baltimore collegetown shuttle innovative collaboration among colleges & universities
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Baltimore Collegetown ShuttleInnovative Collaboration Among Colleges & Universities
What is the Baltimore Collegetown Network?
www.baltimorecollegetown.org
Member InstitutionsThe Baltimore Collegetown Network is a consortium of 16 institutions
• Baltimore City Community College
• Baltimore Hebrew University
• Baltimore International College
• College of Notre Dame of Maryland
• Coppin State College• Goucher College• Johns Hopkins
University (& Peabody Institute)
• Loyola College• Maryland Institute College of Art• McDaniel College• Morgan State University• Towson University • University of Baltimore • University of Maryland, Baltimore • UMBC• Villa Julie College
Shuttle schools are highlighted in red
Colleges in Baltimore• Mission is to recruit, engage, retain• Bring people to the city
– 100,000 students– 40,000 employees– 11,000 new undergraduates annually– 39,000 out-of-state and international students
• Contribute $3.3 billion to the local economy • Encourage tourist spending
– 60,000 students and parents visit our campuses each year• Advance workforce development
– 15,000 students graduate from our institutions each year. • Transport students
– 72,000 riders used the Collegetown Shuttle last year
Institutional Commitment• Governance
– Governing Board of one VP from each institution– Committees
• Marketing• Student Affairs• CFOs• HR Directors• Transportation• Others
• Collegetown Shuttle– Cornerstone initiative of BCN– Committee representative– Funding– Marketing
How Was Transportation Identified As A Need?
• Greatest obstacle identified to greater collaboration by the Teagle Foundation report was the lack of convenient inter-campus transit links.
• Obstacles identified to the use of public transportation were: inconvenience to get from school to school and the student perception of the safety and service of busses. – There is no direct college-to-college route.
• Many students may have cars, but parking at colleges for events and classes can be difficult to find.
History Of The Collegetown Shuttle
• A grant-funded study by the member campuses and the KFH group determined that Baltimore’s lack of a comprehensive transportation system held the area back as a premier college town destination.– The 1998-99 study did an:
• Analysis of transit needs: consisted of a paper survey at each college, interviews with administration, staff and students
• Inventory of currently available transportation resources• Inventory of currently available transportation resources• Alternatives• Recommended Plan (creation of the Collegetown Shuttle system)
• Ten institutions came together to address this issue. • Five secured a $150,000 grant from the Teagle Fdtn.
and started the Collegetown Shuttle in 1999-2000.
Collegetown Shuttle Route
“I like the shuttle because it reduces the hassle of finding transportation, especially for students who do not have cars. I enjoy the ride, talking with the friendly bus drivers who eventually made the ride something to look forward to. With the shuttle, I also meet many new people at other schools.” Beverly Ukandu, JHU ‘08
• Participating Schools– Goucher College
– Towson University
– College of Notre Dame
– Loyola College
– Johns Hopkins University
– Maryland Institute College of Art
– UMBC
• Social DestinationsInner Harbor, Belvedere Square, Penn Station, Towson Town Center
• Part-time staff
Shuttle Funding• Funded primarily by the participating member schools
• Approximately 20% of budget comes from fundraising– Strong partnership with the DHMH Tobacco Prevention
Department as exterior wrap sponsor– Interior sponsorships
• Tout successes, keep awareness alive
Shuttle Ridership Numbers
YEARTOTAL RIDERSHIP NOTES
1999-2000 12,600 First year
2000-2001 63,491 264% increase
2001-2002 62,328 Added MICA
2002-2003 65,876
2003-2004 61,000 Dropped Mall stop spring semester
2004-2005 55,000 TU dropped off
2005-2006 72,300 Added TU back on, expanded with UMBC
Website
• Look at the shuttle schedule
• Track Shuttle online• Post shuttle updates,
delays, and announcements under Hot Tips
www.BaltimoreCollegetown.org
What Do Students Think Of The Shuttle?
• In the Spring of 2007, BCN surveyed almost 500 riders.
• Riders are primarily undergraduates, but graduate students, faculty and staff can and do use the Shuttle.
• What did they say?
Reasons Why Students Ride The Shuttle
• Go to other colleges* (16% of respondents)• Get to work (4% of respondents)• Social (92% of respondents)
- Go to restaurants- Go to mall, other shops- Grocery Shopping- Internships- Doctors Appointments- Banking- All sorts of personal needs
These numbers are consistent with previous four years of rider survey data
What Do Students Like About The Shuttle?
• Free• Perceived Safety• Convenient• Meets their needs
“I love the shuttle. My friends and I use it to get around town. It really helps us get where we want to go.”
Monica Radcliffe, Goucher student
• Dependable • No need for a car• Nice staff• Saves money
What Do Students Say Can Be Better?
• Expanded routes• More shuttles during
peak travel hours/
weekends• Better identification of
shuttles/signage
“Expand service to provide service to more of the city, to more campuses, every day.”
- Loyola College student, ‘06 survey
• 24 hour phone line with shuttle updates
• Increased frequency of the shuttles
What Do Campuses Like About The
Collegetown Shuttle?• Makes Baltimore more accessible to students in a
safe environment.
• Operates seven days/week; meets a need for their students.
• Great recruitment and retention tool.
• Serves as a national model for collaboration and student transportation.
Next Steps
• Work with institutions and community partners to connect more of Baltimore’s 100,000 students to social destinations, internships, jobs, and transportation hubs.
• Meet student needs for direct routes, free fares, and reliable service in order to engage them in the community.
• Represent higher education needs in regional transportation planning discussions.
Contacts
Kristen Campbell, Executive Director, Baltimore Collegetown Network410-828-5733
Maureen Cannon, Assistant Director, Baltimore Collegetown Network 410-828-5732
Bill Smedick, Ph.D, Johns Hopkins UniversityChair of the Collegetown Transportation Committee
410-516-8190 [email protected]
www.baltimorecollegetown.org
Questions?