Correction: Seth Peritz did not say, “Student credit hours went down and it affected our budget so we cut routes.”

Also, the 4R and 4L buses will continue to run the same route as in the fall 2012 previous semester because construction is ongoing at Grant Drive East. Route 8 will service Lincoln and Douglas halls. Over the breaks, service will include only the Break Service 12 Route (formerly Route 9) and Break Service 7 Route.

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After suffering from recent budget cuts, the Huskie Bus system has changed its routes and availability.

Seth Peritz, the Student Association (SA) director of Mass Transit, said these changes are due to financial reasons.

“Student credit hours went down and it affected our budget so we cut routes,” Peritz said.

The Huskie Bus system is funded by students’ tuition. All students who are taking courses on campus will have to pay general fees, and they’re charged per credit hour up to a maximum of 12 credit hours. These general fees can vary from athletic fees to fund athletic programs to service fees that fund the Huskie bus system itself, according to the NIU’s Bursar Office website.

Monday through Thursday, buses 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 4B, 4C and 5 will shut down at 7 p.m., according to NIU Today.

Weekend Circle routes will now be called Evening Circle routes, and they will run from 7 p.m. until midnight Monday through Thursday.

The night route on Fridays will now run from 6 p.m. to midnight, according to NIU Today.

Furthermore, the new Evening Circle North route will be operating in the opposite direction. With this change, bus riders will have to go across the street of the original Weekend Circle North route, according to NIU Today.

Route 7 will now go back to last year’s routing by only having one bus running this route, according to NIU Today.

These changes are only temporary, and the routes are said to change again at the end of the 2013 Spring semester, according to NIU Today. There will be some changes that will be permanent.

“Because it’s winter, the bus will be much busier. So there will always be a crowd waiting for the bus,” said Ryan Dunleavy, junior psychology and anthropology major. He believes the transit changes will be an issue on campus as well.

Valdemar Martinez, freshman music education major, is a regular user of the Huskie Bus system and believes these changes will interfere with many student’s travel plans.

“I feel that students would now have a harder time going to the shopping centers if they have a night class,” Martinez said.

Soon, Grant Drive East will be available for use. This will let the 4L and 4R buses travel to the residence halls across Annie Glidden road more often.

The 4L will now pass Lincoln Hall and pick up students from New Residence Hall West before picking up students at Grant North, according to NIU Today.

Route 8 will now return to its original route. In addition, there will be a new stop at the corner of Stadium Drives South and East, according to NIU Today.

To get to Elburn Station, users must pay more to take the shuttle. Prices will now be $5 for students, $7 for faculty and $9 for the general public, according to NIU Today.