The list of Transportation Leaders is comprised of 34 schools that earned “A” grades in this category. Below is a sample of ten very different institutions that all have innovative transportation initiatives. These summaries are based on data from each school’s profile page.
Berea College's campus vehicle fleet includes 3 hybrids and 13 small electric carts. In addition to a free car-share program for residents of the Ecovillage, Berea also operates a 12-passenger van to provide transportation for students to local towns. Students are discouraged from bringing cars to campus, and priority parking is available to carpools. Berea Bikes is a student-run co-op that fixes, rents, and builds bicycles for the college community.
Several departments at Brown University utilize hybrid and biodiesel- or natural gas-fueled vehicles. Newly purchased vehicles must be in the top 25 percent of EPA fuel economy standards and SUV purchases are restricted. Students, faculty, and staff are provided with a free statewide transit pass.
University of Kentucky grounds staff use electric golf carts, and some buses run on biodiesel. The university assists employees in buying homes near campus in a Live Where You Work program, and carpool commuters pay reduced parking permit rates. There is a bike-sharing program, a bike rental program, and planning initiatives that have improved bike traffic on campus and to the surrounding areas.
The University of Maryland–College Park (UMD) runs biodiesel shuttle buses equipped with bike racks. A car-share is available on campus, and carpool commuters receive parking incentives. UMD has a full-service bike shop and recently completed a campus bicycle plan.
The University of Michigan–Ann Arbor operates its own free bus system, facilitates carpool networks, provides a vanpool program for faculty commuters, and offers car-share services on campus. Approximately 87 percent of campus vehicles run on alternative fuels.
A fare-free bus system at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides over six million rides annually. A car-sharing service is available, and three hybrid vehicles are available for rent. A community bike-loan program offers bike rentals for use around campus and Chapel Hill. The campus development plan specifically addresses environmental issues, including storm water, transportation, and utilities.
St. Olaf College grounds vehicles are fueled with B20 biodiesel. The grounds department will begin operating an on-campus biodiesel reactor with waste oil from food services as its feedstock. Priority parking for alternative-fuel vehicles will be designated for the start of the 2008-2009 academic year. The Green Machine Bicycle Program collects and recycles used and discarded bikes for students to use on campus.
The University of Utah owns nine hybrid vehicles and provides free universal transit passes to all students, faculty, and staff. Transit ridership is expected to increase from 33 to 40 percent in fall 2008. The campus shuttle system operates buses on biodiesel and waste vegetable oil. A student-directed bike collective promotes cycling on campus and will open a new campus bike repair facility.
The University of Victoria offers a universal bus pass for local transit, free membership to a car-sharing program for commuters using alternative transportation, and extensive campus cycling infrastructure. SPOKES is an innovative program that both recycles bicycles and provides them for free to campus members. Campus planning initiatives integrate consideration of the physical environment and strive to encourage the use of public transit, walking, and cycling.
The University of Washington U-Pass program offers a range of incentives to students and employees encouraging the use of alternative transportation options. The university operates shuttle services between campuses and maintains a fleet of over 300 alternative-fuel, hybrid, and electric vehicles.