Amherst College - Transportation

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

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.

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Students Speak Out

AmhSL says: Amherst College 2015 Biological and Biomedical 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. 12345 Transportation: February 18, 2009 Report

AmhTH says: Amherst College 2016 Math and 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. 12345 Transportation: February 17, 2009 Report

AmhJF says: Amherst College 2016 Undecided

We have buses that run late and go... We have buses that run late and go between all the towns and colleges in the area. It takes a long time to get anywhere, but they're reliable. I know some kind of safe ride thing exists, but the campus is so small and so safe that I've never seen a reason to use it. 12345 Transportation: February 16, 2009 Report

AmhYH says: Amherst College 2013 Law and Legal Studies

Transportation is great. There is... Transportation is great. There is a bus system that links the 5-College campuses and makes stops at the movie theater, shopping centers, etc. You definitely don't need a car—it's a luxury and a curse, and the parking tickets will get you! 12345 Transportation: February 16, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

It’s helpful that buses come at... It’s helpful that buses come at night, since a lot of students here travel to the other colleges for events and parties, and vice versa. Usually, though, it’s more helpful for kids from the other colleges, because they come to Amherst parties a lot. 12345 Transportation Report

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