Written by Monica Vendituoli
Wheaton College acknowledges that the immediate area isn’t so great through the extensive efforts made to offer affordable options to get off campus. While Norton may be tiny, transportation allows students to traverse a much larger area. Almost each Friday, Wheaton College allows students a cab to the Wrentham Outlets for only $1. ELC trips are also offered to students every semester to places such as Six Flags for a reduced price.
Students can get onto the GATRA, a public bus, for free when they show their IDs. Only some students take advantage of Route 18, which takes students to Taunton and Attleboro, where they can switch routes. However, Route 140 is very popular, as it takes students to the Great Woods Marketplace and the Mansfield train station, which is part of the MBTA system. The most popular destinations the train is used for are Providence, which is 20 minutes away, and Boston, which is 45 minutes away. Students take trips to these destinations at least once or twice a semester, but they would probably take more trips if the GATRA and MTBA schedules synced up better. Unfortunately, students are often stuck at the train station for over an hour due to such discrepancies. In the end, it's always the most convenient to have a car, though most students put up with time troubles because transportation is so affordable.