As a new semester has begun, the University of Connecticut’s Transportation Services has made changes to bus schedules on campus and in the Windham region.
Changes to bus timings first went into effect in the middle of the Spring 2024 semester, due to “budgetary reasons,” according to a UConn Daily Digest post from February 2024. Transportation Services decided on a 10:30 p.m. stop time for all HuskyGo shuttles. Additionally, the Green shuttle will stop at 5:00 p.m. and the Orange shuttle will stop at 7:00 pm. Of the three Yellow line shuttles, one will stop running at 5:00 p.m. each day. Before March 2024, campus shuttles ran until midnight.
The reason for the earlier stop time is reduced use of the campus shuttles after 10:30 p.m., according to Philip Johnson of the Windham Region Transit District (WTRD), which also works with UConn Transportation Services.
“Because of our budget, we’ve had to adjust how our HuskyGo shuttles run this fall,” Johnson said in an email Friday. “We’ve tried to keep everything as normal as possible for everyone using the shuttles.”
Johnson clarified that there has been no reduction in the number of shuttles on any route since last year, although sometimes shuttles will switch routes due to a shortage of drivers. Transporation Services is in the process of hiring additional drivers.
“We haven’t reduced the number of shuttles on any route. However, you might see some shuttles, like ‘Yellow 2’ move to different routes sometimes because we’re short on drivers,” Johnson said. “We’re doing our best to hire more drivers, and we’ve just interviewed five candidates.”
During peak weekday hours, the Blue, Red and Silver lines have two shuttles, and the Green and Orange lines have one shuttle each. Yellow is the only line with three buses that run during peak hours. Specific timings, route maps and number of buses per line can be found on the Transportation website.
Since the first day of classes, bus lines have experienced some delays and cancellations, according to announcements posted by the WRTD X account. A couple of lines were slightly delayed on Wednesday, Aug. 28, and the Orange shuttle was canceled after 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28 due to a bus operator shortage. Additional delays and cancellations took place on Friday, Sept. 6, due to “the national bus operator shortage and shift call-outs,” according to one of the X posts.
As for routes that travel off campus, Johnson said there is now a new service between Storrs and Willimantic, the 674D and 674 E, that runs in the mornings and evenings. Soon there will be a new version of the 674A/C and the 991 Willimantic-Norwich line, which would allow for buses to come more often, according to Johnson.
HuskyGo shuttles are expected to soon resume service to Gilbert Road, which stopped back in February 2023 due to the construction of Connecticut Hall. This is still in the planning stages, Johnson said.
Another change Johnson anticipates is the new WRTD routes that have been approved by the state Department of Transportation after two years of working on them. Last July, WRTD made several service improvements to the Willimantic City Bus (Route 671 A/B), which includes more frequent stops and Sunday service.
The current shortage of bus operators means that current operators need to work more hours than usual, according to Johnson. He encouraged passengers to thank their drivers.
“Our bus operators are working extra hours to make sure you still have service, so please thank them when you see them,” Johnson said.
Johnson also wanted to remind students to seek another bus stop if a bus looks full.
“Lastly, always make sure the bus has completely stopped before you cross in front of it. Our bus operators are trained to keep you safe, but we all need to do our part,” Johnson added. “Thanks for your understanding and cooperation!”