The Office of Parking and Transportation has announced a new shuttle route between Centennial Village and Ceserano Plaza, which is located in front of the Herbert Business School.
According to their website, the route is scheduled to run on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the wait times are between 18 and 20 minutes.
In addition to the implementation of a new shuttle route, the University of Miami has also changed the Miller Circle route. The original Miller Circle route had a stop at the Hecht Athletic Center which has since been removed.
“The new pilot route was introduced to improve mobility between underserved areas, including connections between the Metrorail, academic core, and Centennial Village, and to provide an alternative for visitors parking in Red lots,” the University said in a statement to The Hurricane. “Operating Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., the route was intentionally designed with an 18 to 20 minute wait time due to its longer travel path. This service operates independently and does not impact other shuttle routes.”
According to an email sent by the Office of Parking and Transportation on Jan. 9, the Hecht Athletic Center stop was removed “to enhance rider safety and improve the overall shuttle experience.”
However, because of these changes students, especially University Village residents, are reporting longer wait times.
University Village resident Elle Mannion says that the changes to the shuttle routes makes her daily commute longer.
“I already have to wait for the one bus that runs in the morning to loop all the way around the route before getting back to UV,” she said.
Mannion said that before the new route was added, her commute was short and took her directly to where she needed to go.
Instead of taking the shuttle from the Hecht Athletic stop, which took Mannion directly to her destination, the removal of the stop means that she and other UV residents have to take the shuttle from the UV stop to Brescia Lot which is in the opposite direction of Miller Circle.
“The problem with Brescia is that it’s one block or less away from the UV stop. If you walk from the UV stop to the Brescia stop, it takes less time than riding the bus from the UV stop to the Brescia stop,” she said.
“The University of Miami’s Parking and Transportation team has reviewed recent concerns and confirmed they are not related to the launch of the new pilot shuttle route,” the University continued. “The Miller and Stanford routes continue to meet their 7 to 9 minute service standards, with performance data showing consistent on‑time operation. While large campus events may cause minor fluctuations, overall service remains within expected ranges, and riders may track buses in real time online.”
Despite the longer wait times for UV residents, other students are welcoming the change.
“I like it because it’s faster. I felt the sports center stop was pointless since it was so close to the UV one,” said UV resident Dis Sorentino.
“A temporary website categorization error placed the pilot under the Miller/Stanford section; this has been corrected. All routes are currently performing within expectations, and Parking and Transportation continues to actively monitor service and adjust as needed,” the University continued in its statement.
Students can view the route changes on the shuttle tracker.
This article was updated at 9:20 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23 to include the statement from the University.