Florida Gulf Coast University
OP-16: Student Commute Modal Split

Consistent with our greenhouse gas report, we assume that all off-campus student residents commute to campus via single occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips. We do not have data to suggest otherwise and are in a suburban environment where SOV trips are the most common mode of transportation.

FGCU offers transportation options and programs that aim to decrease SOV trips to campus and better track commuting behavior data.

First, we launched Wheeli in the Fall of 2016 in an attempt to provide students with a more technologically advanced way of finding carpools. Wheeli is an app designed for college students to carpool. Our previous Ride2FGCU webpage was outdated and there were extremely low utilization rates. Wheeli connects students with cars and student passengers looking for rides and allows students to more easily split the cost of gas and tolls. In 2016-17, 135 students created accounts and 20 successfully found ride matches. Despite the low number, this is actually an improvement from Ride2FGCU, which had 125 accounts in 2015-16 and only 4 successful matches. Wheeli is primarily used for weekend and break trips as opposed to daily commuting. Wheeli suggests that FGCU focus marketing efforts on long-distance trips next year and revisit promoting it as a commuting tool in 2019 or 2020. Meanwhile, they work to advance the technology that would make commuting trip matches more successful.

Second, the Transportation Element of FGCU's 2015-2025 Master Plan includes a number of policies supportive of reducing SOV trips to campus. The entire Transportation Element is attached to this credit. Some noteworthy policies are as follows:

-Policy 1103.1.5- Work with Lee County Transit and other transportation organizations to establish favorable rate structures, semester-oriented transit passes, universal pass programs (also referred to as UPass programs), and other fee options specifically oriented toward increasing transit use by University students, faculty, and staff." It also states that we should,
-Policy 1103.02.5- Identify a part-time TDM coordinator to manage and implement TDM programs, and to continue and expand on existing TDM programs.
-Policy 1103.1.1- Coordinate with Lee County Transit and other regional transportation organizations to continue and enhance present transit service to the campus from areas including the Airport, regional bus station, Downtown, Buckingham/Lehigh Acres area, and the future ETI facility. Connection to the ETI facility could include an expansion of Route 60 along Alico Road

Each of these policies, if enacted, would better coordinate efforts to reduce SOV trips to campus.

Finally, FGCU piloted a survey during our Forming Lasting Opportunities for Commuters (F.L.O.C.) week in 2017 as the first step in better understanding commuting behaviors and strategies for retaining commuter students. The pilot survey did not reach a representative sample of students. However, we were surprised to learn that 19% of the off-campus residents surveyed reported biking or carpooling as their primary means of getting to campus. We expected fewer students to report this behavior, which illustrates a need for more robust data collection efforts in order to accurately quantify our carbon footprint associated with student commuting.

The percentage was calculated using FTE and not headcount of students.