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Mount Holyoke College
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Mount Holyoke College - Transportation - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.08

Transportation

B-
Where does this grade come from?View all Transportation rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Transportation Grades:

Quick Stats

Best Ways to Get Around Town
  • Getting a ride with a friend
  • PVTA
  • Your own car
Best Ways to Get to the Airport
  • A cab ride to the airport costs about $40.
  • Edison Airport Service, South Hadley, (413) 536-0886
  • Seemo Shuttle, (800) 908-2829 www.seemoshuttle.com
  • Valley Transporter, Amherst, (413) 733-9700

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Since the campus is relatively far from many places students would like to go, walking isn’t really an option. If you don’t have a car, public transportation will be your salvation. It’s a good thing there’s such an extensive system of bus routes running throughout the Pioneer Valley, which can technically all be reached by hopping on and off various buses, beginning with the ones that stop on campus. It will take a while, though. There are only two bus routes that stop on campus, both driven by UMass students and intended to allow MHC students to get to off-campus classes. Hence, they will come often during the week and less often on weekends, although there are some late-night buses on Friday and Saturday nights. You might find yourself waiting for an hour or more at some bus stops, which can be hellish in the winter.

Finding transportation off campus is not that hard, but it can get expensive quickly. A cab ride from South Hadley to Springfield costs between $30 and $40. It is highly recommended that you take the PVTA whenever possible, although, of course, you won’t always be able to do this. There’s where the Mount Holyoke community comes in handy. If you’re desperate for a ride, chances are you’ll be able to find a fellow student who will drive you where you need to go. Rides to and from the airport are regularly advertised around break times at half the cost of the Valley Transporter. Carpooling is also an option. So, while you may need to be more resourceful about finding a ride than you would have to be in a city, you can still get pretty much wherever you need to go.

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Mount Holyoke Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Transportation at Mount Holyoke College

caileybobby

'15

Biology

3.1
B-

PVTA Is Awesome-Ish

The PVTA is free for students and travels between the five colleges. There are some PVTAs that go to other places (Northampton, Hampshire Mall, Holyoke Mall, etc). Make sure you know the schedule if you are going off campus to a party. The last bus usually leaves around 1:00 AM and often times if you miss it you are screwed. Taxi services are sometimes unreliable and expensive, and they are especially sucky if you need them late late at night.

Oct 05, 2011

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Transportation at Mount Holyoke College

rnadsalaita10

'14

Psychology

5.0
A+

PVTA

Great, free. Not available during breaks (or inconvenient schedules, not enough buses during J- term)

Aug 24, 2011

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Transportation at Mount Holyoke College

xObscurexOmenx

'13

Biology

4.2
A-

PVTA Is Your Overlord

The campus itself is quite small, so there isn't really a need for anything beyond bikes and your own two feet. Locally, everything of note is either just across the street from the campus (the local coffeehouse, a few restaurants, a small theater, and a bookshop) or a bus ride away via the PVTA. The PVTA is free for students and stops at all the other colleges in the consortium, so it's easy to stop by Northampton or Amherst if you want a more urban setting and more shopping, food, and partying options. There are also buses going to the Hampshire Mall and the local Y-Mart, which are also free.

The main problem with the PVTA is its schedule. It's extremely difficult to take Five College classes if you don't have large chunks of your schedule open, since the bus only arrives at 30 minute

Apr 17, 2011

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Page 1 of 6

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the cost of the following transit options

Rate the convenience of the following transit options

Rate the convenience of long-distance transportation to travel between home and school

How convenient is the campus-provided transportation?

How necessary is it to have a car on campus?

How easy is it to get around town?

Campus ShuttleWhat's This?

Safe Ride Van

This student driven van is financed by the Student Government Association and runs a loop around campus to escort students about campus.

Thursdays – Saturdays from 10p.m. – 2:30a.m.

Van rides to Big Y and Holyoke Mall

This is a college-run service for students who need to go shopping, but don’t have cars. It leaves twice on Thursday evenings and twice on Friday evenings.

College-owned vehicles

The College owns a small fleet of vans, sedans and buses that departments and student organizations can use. To drive any of these vehicles you must be tested and approved. To reserve a vehicle, contact the fleet office.

(413) 538-2826

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/dps/fleet/

Public Safety escort service

(from campus parking lots or academic buildings to residence halls only)

(413) 538-2304

12:30 a.m.–dawn

Public TransitWhat's This?

University of Massachusetts Transit Service

UMass students drive Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) buses, fare-free, within the Five College area. Schedules are easily obtainable from buses and the Blanchard Information Desk, or you can use the one you’ll get in your mailbox in the beginning of each school year.

(413) 545-0056 (bus schedule information)

(413) 545-1633 ( holiday and snow information)

Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA)

This is essentially the same system as above, only routes outside the Five College area carry a fare and it’s more difficult to get a bus, as none of them stop on campus and you’ll have to figure out transfers

(413) 781-7882

www.pvta.com/mapsandschedules.html

Nearest AirportWhat's This?

Bradley International Airport

The airport is located in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, approximately 30 miles and 40 minutes away from the College.

(860) 292-2000 (888) 624-1533

Nearest Passenger BusWhat's This?

Peter Pan Bus Lines

The closest ticket center is across the street from the College, inside Crazy Moon Fashion Company. The bus will stop at the nearby bus shelter. There are also terminals in Amherst and Northampton. For schedule information, call (800) 231-2222. www.peterpanbus.com

79 S. Pleasant St., Amherst

(413) 256-0431

Peter Pan Bus Lines

The closest ticket center is across the street from the College, inside Crazy Moon Fashion Company. The bus will stop at the nearby bus shelter. There are also terminals in Amherst and Northampton. For schedule information, call (800) 231-2222. www.peterpanbus.com

1 Roundhouse Plaza,, Northampton

(413) 586-1030

Peter Pan Bus Lines

The closest ticket center is across the street from the College, inside Crazy Moon Fashion Company. The bus will stop at the nearby bus shelter. There are also terminals in Amherst and Northampton. For schedule information, call (800) 231-2222. www.peterpanbus.com

Crazy Moon Fashion Co., 21 College St., South Hadley

(800) 343-9999

Nearest Passenger TrainWhat's This?

Springfield Amtrak Station

The nearest Amtrak station is in Springfield, which is about 12 miles or 20-minutes driving time from Mount Holyoke.

66 Lyman St., Springfield

(413) 785-4230

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Most Recent Student Author

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 MHC

Name: Alessandra Hickson

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Major: Art History

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