UMass Transit, PVTA Announce Trial Extension of Route 31 to Hadley Shopping Plazas

As part of a year-long trial, UMass Transit and the PVTA are expanding weekend service on Route 31 (Sunderland/South Amherst) to include stops at the Hampshire Mall and Mountain Farms Plaza.<_o3a_p>

Beginning Sept. 7, weekend Route 31 buses will be extended from The Boulders apartment community to the Hampshire Mall and Mountain Farms Plaza (Walmart) from approximately 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This extension will operate during UMass full semester weekends as part of a collaborative pilot program.<_o3a_p>

The idea for extending the route emerged during discussions between UMass students and administration officials. The new weekend extension provides a one-seat direct ride from Sunderland, UMass and Amherst to the Hadley retail and shopping centers, thereby eliminating bus transfers for major residential portions of PVTA's Amherst and Sunderland service areas.<_o3a_p>

"This service extension offers fast and dependable transportation, significantly improving access to shopping and recreational destinations, making it more convenient and accessible for many area residents," says Brandy Pelletier, PVTA's manager of marketing, advertising and public relations.<_o3a_p>

UMass Transit and the PVTA will continue to work collaboratively on assessing the pilot program's operational feasibility. If the test is successful, the extension may be considered for future inclusion into the PVTA network, subject to funding, resource availability and acceptance by the PVTA Advisory Board and other stakeholders.<_o3a_p>

For more information, please visit the UMass Transit website or consult the PVTA's schedule page.<_o3a_p>