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When going to any place on campus or in town, Amherst students either walk or bike—when they’re not up to their knees in snow. For farther trips, students usually use the PVTA bus system because Amherst students can travel at no charge to and from the towns of Amherst, Holyoke, and Northampton with their College ID. Free public transportation is provided thanks to the Five-College Consortium, which allows each student who attends one of the five schools in the area to utilize the curriculums of the other four. For longer distances, Peter Pan (the Northeast service provider for Greyhound) is the most efficient option, even though those buses take forever to get anywhere.
Although nothing beats having your own car, there is general satisfaction with the bus service (although some students eventually become tired of riding the long bus routes). A big plus is that the buses run at night, which is a positive influence on the social scene here because it makes all parties accessible to all students in the five-college area. It’s common to see students from other colleges hanging out at Amherst, and these frequent interactions provide another dimension to the vivid social experience here. For students who do not have their own car and are not overly fond of the public transportation system, there is an alternative: ZipCars. These small, environmentally safe vehicles are accessible (for a small fee) to members of the Amherst College community.
finderfinder
'11
Free Transportation
Show your student ID and all buses in the area are free!
Jun 24, 2010
AmhSL
Biological Sciences
There is a pretty reliable bus...
There is a pretty reliable bus service if you want to go farther away, but downtown Amherst is less than a 5-minute walk. There are also good shuttle services to the airport in Hartford, Connecticut.
Feb 18, 2009
AmhTH
'12
Mathematics & Statistics
The buses are free but are...
The buses are free but are sometimes unreliable and do not run as often as one would like.
Feb 17, 2009
UMass Transit System
Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
provides a free bus service between Amherst College and the four other schools in the area. The bus also has convenient stops at various places between the schools, such as the Big Y.
Logan Airport
Logan Airport in Boston is two hours away.
Bradley International Airport
Hartford (45 minutes away), and it provides service for Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts.
Peter Pan, in partnership with Greyhound
A little Peter Pan establishment and bus stop are right next to campus, and you can purchase tickets there.
(800) 237-8747
www.peterpanbus.com
Amtrak
There is limited service to the Amherst station (13 Railroad St.), but extensive service to the Springfield station (66 Lyman St.), which is 30 minutes away.
(800) 872-7245
www.amtrak.com
Buy a hard copy of "Amherst College 2012: Off The Record"
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College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Amherst
Name: Lem Atanga McCormick
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Pre-Med (Biology and French)