University of California, Irvine
OP-17: Support for Sustainable Transportation

UCI is currently exploring new bicycle share options as the campus community begins to return to campus after being primarily remote in 2020 and 2021.

UCI has partnered with Zipcar to provide 17 vehicles available at 7 locations on campus in its carshare program. UCI has approved more than 8,167 Zipcar member and usage jumps from an average of 40% during the week to 50% on the weekends.

See: https://www.parking.uci.edu/at/modes/carshare.cfm

UCI's innovative Pump2Plug program provides special negotiated pricing for the purchase or lease of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. UCI staff and faculty who swap their gasoline commute vehicle for an EV or plug-in hybrid, could qualify for up to three years of complimentary Level 1 charging and discounted Level 2 charging on campus. The 181 charging stalls throughout campus are located in preferred parking areas.

See: https://sites.uci.edu/electricvehicles/

UCI has boosted its electric vehicle charging network over the last few years to offer an astounding 181 charging ports for employee both public and employee/student use.

See:
UCI EV Charging Map: https://map.uci.edu/?id=463#!ce/36404?ct/52435
ChargePoint Map: https://na.chargepoint.com/charge_point

UCI offers significant incentives to encourage employees to live within walking distance of the campus's academic core. UCI developed and operates the largest and most successful faculty/staff housing community in the nation. The Irvine Campus Housing Authority (ICHA) is a non-profit housing entity whose mission is focused on developing affordable faculty/staff housing opportunities for UCI affiliates. Through the development of for-sale and rental housing opportunities through ICHA and University-sponsored mortgage program, approximately two-thirds of UCI faculty live on-campus within walking distance to their work.

See: https://icha.uci.edu/

UCI Transportation's Sustainable Transportation (ST) program provides a variety of benefits and incentives to reduce the "car-free" fear that may accompany the adoption of a sustainable mode. UCI has specific programs tailored to reach students and faculty/staff. To connect with Students, UCI begins its ST outreach before the student has even attended his/her first class with presentations at the freshman and transfer student orientations. For employees, the outreach begins with benefit orientation sessions. For more information, visit the UCI Sustainable Transportation Website: https://parking.uci.edu/AT/

- Employee Incentive Program
UCI's Sustainable Transportation program provides variable amounts of occasional use parking permits per month depending on the mode selected. For example, vanpool commuters are granted 4 daily permits per month and bicycle commuters are granted 5 daily permits per month.

- OC Bus “UPass” Program
UCI subsidizes the "University Pass" membership, which provides unlimited boardings on the Orange County Transportation Authority (OC Bus) bus system's regular routes, reaching every city throughout Orange County. The membership fee for UCI students, faculty, and staff is only $169 and the monthly usage is paid for by UCI Transportation. The UPass is available to all UCI students and employees who forego a parking permit and employees can elect to have the cost of the UPass deducted from their paycheck pre-tax). The UPass saves transit users $659 per year compared to the OC Bus passes which cost $69/month ($828/year).

- Train Rebate Program
UCI students, staff, and faculty traveling by train may receive a rebate for traveling sustainably. They simply submit their used 10-trip, 7-day, or monthly train passes for a 20% rebate on the cost of the pass. For students, this rebate may be used in addition to the discount offered by Metrolink and Amtrak.

- Bike Commuter Education & Outreach
UCI annually hosts two high-profile bike-focused education and encouragement festivals wherein students, staff, and faculty learn about bicycle safety, rights, maintenance, as well as take part in used bike sales and tricycle races.

Recognizing the importance of education in promoting safety, UCI regularly hosts Smart Cycling classes taught by certified staff League of American Bicyclist Cycling Instructors, where students, faculty, staff, and immediate family members can learn to ride safely and confidently alongside traffic and earn a certification in the process.

UCI's BikeUCI Ambassadors volunteer program engages experienced campus cyclists to encourage new cyclists, teach and learn, and strengthen our bike community. Ambassadors also assist with education festivals, Smart Cycling, and safety campaigns.

UCI annually promotes safe bicycling with helmet and bike light giveaways which also prove to be a valuable assistance to those students who otherwise could not afford the items.

- Carpool/Vanpool Program
UCI promotes carpooling and vanpooling through its marketing campaigns and the Waze Carpool rideshare matching app, and by offering the incentive of complimentary occasional parking permits (valued at $336 for carpool, $672 for vanpool). Employees who team together in a four-person carpool can park for free. Vanpool groups receive signed/reserved stalls for their vanpools in the lot of their choice.

- Compressed Work Week Support
To foster employee work/life balance, UCI actively supports and promotes alternate or flexible work schedule options including 3/36, 4/40, 9/80, modified 9/80, and 3/13:20. UCI's ZotPortal website provides a six-step checklist to help supervisors and employees determine the type of schedule that best meets the needs of the department and employee.

UCI's Sustainable Transportation program encourages and facilitates more sustainable commutes via custom commute planning, regular information sessions and tabling at all student (undergraduate, graduate, international student) orientations and major staff-focused events.

UCI has also received the following awards:

--2020 Green Garage Award - Ranked #2 - 100 Best Fleets (https://dfa.uci.edu/awards/_pdf/2020-green-garage-award.pdf)
--2020 Fleet Merit Award - Best University or College
(https://www.nafa.org/Awards/Awards/GreenFleet/2020-Green-Fleet.aspx)
--2020 Green Fleet Award - Ranked #10 - Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference (https://www.nafa.org/Awards/Awards/GreenFleet/2020-Green-Fleet.aspx)