The Stag Bus is a prime way for Fairfield students to get around the town, especially for those who do not have a car or are looking for a more convenient travel option. The shuttle to the town makes nine total stops on its route: the BCC, Fairfield Train Station, 140 Mill Plain Road, Fairfield Green, Grasmere and Post Road, Metro Train Station, Whole Foods, Stop & Shop and Marshalls/CVS. From access to train stations, grocery stores, the pharmacy and fun places around the town, the bus is a great way to explore and access the town of Fairfield. It sets off from the BCC stop every hour on the hour from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
As a first-year at Fairfield, who has been here only a few months, I finally feel that I am beginning to memorize the bus route. Yet, this did not come without its difficulties. The first time my friends and I used the bus, we were able to get to the center of town with ease. As the minutes ticked away, we watched the time to determine when we should head back towards the bus stop. We began our trek back to the pick-up location, but we began to feel lost. We asked ourselves, “Where was the bus stop again?” The realization hit us that we were in an unfamiliar place with no sense of where the Stag Bus would actually pick us up. Of course, we knew the general area where we were dropped off, but we could find no signs marking where the specific Stag Bus drop-off/pick-up location was. Luckily, my friend spotted a Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) sign, which we assumed was part of the bus system. After that revelation, all was well; we waited for the bus and made it back to campus in no time.
But that experience made me curious. Where were the bus signs? After riding the bus more times and keeping track of the stops along the route, I found that at least five out of the nine bus stops had no signage at all. I would like to mention that the BCC stop has no signage, but is commonly known among students as a bus stop location. Three locations had a general “GBT” sign, but no indication that they were stops on the Stag Bus route. For example, the stop by Whole Foods had a “GBT” sign on the outer perimeter of the parking lot, but no sign by the actual store, which is where the bus actually pulled over. Admittedly, I did not catch the signage usage at one location as I rode the bus. In total, although some locations had signs that read off the generic “GBT” logo, none of the stops that I witnessed had any signs that related the University to the bus stop location.
In my opinion, this is concerning, especially for new first-year students. New students who are not familiar with the town or the Stag Bus can easily get lost without proper signage and education about the bus stops. Lack of clarity leaves new students stuck in a guessing game of where they should camp out for the bus. A wrong assumption or miscalculation could leave students without a way of transportation back to campus. Although students do learn their way around town and the Stag Bus system like I did, that transition period can be difficult. It unfortunately just takes time to learn the locations of each stop, but I believe there is a way to make this process smoother.
It would be difficult and costly to install specific Fairfield University signage in town at each bus stop as a means of clear communication. That is why I propose that education about the Stag Bus’s route should be included as a part of the First Year Experience course (FYE). New Student Leaders (NSLs) who teach the class could run through the names, locations, key identifiers and sequence of the town center bus stops. In addition, NSLs could show students how to navigate the bus route on the designated bus app (TransLoc). Even a brief slideshow during Fall Welcome could help so many students better understand the most efficient way to get to town and back to campus. By formatting this module into the FYE class, it targets the exact audience that would need to retain this information: first-years.
It’s a small change, but I think that educating first years on the Stag Bus stops would be an excellent way to ensure students are safe, well-informed, and happy with their trips downtown.
