After a change in Shuttle-UM policies impacted some commuters’ rides to the University of Maryland, DOTS announced Wednesday a new Shuttle-UM route to Gaithersburg.

Route 141, which will travel from Stamp Student Union to Gaithersburg, will begin operating once classes begin on Jan. 25, Department of Transportation Services officials said.

The new route follows several policy changes related to Shady Grove transportation services. Many students enrolled at this university who commute choose to park at the Universities at Shady Grove and ride the route 124 shuttle to this campus, making it difficult to accommodate Shady Grove students, DOTS Director David Allen told The Diamondback last month.  

Earlier this semester, Shady Grove requested route 124 be maintained exclusively for students and faculty affiliated with its campus. Beginning next semester, commuters riding the route 124 bus will need to present a Shady Grove ID, and Shady Grove officials will also implement an active parking-management program.

READ MORE: 124 Shuttle-UM bus to require Shady Grove IDs starting next semester 

 Located about five miles away from Shady Grove, the Gaithersburg stop will offer free parking for riders, Allen said. 

 “Gaithersburg is a park-and-ride that anyone can use. The parking there is free,” Allen said. “There were some options out there that were still possible, but we needed a definitive yes.”

The other possibilities included Rockville, Olney and the Shady Grove Metro station, Allen said. Gaithersburg was chosen because of the free parking and its timely response.            

“Some of the locations we didn’t move forward with had fees associated with them,” said Anna McLaughlin, DOTS spokeswoman. “Either users would have to pay for parking, or we as a department would have to pay for that parking.”

 Route 141 will go from Stamp Student Union to the West Diamond Avenue Park & Ride lot in Gaithersburg six times a day Monday through Friday, Allen said. 

 Because money from the Shady Grove route will be allocated toward the Gaithersburg route, no additional funding will be required, Allen said.

“The Shady Grove folk allowed what we were doing out of the goodness of their heart for years,” Allen said. “The reality of it is that it was never really intended to be what it turned out to be.”     

Katie Goetz, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, takes route 124 to Shady Grove once a month to meet her father, who is employed by Shady Grove. 

Because of the upcoming changes to the shuttle service, Goetz’s father is hoping to obtain an ID for his daughter so she can continue using route 124. If Goetz is unable to get a Shady Grove ID, she might not go home as often, she said. 

“There’ve been times when shuttle times just haven’t worked out, so I didn’t go home,” Goetz said. “I’m assuming a change in shuttle location would just exacerbate that problem.”

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Although she might try the new Gaithersburg route, Goetz doesn’t think the change is fair, especially for longtime users of the Shady Grove route.

“I don’t know if this is the best option,” Goetz said. “I know it’s going to put a lot of people out for sure.”

While the new route might prove less convenient for some, DOTS is certain that it has found a practical substitute for its riders, Allen said.         

“It had a good ride for five years or so, but reality has set in and that parking has gone away,” Allen said. “We’ve come up with what we believe to be a reasonable alternative for students.”