Bentley introduced a new Waltham shuttle line this fall semester after popular demand, the Falcon Flyer. Leaving the La Cava bus stop, the shuttle stops at Linden Street (by the CVS and Dunkin’), Moody Street, Hannaford’s Supermarket, and the Commuter Rail stop, making it an 18-minute shuttle trip without including traffic or delays.
The shuttle pretty much runs the same system after that! Like the B-Line and Harvard Square shuttles, you can locate the shuttle with the Transloc app to get an idea of where the shuttle currently is. Service for this shuttle runs Monday through Thursday from 7:15 a.m. to 12:10 a.m., Fridays from 7:15 a.m. to 1:14 a.m., Saturdays from 10:45 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., and Sundays from 10:45 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
A huge benefit I noticed when first riding the Falcon Flyer was the stop selections! I believe that the stops genuinely resonated with places that Bentley students tend to frequent a lot, and as someone who does not have a car on campus, I have walked up to an hour to these places and back, so the Flyer is a huge time and energy saver in that regard. Not to mention, the stops are great for both errands and recreation. Another benefit of riding this shuttle is the 18-minute run time, just a few minutes longer than taking the B-Line from North to Lower Campus. While the Harvard Square shuttle is a fantastic way of getting places, the 30-minute run time can get tiring some days, and sometimes, you might want to go out without spending too long riding the shuttle. Or you may have time commitments that can’t wait thirty minutes for you to return from Cambridge. On days like these, the Falcon Flyer could really come in handy!
However, one big disadvantage of the Falcon Flyer lies in the fact that La Cava is the only shuttle stop in Bentley that you can take this shuttle in, so if you live in places far from that stop, like Lower Campus, you sometimes will find yourself walking to and from the La Cava stop to take the bus. And if you’re going somewhere near Lower, like the CVS on Linden Street, it might actually take less time to just do the 20-minute walk to and from the CVS. Although this can be discouraging, it arguably is why this shuttle’s total runtime is less than 20 minutes while the Harvard Square shuttle’s is half an hour.
All in all, I am actually really excited about this shuttle line! I think it is a great resource for first-year students and other people who may not have a car to explore Waltham without worrying about taking a long walk, a bus, or an Uber to get there. And really, who doesn’t enjoy convenience?
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bentley chapter.