Connecticut’s Department of Transportation will now operate and maintain the University of Connecticut’s HuskyGo transit buses, after UConn’s board of trustees approved a memorandum of understanding with the DOT.
UConn’s fleet of 19 buses will be operated by the Windham Region Transit District — which falls under the DOT’s auspices — Michael Jednak, UConn’s associate vice president of facilities operations, told the university’s board of trustees Wednesday.
As part of the deal, UConn will transfer to the DOT $2.6 million in grant funding for two electric buses — which came out of the $12 million Connecticut received from carmaker Volkswagen’s settlement last year. However, UConn stands to save about $4.5 million per year in costs to maintain and replace buses.
Additionally, Jednak said, DOT is better suited than UConn to handle a fleet of buses that carried 1.7 million riders in the 2019-2020 academic year.
“Having a regional transportation planner and [its] structure can help us manage better regional transit needs,” Jednak said.