Gregg Haddad

Rep. Gregg Haddad and Sen. Mae Flexer on Thursday praised the announced expansion of CTtransit bus service from Hartford to new stops in Storrs and also called on state officials to create a transit loop through Willimantic with service to Eastern Connecticut State University.

"I’m very pleased that transit service is being extended to Storrs. Students, university staff and Mansfield residents need reliable public transportation in the corridor between Mansfield and Hartford. I look forward to advocating for further extending the service to Willimantic. We need service to Eastern, Quinnebaug and Main Street, Willimantic,” said Rep. Haddad, co-chair of the legislature’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee.

“The expansion of CTtransit bus service onto the UConn campus is wonderful news, but this bus service should also be expanded into Willimantic, which is the largest town in the region and home to two colleges. I’m sure the students and staff at those colleges and the residents of Willimantic would appreciate having the same the opportunity to travel quickly and easily into Manchester, Hartford and beyond,” said Sen. Mae Flexer (D-Danielson), vice-chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. “It’s just another five miles, and extending CTtransit bus service into Willimantic would allow people to connect with other transportation services throughout eastern Connecticut.”

Governor Dannel P. Malloy and state Department of Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker announced Thursday that beginning Aug. 13 the existing CTtransit bus route that services destinations between Hartford and Tolland is expanding further east and will now include new stops in Storrs.

The route extension will – for the first time ever – provide UConn students, faculty and staff the ability to connect to the main UConn campus in Storrs, the downtown Hartford campus and UConn Health in Farmington via public transit, in addition to a wide variety of other destinations in between.

UConn students are eligible to ride the bus at no charge simply by showing their student ID and a UPass obtained through the university, the costs of which are included in their university fees.

“An investment in our transportation system is an investment in our economic development, and it makes great sense to considerably improve connections between campuses within our state’s flagship university,” Governor Malloy said. “By linking these three campuses together via public transit, in addition to the ability to connect to other destinations in Central Connecticut, including the upcoming Hartford Line rail commuter system with convenient connections to Bradley International Airport, we are making smart investments in our economy.”

“This new service gives residents more opportunities to pursue education, expand employment options, even access restaurants, entertainment, and shopping,” Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman said. “It’s the modern transit connectivity that is vital for quality of life and commerce.”

The extended bus route will run hourly and include the following stops:

• Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center, Storrs Center (Connections to UConn Transportation for travel around campus and for connections to Willimantic)
• UConn campus Whitney Hall
• Route 195 at Route 44 (Four Corners)
• Tolland park and ride lot
• Buckland Hills Mall
• Manchester - Buckland park and ride (Bus Stops A & B)
• Downtown Hartford at Central Row (a short walk to UConn Hartford campus and connections to other local and express bus services)
• Union Station, Hartford
• CTfastrak Sigourney Street station (transfer available via CTfastrak Route 121 to UConn Health in Farmington)

Commuters on the extended route will have the ability to connect to the CTfastrak bus network in Central Connecticut, as well as the upcoming Hartford Line commuter rail system, which will launch in May 2018 and provide more frequent train service between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield.

The bus route’s hours of operations will be:

• Weekdays: 5:45 a.m. to midnight
• Saturdays: 6:30 a.m. to midnight
• Sundays: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.