THON released a blog post Thursday outlining changes to this year’s canning process, including a timeline for alternative transportation options. Although canning will be phased out by 2019, the organization says it will increase efforts to ensure the safety of their participants until then, despite controversy.

THON looked at data from past years and determined that the most popular canning locations are Altoona, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Allentown, Newark, and New York City. In a partnership with bus company Fullington Trailways, the organization has designed bus routes to incorporate all of these locations.

Any THON volunteer will be able to register for a bus spot on THINK, THON’s internal volunteer portal. The blog post assures groups that wish to travel on the same bus that the organization will do its best to accommodate such requests. Registration for the buses will only be open for a short period — the timeline is as follows:

• August 12 – Trip Registration and Alternative Transportation Registration forms will open on THINK. [6 Weeks Out]
• September 9 – Alternative Transportation Registration window closes. After this point, no new spots for buses may be registered. To provide flexibility, riders will be able transfer their spot on the bus to another person (one for one switches only). We will also begin forming a wait list for individuals that do not register before the registration deadline. The form on THINK will close, however we will take names for a wait list in the THON Office. If you registered for Alternative Transportation but have decided you will not be utilizing your reserved spot, please email [email protected] to notify a Rules & Regulations Captain.[3 Weeks Out]
• September 23 – Departure from State College at 2 or 3 times throughout the day (depending on the route and demand for different times). Trip Registration and Alternative Transportation for Fundraising Outreach and Canning Weekend #2 (October 28-30) will open today.
• September 25 – Return to State College
• October 14 – Alternative Transportation Registration window closes. Same process as September 9.
• October 28 – Departure from State College.
• October 30 – Return to State College
• November 7 – 11 – Materials Recollection – Location and more details TBA

The other changes announced focus on the online forms volunteers must complete on THINK to register for a canning or canvassing weekend. THON says the forms are now “much more detailed than before” and provides a checklist to help users navigate through the process.