The list of Transportation Leaders is comprised of 105 schools that earned “A” grades in this category. Below is a sample of 12 very different institutions that all have innovative transportation initiatives. These summaries are based on data from each school’s profile page.
University of Alberta
In fall 2009, the university will begin participating in a commercial car-sharing program. Access to municipal public transportation is available at a 70 percent discount for students. Faculty and staff have free access to the light rail transit system between downtown and South Campus. A bicycle-sharing program offers 30 community bikes and free maintenance services to community members.
Berea College
Residents of the EcoVillage can check out a hybrid vehicle for free if two or more students are riding; students driving alone must pay a gas fee. Volunteering at the bicycle cooperative for ten hours earns community members the opportunity to build themselves a bike from used frames and parts. The college operates a 12-passenger van that provides transportation into town several times a week. The campus fleet includes 13 hybrid and 3 electric vehicles.
University of Cincinnati
There are reserved spots for carpoolers in all parking lots. The university provides subsidized public bus passes to faculty, students, and staff, and free shuttle buses travel throughout campus as well as to local destinations. A bike-sharing program is being initiated and the master plan has moved vehicles to the perimeter of campus and placed bike racks throughout campus.
Pierce College
Students enrolled full time at Pierce College are eligible to participate in the district’s subsidized transit pass program, through which they receive a six-month Metro pass for $15, representing a discount of 40 percent. The college also offers faculty and staff monetary incentives to carpool, use public transportation, bike, or walk to campus. The campus has a pedestrian mall area and has provided connections to existing transit services.
Louisiana State University
The university is implementing a new bus system that will expand coverage and is free to the public. The city bus service is free to students, faculty, and staff. The university has a bike rental program, and the ECO student group auctions off abandoned bikes to students. The original Easy Streets program closed the center of campus to traffic, and a second part of this study is underway to improve bicycle safety by creating bike lanes and closing additional streets to traffic.
Luther College
Luther's fleet includes eight hybrid, six electric, and one compressed natural gas vehicle. An estimated 90 percent of individuals commute to campus via environmentally preferable transportation. The college created a bike-sharing program in 2008.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT subsidizes the purchase of public transportation and commuter train passes for students and employees. The institute has a bike-sharing program and partners with a car-sharing service, through which a hybrid option is available. MIT's fleet includes a range of alternative-fuel vehicles, and a student-run biodiesel processor is providing fuel from waste vegetable oil.
Mercer University
Mercer subsidizes a free trolley service that runs from campus to downtown locations. The university has partnered with the City of Macon and a local nonprofit to subsidize new and rehabilitated housing close to campus for employees. In an effort to decrease vehicular traffic, Mercer offers a bike-sharing program that includes repair services.
University of Pittsburgh
The campus fleet includes hybrid, electric, and biodiesel vehicles. All members of the school community can use public transportation for free, and the university offers discounts on parking passes for community members who carpool. The university provides bicycles that can be rented hourly or daily and also operates a free bus around campus and to some local destinations.
University of Texas-Austin
All community members are eligible for carpool incentives, and city buses are free for anyone with a university ID card. UT also offers shuttle service between residential areas and outlying academic locations. The Orange Bike Project offers bicycle rentals free of charge. The master plan calls for pedestrian- and bike-friendly improvements in some areas of the campus.
University of Utah
Diesel vehicles in the campus fleet run on biodiesel fuel. Carpool participants are given priority parking permits, and a free shuttle services the campus. A bike-sharing program, started in spring 2009, makes 20 bikes available for free rental to the campus community. The university is piloting a car-sharing program in fall 2009. All full-time students, staff, and faculty are provided regional transit passes at no direct cost, funded by parking and student fees.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
All faculty, staff, and students receive unlimited bus passes for use on local transit, and a university shuttle provides free transportation around campus. A community car-sharing program is available, and carpoolers are able to split the cost of a parking pass. Currently, 68 percent of the campus community commutes via environmentally preferable transportation. The campus fleet includes 25 hybrid and 19 electric vehicles.