Transportation Options 

Whether you're a student or an employee, there are many ways for you to get around Middletown or off-campus without your own car.  Read more about XtraMile, bus and other transit options, electric vehicle charging, biking, carpooling, and rewards via the tabs below. 

• The Ride Campus Shuttle & Off-Campus Shuttles

  If you're just looking to get around campus more easily, hop on The Ride, the free campus shuttle that runs nightly from 6:30 PM to 2:30 AM.

  The Ride also offers a grocery shuttle to Middletown grocery stores Aldi and Price Chopper. This free service operates twice a week during the school year: Sundays from 12:30 - 3:30 PM and Wednesdays from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. The van route is Usdan - Aldi - Price Chopper - Usdan.

  Wesleyan's Transportation Office offers weekly shuttles to and from New Haven Train Station and for Wesleyan breaks. Learn more about break shuttles here.

• XtraMile On-Demand Shuttle

  The XtraMile pilot on-demand shuttle service, run by River Valley Transit, works to get you around Middletown on your schedule.  The shuttle will pick you up where you are, take you to your destination, and bring you back to campus - free for students who show their Wesleyan ID.

  XtraMile Middletown operates during the Wesleyan fall and spring semesters, Monday - Wednesday 12 - 8 PM and Thursday - Saturday 12 - 10 PM. 

  How do I use XtraMile?

  1. Download the XtraMile by RVT app in the Apple or Google Play stores.  Don’t have a smartphone? Call the dispatch center at 860-346-0212.  
  2. Select your pick-up and destination locations (any of the blue dots on the map or anywhere on Main Street) and pick-up time.
  3. The shuttle will pick you up in about 5-15 minutes to bring you to your destination.

  Where can I go?

  XtraMile has 17 stops within central Middletown, including:

  • Washington St. (Price Chopper, CVS, Aldi, Big Lots, Chipotle, Goodwill)
  • On campus (Usdan, Weshop, Hi Rise, Butts, Hewitt Circle, Brainerd/Lawn, William/High)
  • Anywhere on Main St. (restaurants, movie theater, bookstore, etc.)
  • Macdonough Elementary School

  What are the XtraMile app features?

  The XtraMile by RVT app offers many useful features:

  • Advanced scheduling ability
  • Clear pick-up windows so riders know when the shuttle will arrive
  • Ability to set a drop-off time to get where you need to go on time
  • Ability to see fixed route times for your trip so you can select the best way to travel
• River Valley Transit Buses

  WesPass Program: River Valley Transit buses are FREE for students!  Just show your WesID when you hop on a bus and you're good to go. 

  River Valley Transit buses stop across the street from Usdan (Route 583 at :04 and :44 each hour) and at the corner of William/High Streets (Route 590 at :03 and :40 each hour) and at the downtown Middletown terminal (all buses, at :00 each hour). Use the Trip Planner to figure out your route, your stop, and when the bus is coming (scroll down below the map). Additional bus stops near campus are now on the Wesleyan map or you can see this handy poster of nearby destinations. Links to bus schedules are on the RVT website; popular routes and destinations are listed below:

  • Route 581 (Stop & Shop, Bob's Stores, Dollar Tree, Marshalls, Saybrook Rd. medical centers)
  • Route 583 (Price Chopper, Big Lots, Chipotle, Goodwill, Rich Farm Ice Cream)
  • Route 585 (Walmart)
  • Route 590 (Meriden Train Station) In Meriden, you can connect to New Haven, Hartford, Springfield, Bradley Airport, and beyond via train. This poster gives more information on how to connect to other transit options using RVT.
  • Route 644 (Old Saybrook - catch an Amtrak or Shoreline East train)
  • Route 645 (Hammonasset State Park)

   

• Regional Buses
  CTrail Hartford Line service offers 17 round trips a day between New Haven and Hartford, with some trips continuing up to Springfield, MA.  Take the Hartford Line to connect to buses and trains continuing on to Boston, New York, and beyond.  The nearest Hartford Line station is in Meriden, which is accessible via a 15-20 minute ride on River Valley Transit's Route 590 service.  See how to connect north and south on the Hartford Line via this poster.

  • In Hartford, you can connect to Bradley Airport via the Bradley Flyer.
  • In New Haven, you can connect east and west via CT Rail Shoreline East, Metro North New Haven Line, and Amtrak.
  • In Springfield, MA, you can connect to Amtrak trains running west toward Albany or east toward Boston.

  CT Transit Route 55 offers buses to Hartford and Bradley Airport from the downtown Middletown Bus Terminal (340 Main St.).

