The Windham Region Transit District (WRTD) recently implemented a number of service changes for HuskyGo, the network of on-campus shuttle buses at the University of Connecticut’s main campus. A number of routes and schedules were modified as part of the plan, which took effect on Aug. 31.
“The changes are designed to better match shuttle capacity with campus travel demand while maintaining dependable connections among residential areas, academic destinations, Downtown Storrs and campus parking facilities,” Philip Johnson, the transportation planner who serves as a joint coordinator between UConn and WRTD, said in a press statement.
Chief amongst the services changes include the discontinuation of the Orange line bus and the operation of “mirrored” service with new routes on the Yellow, Blue and Purple lines. The former Red-Silver combination route was also consolidated into the Red line.
“Together, these changes place more shuttle capacity into the busiest daytime periods while retaining lower-frequency evening coverage,” Johnson said.
The new “mirrored” services will be listed as “A” and “B” for a given route.
For the Yellow line, “A” buses will drive the route in a counterclockwise direction and “B” buses in a clockwise direction. According to Johnson, “A” services will operate from 7 a.m. until 10:20 p.m. and “B” services from 7:15 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Both flavors are expected to run approximately every 16 minutes during the route’s daytime peak hours between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and 32 minutes during off-peak hours.
WRTD states that four Yellow shuttles, collectively, will operate during those peak hours. The Yellow “B” service route has also been changed to accommodate stops previously served by the Orange line and former Yellow route, including the Horsebarn Hill agricultural facility stops.
For the new Red line, buses will operate from 7 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. Three shuttles will provide approximately 20-minute service from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. after which two buses will provide approximately 30-minute service. The route accommodates the Northwood Apartments, Hilltop Apartments and Community Center and Parking Lot F before running directionally toward the center of campus and downtown.
For the Blue line, “A” buses will run from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and “B” buses from 7 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. The daytime “A” service will operate approximately every seven minutes during the route’s peak hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and every 10 minutes during off-peak hours. WRTD states that the evening Blue “B” service will run approximately every 20 minutes on an abbreviated route — stopping at Busby Suites and Charter Oak Apartments, followed by Lots K and J before Lot C.
Both Blue routes no longer serve Parking Lot F in favor of the new Red line.
The Purple line also faced similar changes, with the introduction of an “A” service, which will operate from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., approximately every 18 minutes. The Purple “B” bus will similarly run only in the evening, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., approximately every 21 minutes.
The daytime Purple “A” shuttle will skip stopping at Parking Lot C and the Celeron Footpath stop, whereas the evening “B” route will serve those two stops.
The HuskyGo weekend service, which runs two “Campus Loop” shuttles, keeps a similar route to years past but includes a slight schedule frequency change.
WRTD states that bus operator shortages will also result in “cancelled runs” and advises students to use the real-time bus tracking feature on the Passio GO! app and to check the agency’s social media accounts for updates.
“Our mission is to provide safe, clean and timely passenger services,” UConn’s Transportation Division webpage states. “We operate a network of shuttle buses, accessible vans, and small vehicles for University students, faculty, employees and visitors.”
WRTD has operated UConn Transportation services, including the Husky Go shuttles, since 2020 –– but primarily provides public bus service to the greater Mansfield and Willimantic region including Columbia, Coventry and Windham. At the time, the partnership was characterized as a way for UConn to “save money that otherwise would have been needed to repair and replace buses and operate the system,” according to UConn Today.
Over the course of the partnership, however, students have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with WRTD’s time as operator in the wake of numerous service disruptions and changes. Frequently cited in complaints have been the reduction of frequency on certain routes, the use of Passio technology for bus tracking and some Husky Go buses being used to service Willimantic.
“WRTD is always looking to provide the best possible service to the UConn community,” Johnson told the Daily Campus in 2024 following a student-led petition to oust the operator. “The shuttles simply can’t be everywhere at once.”
Students can use UConn’s Transportation webpage at transpo.uconn.edu to see an overview of current Husky Go shuttle services and route maps, but the page currently lacks a comprehensive timetable. For more information about Husky Go and WRTD’s off-campus services, read the Daily Campus’ guide to Navigating Transportation in Connecticut: Taking the Bus.