| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.18 |
| Liaison | Weston Dripps |
| Submission Date | Aug. 19, 2024 |
Amherst College
IL-48: Shared Mobility Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Weston
Dripps Director of Sustainability Sustainability |
Does the institution have a program designed to incentivize the use of public transportation?:
Description of the institution’s programs designed to incentivize the use of public transportation:
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA)
Amherst is part of a five college system that helps fund an extensive public bus system that not only services the colleges, but also provides bus routes across the pioneer valley. The college helps fund the bus system, and many of the routes are free for all faculty, staff, and students with a campus ID.
Does the institution have a bicycle or scooter sharing program?:
Description of the institution’s bicycle or scooter sharing program:
The Amherst College Bike Share allows Amherst College students and staff to check out bikes during the day for free. Our goal is to make sustainable recreation easy and accessible for all campus community members and to advocate for the benefits of riding bicycles. Bikes can be checked out at the Alumni Gym checkout station during its open hours.
In an effort to reduce the number of abandoned bikes, foster a campus biking culture, help keep bikes rideable and in circulation, and educate and empower students with the tools and expertise to care for and fix their own bikes, a coalition of students, faculty, and staff at Amherst College created a student-run campus bike co-op and education hub, The Tread Shed.
The Tread Shed “up-cycling” approach is working to significantly reduce the number of abandoned bicycles due to disrepair while providing an easy, accessible, and affordable option for students, faculty, and staff to service or work to own a bike. We have taken a systems-wide approach to closing the loop to stop the waste of abandoned bikes through the new bike co-op, a series of educational programs, campus infrastructure additions and enhancements, and bike services for the campus community including:
- Hosting weekly open hour maintenance and repair workshops at the shed for individuals seeking assistance, specialized equipment, or common consumables to maintain and fix their bikes.
- Taking a systematic approach to identifying, collecting, and refurbishing abandoned bikes across campus.
- Developing an innovative sliding-scale volunteer-to-own bike program by which students can claim any of the abandoned bikes in our bike inventory, and through volunteer /work hours in the shop fix up the bike towards eventual ownership.
- Offering free indoor bike storage over breaks, the summer, and study away to stop students from simply locking their bikes to the outdoor racks while they are away for extended periods of time and having the bike fall into disrepair.
- Providing indoor bike parking in the residence halls to help protect bikes from rain, snow, and humidity that may cause them to rust and eventually become abandoned.
Does the institution have a car sharing or carpool program?:
Description of the institution’s car sharing or carpool program:
Amherst College students, faculty and staff can join Zipcar and have access to cars parked conveniently on campus to drive wherever you want, whenever you want.
Amherst participates in both the MassRides program and the UMASS Rideshare program. MassRIDES is the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s statewide travel options program, providing free assistance to anyone who wants to save money, save time, and improve their commute. Travelers and commuters throughout the Commonwealth can go online to find a carpool partner, or receive information on transit options. UMass Rideshare is a carpool assistance program that lists the names of carpoolers who have similar schedules and routes.
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.