For the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vern Express will return to service on campus this August, according to an email sent to the GW community on Thursday.

The Vex will resume “fully operational” service August 9th on a 30-minute schedule, and fully vaccinated passengers can ride without masks but must show their GWorld card while boarding, according to the email. Officials said Vex drivers will undergo campus coronavirus testing protocol, GW employees will install fiberglass barriers between drivers and riders and University employees will clean all shuttles after each shift and wipe high touch surfaces throughout the day as part of health precautions.

Vex operations have been halted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when campus emptied as students, faculty and staff left to isolate last March.

The email states service will be shut down on the Virginia Science and Technology Campus Shuttle, and riders should use the Loudoun County Commuter Bus or the Loudoun County Route 72 Wiehle Express, which is free for GWorld card holders.

Officials also shared parking services updates in the email, announcing “discounted occasional parking” will be available to GWorld card holders at the G Street, Science and Engineering Hall, Marvin Center, Academic Center and Mount Vernon Campus garages. The offer will also extend to the Elliott School garage, set to open before the fall semester, and the garage for Funger and Duques halls – which will provide occasional parking on the lower entrance and monthly parking on the upper entrance, according to the email.

Officials said they will resume accepting monthly parking permits at the Lerner Health & Wellness Center garage, and permits on the Mount Vernon Campus will be restricted to faculty and staff who mainly work or have offices there.

The email states the University will use a tiered system for faculty and staff’s monthly parking permit pricing on the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses, reliant on the employee’s salary range, which is available online. Carpool permits have been reduced for all employees by 20 percent, and payroll deductions will be automatically adjusted if a permit parker qualifies for a discounted rate, according to the email.

To create a new permit or restart a monthly parking permit, employees must complete and submit a form to the Faculty and Staff Service Center via email. To terminate parking payroll deductions, an employee must send a termination request form to [email protected].