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Wouldn't you like your commute during the winter months to be as hassle- and stress- free as possible? Two shuttles are making the lives of commuters easier in parts of Greenwich and Norwalk. Norwalk Transit operates both the Greenwich Commuter Connection Shuttle, which started in 1992, and the Norwalk Commuter Connection Shuttle, which began in 1994.

The Greenwich shuttle offers two routes for commuters. One handles the Central Business District, while the other serves the West Putnam/Route 1 area, both connecting to the Greenwich railroad station. About half the shuttle riders are from New York City, and the other half come from areas like Fairfield, Bridgeport, and New Haven.

The Norwalk shuttle also has two routes. One serves the Norwalk Hospital area and Virgin Atlantic Airways. The other serves the Route 7 corridor, including the Merritt Seven development and the Glover Avenue area.

A lot of commuters use these shuttles daily, according to Lou Schulman at Norwalk Transit. Together, the shuttles draw in excess of 300 passengers a day.

"We're trying to make this a seamless trip," explained Schulman. The shuttles are waiting for commuters at the station when they disembark from the train in the morning, then get commuters back to the station about five to seven minutes prior to train arrival in the evening.

Shuttle riders are encouraged to use the "UniTicket" -- a prepaid pass they can use on both the commuter shuttles, Metro-North trains, and regular buses, which helps achieve that goal of seamless service. The UniTicket costs an additional $22 over the rail-only monthly pass.

In addition to being more convenient, however, the UniTicket also cuts the cost of a commuter's bus trip in half. For example, a single one-way bus trip runs $1.00, but UniTicket holders get it for 50 cents.

Purchasing UniTickets is easy. They're available from Metro-North at train stations, and can be ordered through the mail.