Transit Services Restores Runs for Campus Shuttles, Route 33

Following an increase in recruitment and training, Transit Services has restored runs on three PVTA bus routes that were cut for the fall semester because of a driver shortage.

Full service on Route 33 (Puffer’s Pond/Shopper’s Shuttle) was restored Dec. 21, the first day of winter session, returning to 40-minute intervals instead of the reduced 80-minute intervals.

Routes 34 and 35, (campus shuttles), which do not run during the winter session, will return to 15-minute intervals instead of 22-minute intervals when the spring semester begins on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

The runs were temporarily eliminated for the fall semester on Sept. 17 because there were too few drivers available. Only UMass Amherst students are eligible to drive for these routes. Transit Services held a job fair Sept. 15 as part of a beefed-up recruitment and training effort to add approximately 60 drivers.

Glenn Barrington, manager of transportation services, said, “I’d like to thank the community for their patience while we worked to improve our driver numbers over the course of the past several months. We are in much better shape and are continuing to train additional student drivers to ensure we can maintain appropriate levels of bus service moving forward.”