By Amy McIff, communications manager, Auxiliary Services; and Shea Renner, communications manager, Commuter Services

As part of a continuous effort to provide better shuttle service to the university community, Commuter Services is constructing a new throughway to enhance the route of an electric bus through campus. This new shuttle route will transect campus from north to south and when completed, will link the Business Loop with the Union, providing faster service between these two primary campus destinations.

In an effort to keep the campus community informed as this new route is constructed, an open house will be held Thursday, April 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., in the main lobby of the Union. The open house will provide a blueprint of the new shuttle routes, their schedules and frequency, and give participants an opportunity to propose names for the new routes. Commuter Services representatives will host the event and answer any questions or concerns that attendees may have.

In conjunction with the new electric shuttle route, which is set for completion in fall 2016, along with findings from the recently completed Transportation Master Plan, Commuter Services is working to redesign shuttle routes throughout campus in order to utilize the new route most efficiently and improve service in all areas of campus.

These new changes will eliminate lengthier routes that circle the perimeter of campus and will create shorter, more direct pathways for more frequent shuttle service and fewer stops. New route designs will also help to reduce redundancy in service provided by UTA buses, TRAX lines and university shuttles. As a result of these changes, a transportation hub will develop at the Business Loop and South Campus Drive TRAX stops, offering a central access point for riders to more easily disperse throughout campus.

Projects such as these are part of the university’s ongoing effort to better serve its community and advance sustainable, energy-efficient initiatives that improve our environment. In an ongoing partnership with UTA, University of Utah students, staff and faculty can ride for free on all transportation vehicles to travel to and throughout campus using their UCard.

[bs_well size=”md”]Commuter Services Open House:
Thursday, April 28 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Union lobby

The open house will provide a blueprint of the new shuttle routes, their schedules and frequency, and give participants an opportunity to propose names for the new routes.[/bs_well]