On Sept. 7, a petition titled “Fix UConn Transportation!” was added to change.org, beginning with the line, “It’s no secret at this point: campus transportation has been getting gradually worse and worse.” This petition, currently boasting more than 500 signatures, calls for the University of Connecticut to take the actions necessary to improve the current campus bus system — either get the current bus company in line, or switch to another one.
UConn has been outsourcing transportation for years now, and the buses currently operate under Windham Region Transit District. WRTD began taking over HuskyGO in 2020. In October of that year, a UConn Today article from UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, noted that this change would save UConn the money and time required to run HuskyGO. In the article, Reitz said this includes “the multi-million dollar costs of repairing and replacing buses; hiring and managing drivers; running [UConn’s] own dispatch center; and employing its own transit administrator.”
However, despite Reitz’s optimism toward the switch, many UConn students have expressed dissatisfaction with WRTD’s efforts. According to the change.org petition, these grievances stem from limited bus hours, frequent bus cancellations, limited access to Willimantic and too few buses on the road. The petition claims that these changes are in response to a driver shortage.
One anonymous student, who signed the online petition, specifically called out WRTD’s struggle to meet the needs of commuter students, such as themself.
When contacted via email, the student said, “I have found that after 7pm the amount of buses running is not sufficient, with a wait of at least 25 minutes. The extended wait time of these buses defeats the purpose of having a bus line meant to service commuters – it forces commuters to either walk to their parking lots or to wait an excessive amount of time to get on a bus.”
They noted that this was especially concerning as UConn is currently struggling to house all students, and this increase in off-campus students “created a great need for commuter services.”
A second anonymous student who had also signed the petition, expressed their grievances with bus start times, a sentiment shared by the petition. While many of the buses begin operation at 7 a.m., the Orange Line does not start until 8 a.m., after some classes have started. Due to this later start time, the student said, “I end up usually having to walk all the way to the North part of campus from downtown Storrs” in order to make their 8 am class.
“This lecture only happens at this time,” the student said. “I have to take this class.”
When asked about what improvements could be made to the bus lines, the first student said that a better bus system would “acknowledge the growing amount of commuters at UConn,” would “add more running buses at any given time, and would provide an accurate tracking app for students to use.”
UConn currently uses the app Passio GO!, which has the intention of providing bus routes and schedules as well as tracking buses and anticipating arrival times. In the eyes of the first student, “A better bus system would not require students like me to have to walk 25 minutes to their car at 8pm.”
The Daily Campus contacted Philip Johnson of WRTD for comment on the various issues that the petition cites.
“WRTD is always looking to provide the best possible service to the UConn community,” Johnson said in an email. “This fall, certain routes did have to be adjusted because of budgetary reasons and driver shortages.”
Johnson stated that the Orange Line will return to starting at 7 a.m., “but this will cause a reduction in other services.” Additionally, there is currently no continuous line to Willimantic. Instead, the Green Line services Willimantic starting at 5 p.m., ceasing operation of the main campus. According to Johnson, “the driver shortage is the reason there has not been a shuttle to Willimantic, but that service will soon resume with a bus that runs approximately every 70 minutes, with more limited hours on Sundays.”
This driver shortage is a nationally recognized issue, described as “widespread and severe” by the American Public Transportation Association in their 2022 Interim Findings Report. APTA describes itself as “a nonprofit international association of more than 1,500 public and private sector member organizations,” which focuses on supporting members by providing connections and training, while also acting as an advocate for drivers.
The APTA’s Interim Findings Report surveyed 190 transit agencies in 2022. The report discovered that “Ninety-six percent of agencies surveyed reported experiencing a workforce shortage, 84 percent of which said the shortage affects their ability to provide service.” APTA’s report attributed this to an aging workforce — according to the report, “forty-three percent of transit workers are over 55.” Some workers are simply leaving their jobs due to retirement.
Additionally, the majority of transit workers who quit these agencies do so in response to work schedules and compensation, and agencies struggle to replace them due to the regulations surrounding the hiring of drivers. According to the APTA’s report, “Rules about drug and alcohol testing, Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) requirements, criminal background checks, and driving records extend the hiring process and exclude otherwise qualified applicants.”
When asked about the current driver shortage, Johnson said, “The shortage of drivers is part of nation-wide trend and we do depend on our current drivers to take on additional shifts, which is not always possible.” Despite this, “WRTD is running routes at a higher level this year, compared to last year, which is an encouraging sign for the future.”
“WRTD is optimistic about working with UConn in the future and cares about student needs,” Johnson finished. “The shuttles simply can’t be everywhere at once. There are new WRTD bus routes coming soon and they can be found on the WRTD website.”
but like… what about WRTD lying about the busses? saying that they are running when they aren’t? gaslighting its customers? we understand that there is a shortage, but being told that the bus will “be there in just 5 minutes” and then having to wait HOURS to get home is not ok.