  Transportation Services offers reservation-only shuttles and scheduled break shuttles from campus to the New Haven Train Station and Bradley Airport. Tickets for all shuttles can be purchased online through Transportation Services.

• Electric Vehicle Charging

  Any electric vehicle owner, regardless of assigned parking lot and including campus visitors, is allowed to park in electric vehicle charging parking spaces while charging. Level 3 charging stations are CHADeMO and SEA Combo (CCS) chargers. The level 2 charging stations have a J1772 plug. 

  Cost to charge (Flo charging stations)

  The following stations charge $0.25 per kWh for Level 2 chargers and $0.40 per kWh for Level 3 DC fast chargers. If after a two-hour grace period you are still parked in a charging spot when you’ve completed charging your vehicle, you will be charged a nominal hourly fee so that charging stations are available to everyone who might need one.

  • Administrative Building, 55 High St./X Lot
    • 4 level 2 chargers 
  • Exley/D Lot, 64-76 Lawn Ave. 
    • 2 level 2 chargers 
    • 2 level 3 DC fast chargers 
  • Admission/E Lot, 70 Wyllys Ave.
    • 2 level 2 chargers 
    • 2 level 3 DC fast chargers 
  • High/Low Rise Apartments/W Lot, 110 Church St. 
    • 2 level 2 chargers 
    • 2 level 3 DC fast chargers 

  Free charging stations

  The following stations do not charge a fee.

  • Center for Film Studies/T Lot, 301 Washington Terrace
    • 10 level 2 chargers
  • Freeman Athletic Center/Q Lot, 161 Cross St
    • 2 level 2 chargers
  • Auxiliary Services, 255 Pine St.
    • 2 level 2 chargers
    • 1 level 1 charger
  • Neighborhood Preschool, 60 Long Lane
    • 2 Level 2 chargers

  For a map of public charging locations on- and off-campus, please visit the Middletown EV charging map.

• Biking
  • Parking: Bike racks are located outside of most buildings on campus. Indoor bike racks are available to residents of the following buildings: High Rise, Malcolm X House, Bennet, Clark, Butterfield A and B, Fauver, Nicolson, West College, and Hewitt. Bikes must be parked at a bike rack and may never block sidewalks, roads, ramps, porches, parking lots, or building doors. Always lock your personal bike (U-locks are recommended and available to purchase for $20 at the Public Safety Office).  

  • Bike Rentals: WesBikes is Wesleyan's semester-by-semester bike rental program. It caters to students for whom owning a bicycle on campus is infeasible for geographical or financial reasons. WesBikes also offers students the opportunity to try out owning a bike on campus.  All proceeds from bike rentals go into maintaining the bike fleet.  Contact Public Safety to rent a bike.

  • Biking Safely: Read the rules below to stay safe.  For more information, visit the Public Safety bicycle safety page. 
    • Riders should wear a helmet at all times while riding a bicycle.  Public Safety sells helmets for $20 apiece. 
    • Follow all Connecticut state laws regarding bicycling.
    • Ride on the right, moving with traffic.  Bikes going straight may ride in the left edge of a right turn lane.
    • Obey traffic signals and signs, using hand signals to indicate turns and stops.  When making a turn, you can operate like a vehicle, or like a pedestrian, making use of crosswalks and pedestrian lights.

    R

  • • Riders are prohibited from riding bicycles while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
    • Only one person at a time is allowed on a bicycle. 
    • Bicycles are prohibited on Middletown Main Street sidewalks per Section 262-43 of City ordinances. 
    • Bikes are discouraged from riding on City sidewalks elsewhere, but if you need to ride on a sidewalk for safety, you must yield to pedestrians.
• Carpools & Vanpools
  • Set up a carpool for one-time or regular commuting travel.  Carpooling is an arrangement between people to travel together in a single vehicle and is a great way to save money, connect with others, and cut your carbon footprint.  Find your carpool buddy through CTrides!  
  • For a monthly fee, Commute with Enterprise provides a van, insurance, maintenance, and fuel for vanpool groups, which usually meet daily at a pre-determined location. Great for employees in New Haven, West Hartford, and other highly populated areas.  
• Tools and Rewards
  • CTrides, a program of CT DOT, offers free bus trial rides and has a ridematching service to help you get where you need to go.  CT Rides offers a number of other commuter benefits, too. 
  • CTrides offers rewards every time you walk, bike, carpool, or take public transportation, whether you're traveling for work, school, or just for fun.  Download the Android or iPhone CTrides app to make tracking your trips even easier.

  Watch a CTrides info video to learn more!