip easier for students and employees of the university doing work and study between the two locations. It’s free with a reservation and UConn identification.
“UConn is reviving and revising the shuttle service, which had been provided several years ago, in light of the campuses’ growth and the increasing interdisciplinary collaborations developing between researchers, faculty, and students at Storrs and UConn Health,” Reitz wrote.
A similar program began in Nov. 2011, UConn Today’s Michael Kirk wrote at that time. The bus ran from Nov. 28 that year until May 25, 2012.
“Feedback from riders was positive during the 2012 trial service, but their numbers weren’t large enough to justify the cost at that time,” Reitz said.
This revived program is currently on a trial basis, and its operation will be assessed at the end of the academic year.
“Based on feedback we’ve received from the UConn community, we hope for much larger ridership numbers now – especially since several initiatives are in place now that weren’t as active back in 2012,” Reitz said.
These programs include Bioscience Connecticut, collaborations with Jackson Laboratory and Next Generation Connecticut projects at Storrs, Reitz said.
UConn’s Transportation Services is running the new program, whereas outsider contractor Kelley Transit Company ran the 2011 service. This is expected to lower costs, Reitz said.
“That also gives us the flexibility to use the kind of vehicle that’s most appropriate for the number of riders who’ve reserved on a particular day, rather than always running a larger vehicle,” Reitz said.
The Storrs stop is on Hillside Road in front of the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. Times are available on UConn Today’s website.
Christopher McDermott is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at christopher.mcdermott@uconn.edu.