Starting Monday, Jan. 17, travel between the East Hill complex and campus will be provided by TCAT Route 82. The East Hill Shuttle will cease to run as of that date.

Replacing the East Hill Shuttle service, which is operated by Transportation Services with Ithaca Airline Limousine, with public transit will save the university a considerable amount, according to Kyu Whang, vice president for facilities services.

"At a time when the university is searching for ways to control costs and streamline services, this is significant," he said. "It is also significant that the transition can happen with minimal impact on the community -- and those are impacts we have worked hard to mitigate."

This recommendation also is in keeping with the original intent of the East Hill Shuttle service, which was to provide staff members assigned to the East Hill complex a reliable connection to the central campus. TCAT has agreed to slightly adjust the route and schedule for Route 82 to meet the needs of Cornell community members and function as the replacement for the shuttle.

Route 82 will stop at the frontside of East Hill Plaza, the East Hill Office Building circle drive and central campus every 15 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, year round. Travel time between the East Hill Office Building and Uris Hall will be 12 minutes. The bus will arrive at Uris Hall at :08, :23, :38 and :53 minutes past the hour. The route also provides a much-requested East Hill/Veterinary College connection -- a service the East Hill Shuttle did not provide.

"This adjustment allows about seven minutes to get from Uris Hall to a meeting that begins on the hour or half hour, addressing the concerns and business needs of staff members who attend meetings where time is at a premium and parking is not an option," said Whang.

Faculty and staff members still pay no fare when using their Cornell ID card at the fare box, and students are welcome to ride using their OmniRide privileges or a cash fare. Student employees who work in Cornell's off-campus locations at East Hill can request an OmniRide pass through their supervisor. Departments that rely on the East Hill Shuttle as a travel mode for their guests can request a TCAT Tcard from Transportation Services.

For more information, see http://www.commuting.cornell.edu. For complete TCAT route and schedule information, see http://www.tcatbus.com.