I think it is a universal feeling for underclassmen that getting anywhere from Fairfield is ridiculously expensive and difficult without a car. The town shuttle bus suffices for some of the staple locations students want to go, but I believe the number one bus stop we are missing is a movie theater.
The closest theater, AMC Marquis 16 in Trumbull, is about a 20-minute trip away. I have visited this theater twice now, once to see Hamilton and once to see Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. The combined cost of Ubering to the theater and back for these two trips was $150, and once you factor in buying tickets and food, going to the movies seems like an exorbitant outing.
Going to the movie theater is a core bonding experience between friends, though, and some of my favorite nights I have had at Fairfield were those nights that we made it to the theater, collectively experienced a piece of art and then discussed it on the way back to school. I’ll never forget the way my friends and I, who I had only met a week beforehand, sang out the Hamilton lyrics in the theater, or the looks we gave each other across our seats when we saw a niche FNAF game reference in the film.
My solution to this issue would be the implementation of a shuttle bus that goes to the movie theater on the weekends. There are a few ways this could be done logistically.
Firstly, the shuttle could just go back and forth between the movies and the school every hour like the town shuttle does; however, this may not be convenient for the bus drivers or, from a monetary standpoint, if there are not enough people who want to go each weekend.
Therefore, my second idea is for there to be an interest form each week that students would fill out to identify that they would like to go to the movie theater that weekend. The form could close on a Thursday to give enough notice to find an available bus driver if people want to go. On the form, you would include the day you want to go, the time your showing is at, the duration of the film/the time expected to end and your contact information.
If enough people signed up to make the trip worth it, say 4 or more, then the schedule for the bus would be released on Friday. If multiple groups of people were going to the movies at different times, the bus would either run multiple times if the showing times were far enough apart, or the groups could ride together and have a buffer before or after their movie to just talk to their friends or debrief about the film. Personally, I would rather wait an extra 15-20 minutes talking to my friends than spend $50 on an Uber, and I think other students would too.
Movies gracing our theaters in the next year include a new Hunger Games adaptation, Dune 3, a new Avengers film and much more. Considering all the highly anticipated films coming out in the fall and winter of 2026, I feel like this solution could be a great way for new students to connect with each other next semester. What movies do you want to see with your friends this year, and would a campus shuttle improve your movie-going experience?