University of Massachusetts Transportation Services

University of Massachusetts Transportation Services
PVTA bus #3401 makes a stop at the UMass Fine Arts Center on N. Pleasant Street, operating the Route 31.
Parent
Headquarters185 Holdsworth Way
Amherst, Massachusetts
LocaleFive Colleges of the Pioneer Valley
Service areaFive Colleges campuses plus Amherst, Belchertown, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, South Deerfield, South Hadley and Sunderland
Service typeLocal bus transit, campus shuttle, field trip charter
AllianceFive College Consortium
Routes9
Hubs
  • UMass Fine Arts Center
  • Studio Arts Building
  • Haigis Mall
Daily ridership20,600 (weekdays, Q4 2025)[1]
Annual ridership2,280,500 (2025)[2]
Fuel typeDiesel, hybrid electric
DirectorConnie Englert
WebsiteUMass Transit
PVTA.com

University of Massachusetts Transportation Services, abbreviated to UMass Transit Services or UMass Transit, is a department within the University of Massachusetts Amherst contracted by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) to operate fixed-route transit services on the UMass Amherst campus and surrounding area, including some services to other members of the Five Colleges Consortium in eastern Hampshire County. Similar to other large campus transportation systems, such as UGA Campus Transit in Georgia and Unitrans in California, PVTA fixed-route buses operated by UMass Transit Services are primarily driven by students attending UMass Amherst. In 2025, PVTA fixed-routes operated by UMass Transit had a ridership of 2,280,500, or about 20,600 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2025.

Background

UMass Transit is a student-based organization with more than 90% of the employees (i.e. bus drivers, mechanics, dispatchers) being UMass students, with the remaining employees falling under University 03 employment status or full time administrators. UMass Transit Services operates 10 PVTA routes with a fleet of 40 transit vehicles (35' - 60').

PVTA service operated by UMass Transit runs 12 months a year, 20 hours per day, seven days per week.

Service began in 1969 as an intra-campus shuttle. A federal grant allowed expansion to nearby towns in 1973. It joined the PVTA in 1976. Daily ridership reached 24,000 by 1982.[3]

Route B79 was originally operated by the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation and the Town of Ware, through its Quaboag Connector partnership. PVTA reassigned operation of this route to UMass Transit Services, starting on January 5, 2025.

Services

UMass Transit operates fixed-route buses on behalf of the PVTA, which must outsource mass transit operations pursuant to Massachusetts state law.[4] PVTA maintains ownership of fixed-route buses displaying logos and livery associated with the agency.[5] Other department vehicles are independently chartered by UMass Transit, usually as a paid service.[6] Fixed-route buses are numbered in the 3000 series, and are between 35 and 60 feet in length. UMass Transit operates two of the 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses acquired by PVTA; they were purchased in 2013 to accommodate crowding conditions on routes 30 and 31.[7]

Field trip services

UMass Transit also maintains an activity fleet of buses geared toward student organizations within the UMass Amherst community. These buses are generally painted to match the school colors of white and maroon.

Accessible Van Service

UMass Transit operates a fleet of paratransit vans which services members of the UMass Amherst community who have mobility impairments, whether they are permanent or temporary. The service has a range that extends 3 miles from the center of campus.[8]

Fixed routes

The following routes are operated by UMass Transit Services on behalf of the PVTA.

Amherst-area routes (including UMass and the Five Colleges)

Route Terminals Via
30[9] N. Amherst
Puffton Village 		Amherst
Old Belchertown Road
(before Harkness Road) 		North Pleasant Street, Main Street, Belchertown Road
31[10] Sunderland
Sugarloaf Estates 		S. Amherst
The Boulders 		South Pleasant Street, North Pleasant Street, Amherst/Sunderland Road
34/35[11][12] UMass Amherst Campus Shuttle University Drive, Commonwealth Avenue, North Pleasant Street, East Pleasant Street, Eastman Lane, East Pleasant Street, Massachusetts Avenue
38[13] Amherst
Haigis Mall, UMass 		S. Hadley
Mt. Holyoke College 		MA Route 116, North Pleasant Street

UMass Outreach routes

These routes, operated by UMass Transit, are targeted not toward the UMass student body, but towards the year-round local population in the area.

Route Terminals Via
33[14] Hadley
Stop & Shop 		N. Amherst
Mill Hollow Apartments/Puffers Pond 		Amity Street, East Pleasant Street, Eastman Lane, Cushman Center, Survival Center, North Pleasant Street
45[15] Amherst
Physical Sciences Building, UMass 		Belchertown
Belchertown Center 		North Pleasant Street, Main Street, Echo Hill/Gatehouse Road, Belchertown Road
46[16] Amherst
Studio Arts Building, UMass 		S. Deerfield
Whately Park and Ride 		North Pleasant Street, Sunderland/Amherst Road, South Deerfield Center
B79[17] Amherst
Haigis Mall, UMass 		Worcester
Union Station Garage 		North Pleasant Street, MA Route 9

Fares

See also: Pioneer Valley Transit Authority § Fares

All UMass Transit routes, with the exception of B79, are free of charge. Route B79 is priced by fare zones, with full Amherst-Worcester service costing $9.00.[18] Passes may only be purchased digitally on the MassDOT BusPlus App.[19]

Students attending any colleges in the Five Colleges Consortium have a fee included in their tuition bills (service fee for UMass Amherst students and student activity fees for the other colleges) for each semester that prepays their bus fares for the semester and funds the Five Colleges bus system, along with fares on the B43 local route between Amherst College and Smith College via UMass.

Holiday and school break service levels

While the population of Amherst is nominally 39,263 as per the 2020 census, that figure includes the student population of the Five Colleges, many of whom are only part-time residents and who account for approximately 60 percent of that figure. As such, when classes are not in session, service is greatly reduced and often suspended on many routes, and other routes will have service ending early.

All PVTA fixed-routes operated by UMass Transit are suspended on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. On other days when classes are not in session, these routes operate on a reduced service schedule.

References

  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  3. ^ "MBTA News". Rollsign. Vol. 20, no. 1. Boston Street Railway Association. January–February 1983. p. 7. ISSN 0035-7898.
  4. ^ "General Law - Part I, Title XXII, Chapter 161B, Section 25". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  5. ^ Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (September 2018). "Transit Asset Management Plan" (PDF). PVTA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Vehicles and Rates : Transportation Services : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  7. ^ "UMass Transit Goes for Long Ride". Office of News & Media Relations, UMass Amherst. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  8. ^ https://www.umass.edu/transportation/transit/accessible-van-service
  9. ^ "PVTA Route 30 Schedule" (PDF).
  10. ^ "PVTA Route 31 Schedule" (PDF).
  11. ^ "PVTA Route 34 Schedule" (PDF).
  12. ^ "PVTA Route 35 Schedule" (PDF).
  13. ^ "PVTA Route 38 Schedule" (PDF).
  14. ^ "PVTA Route 33 Schedule" (PDF).
  15. ^ "PVTA Route 45 Schedule" (PDF).
  16. ^ "PVTA Route 46 Schedule" (PDF).
  17. ^ "PVTA Route B79 Schedule" (PDF).
  18. ^ http://pvta.com/schedules/B79.pdf
  19. ^ https://www.pvta.com/faresPasses.php
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