Encouraging Students To Use Transit

1
Encouraging Students To Use Transit

• University Transit Service

2
Essentials

• As users of public transportation, students
  have unusually high demands and expectations
• Convenient Platforms
• Frequent Service
• Attractive Buses /Amenities
• Convenience of Payment

3
Students Loathe Money

• More accurately, students loathe cash.
  Therefore, remove the necessity for cash
  transactions and ridership will increase.

4
Transit Cards

• Transit Cards or Smart Cards can be an
  excellent way to eliminate cash from
  transactions. Unfortunately, they have
  weaknesses.
• Its another card and students dont like to carry
  a lot of these (seriously)
• Arranging payment can be considered inconvenient

5
Open Ridership

• Open Ridership arrangements can be great
  because they are convenient for everyone
• Students dont have to sign up or actively pay
  anything
• Transit agencies dont have to manage thousands
  of transactions.

6
Students Will Pay for Convenience

• Not only does an open ridership agreement
  make the monetary flow much easier for a transit
  agency to manage, but the agency can actually
  charge more for this.
• University administration is willing to pay to
  have a transit amenity for students
• The fee can be passed along to students because
  they like the convenience and parents like
  car-free options

7
Case Study University of Virginia

• University served by two transit agencies
• University Transit serves University grounds and
  nearby areas
• Charlottesville Transit serves city and outlying
  area.

8
Case Study UVAInitial Condition

• Ridership on UTS quite high.
• Student ridership on CTS low, overall ridership
  could use work
• UTS funded by Student transportation fee, Parking
  fees. State Agency
• CTS funded by tax dollars (and fare box)

9
Case Study UVAImplementation

• Ridership surveyed to ascertain necessary level
  of funding
• UVA agrees to pay more than the cost of all
  surveyed rides in order to anticipate increase in
  ridership due to program
• UVA Staff and Students must show ID to ride but
  there is no separate pass.

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Case Study UVAResult

• UVA Staff and Student ridership 04/08
• 10,182 (7.4 of total CTS ridership)
• UVA Staff and Student ridership 03/08
• 18781 (13.3 of total CTS ridership)