Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.66
Liaison Megan Litke
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

American University
OP-17: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Courtney Stoner
Sustainability Analyst
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
Yes

A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
Capital Bikeshare is the local bicycle-sharing program within Washington, D.C. There is one Capital Bikeshare location on main campus, with 15 docks, one on Tenley Campus with 19 docks, and one on East Campus with 19 docks.

Additionally, students are eligible for a student discount of $25 annually (normally $85 annually).

https://www.american.edu/finance/transportation/micromobility.cfm

Does the institution participate in a car sharing program?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the car sharing program:
The American University-Lyft RideSmart Program is replacing the previous carshare partnership to offer a sustainable, flexible, and cost effective transportation alternative for faculty, staff, and students conducting official university business.

Departments will now be able to set up Lyft programs and utilize a central billing system for authorized users to book rides via the Lyft app. This allows students, faculty, and staff the flexibility to go off-campus when needed without worrying about needing a personal vehicle to get to their destination. Departments can set specific pickup and drop-off locations to ensure the program is only utilized for AU-affiliated business.

https://www.american.edu/finance/transportation/lyft.cfm

Does the institution offer preferential parking or other incentives for fuel efficient vehicles?:
Yes

A brief description of the incentives for fuel efficient vehicles:
Reserved parking for FEVs is available in two main parking garages on campus.

Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
There are nine (9) Level 2 ChargePoint EV charging stations (18 ports) located across campus in the East Campus garage (2), SIS garage (2), Katzen Arts Center garage (3), and WCL garage (2). They are only accessible to verified members of the AU community.

Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
No

None
A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
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Does the institution have other programs or initiatives to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation and/or reduce the impact of student and employee commuting?:
Yes

A brief description of other programs or initiatives to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation and/or reduce the impact of student and employee commuting:
AU has the U-Pass Program, which provides an unlimited transit pass to full-time undergraduate students to be used on Metro Rail and Metro Bus as well as the Dulles shuttle.

American University offers incentives to academic and non-academic staff for commuters who primarily travel by bicycle to campus. Within this program, bicycle commuters can receive $20 per month for biking to work which can be used to buy bicycling gear and services at participating bicycle shops.

AU also offers pre-tax commuter benefits for employees who use money for metro travel.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainable transportation is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on the DC community and area universities, WMATA's temporary suspension of the U∙PASS® Program will continue for the spring 2021 semester. The university will continue to work with WMATA regarding the status of the U∙PASS® Program for the fall 2021 semester. Decisions will be based on the evolving conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the operating status of WMATA and the university.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.