The University recently made changes to the shuttle service available for students, bringing the shuttle bus operations in-house instead of an outside company, and changing the shuttle system to a new color coded system.
The University previously had a contract with the DATTCO Bus and Motor Coach Group, who provided shuttle buses and trolleys used for campus transportation. However, the decision was made not to renew said contract, saving a significant amount of money.
Ackley Beaumont, the Director of Facilities, spoke with STN about the changes made to the shuttle service, explaining how the former A and B-Line shuttle routes have now been replaced by a new Red Line, Green Line, and Yellow Line.
“One of the main reasons why we wanted it to be color coded is that the lines actually combine after a certain time,” Beaumont said.
The new Red Line is the primary on-campus shuttle service, leaving from Millard Auditorium and stopping at various locations around campus, including Auerbach Hall, Dana Hall/ISET, the University Commons, Regents Park Apartments, the Village Apartments between Quad 3 and 4 and Lincoln Theater. The Red Line begins service at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m.
The new Green Line is the primary off-campus shuttle service, also leaving from Millard Auditorium but stopping at other locations for Hartford students, including the University High School of Science and Engineering, the Handel Performing Arts Center, several off-campus apartments, including 61 Woodland Street and Clemens Place, and the Asylum Avenue campus. The Green Line begins service at 7:23 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m.
At 3:15 p.m., the Red and Green Lines combine to form the new Yellow Line, creating a dual shuttle service that provides transportation to locations on and off campus. The Yellow Line begins service at 3:30 p.m. and runs into the night until 11:00 p.m.
Beaumont says that Facilities made these changes to the shuttle system with the hopes that it would be easier for students to understand.
“We feel that that was a lot more easier than remembering which line goes where, the B goes where, that the yellow line is a little bit different than the green line, and the green line is a little bit different, and so forth,” he says.
Despite all of these changes, the weekend shopping shuttle service, which travels to shopping areas around the area, including Bishop’s Corner, Blue Back Square, and Westfarms Mall, has not been changed.
For a full list of stops and shuttle departure times, you can visit the campus shuttle section of the University of Hartford website, at http://hartford.edu/visitingcampus/campus_shuttle/default.aspx
