We have some exciting updates on our long-distance travel providers as they climb out of COVID closures, as students are surely already planning their trips to Burlington, parents visiting for Champlain Weekend in October, home for Thanksgiving, Winter Break and beyond.

*Keep in mind that these are all subject to change and visiting the provider directly will get you the most accurate information.*  

• Megabus.com will resume service between Boston and Burlington starting Friday August 27th…just in time for upper-class students to catch it for move-in for all those folx traveling light. They will then be operating weekend service (Fridays and Sundays) through the end of the year and beyond so would be great for booking break travel early. Additional service may be added later too (such as Thanksgiving). We anticipate this will be helpful for those that fly into Boston and need to get up to Burlington from there. 
• Amtrak Vermonter service will resume on July 19th, and again will be available for upper-class move-in for those traveling from DC all the way up through NYC and the I-91 corridor. For travel from now through October 31, 2021, tickets are 20% off.
• Vermont Translines also resumes service on July 19th, and again will be available for upper-class move-in for those traveling from Albany, NY, Bennington, Rutland and Middlebury.
• Greyhound has also resumed service and is available for those traveling from Albany, NY. It seems that they are not doing the direct to Boston route at present.
• Flixbus has just informed us they will be starting a BRAND NEW service in September. Amazing to have another super affordable option available for the Boston-Burlington trip. Flixbus has routes all over the country and now one to Vermont. Plus they take sustainability seriously!
• In case you weren’t aware, the main Port Kent to Burlington ferry on Lake Champlain is not running this year at all, so if planning a trip from west of Champlain, you will need to use one of the other ferries or Crown Point bridge.
• And remember that Go! Vermont helps you compare costs, routes, and schedules for bus travel between several New England/New York cities.

And more locally…

• Green Mountain Transit buses are fully operational and have reverted back to their numbered routes instead of colored lines (last year they changed to colors with the #1 Williston becoming the Red line for example). All routes are the same. See the schedules here.
• CarshareVT has located another car on our campus, at Sanders Hall for students (and community members) who have a CarshareVT membership. This is in addition to the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle they have beside West Hall and another vehicle in the 194 Saint Paul Street garage. CarshareVT is a great deal to have access to a vehicle when you need it (and you can be as young as 18 to use it!) without the cost of owning and insurance. 
• Greenride Bikeshare has officially gone electric. The entire 200 bike fleet are now electric-assist bicycles to make getting up hills much easier. The annual student plan is only $39 per year (75c per week!!) and includes 30 minutes of ride time per day. Plus there are new hubs coming to Finney Quad, Saint Paul Street and Lakeside Ave in addition to CCM. 

Don’t forget that we have a number of indoor bicycle storage rooms at Juniper, Butler, and 194 Saint Paul Street, as well as a full workshop and tools and pumps around campus so bring your bike if you have one! Burlington just gets better and better for biking every year.

Please share this email with your Moms, Dads and others too!

Roll on,

Nic