University of Pittsburgh
OP-17: Support for Sustainable Transportation

The University of Pittsburgh provides free, unlimited use of Healthy Ride (Pittsburgh’s nonprofit bike share program) to all employees and students. As a result, Pitt students and employees take hundreds of rides each week on campus and off.

The University partners with Healthy Ride to promote the program and create University-specific marketing and engagement programs to encourage more people to enroll and utilize the bike share program.

1) Pitt’s Fleet Services (& Vehicle Rentals)

Through September 2019, Pitt's Fleet Services offered direct vehicle rentals to staff, faculty, and student groups for trips outside of Pittsburgh. Students and employees had the ability to rent vehicles for a half-day or longer for attendance at workshops, conferences, volunteer events, and club activities.

Learn more: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/fleet-services/vehicle-rentals

Since September 2019, Pitt employees and student groups reserve vehicle rentals booked through the PantherExpress Travel Management Program using the Concur Online Booking Tool or the University’s Travel Management Company (Anthony Travel).

Additionally, in September 2020 the University announced an extension of its partnership with Enterprise Fleet Management, to lease a total of 268 electric and hybrid vehicles, thus making the University’s fleet entirely leased (vs. owned) and much more efficient and impact reducing over time.

Learn more about Pitt / Enterprise Fleet partnership: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/pitt-fleet-expands-electric-hybrid-options-via-enterprise-partnership/

Learn more about Pitt’s leased vehicle program: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/fleet-services/university-leased-vehicles

2) Zipcar

International car-sharing membership program Zipcar offers Zipcars throughout the City of Pittsburgh and at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Several Zipcars are located on city streets within and near the University of Pittsburgh's campus. Zipcar offers membership discounts for all Pitt students, faculty, and staff that currently includes waiving the $25 application fee and a $25 annual fee (savings of $45 annually); student leaders are eligible for a $0 application fee and $0 annual fee. Additionally, when Zipcar first launched in Pittsburgh, the University worked with Zipcar to place a car near our Benedum Hall as part of that building's LEED Gold achievement.

Learn more about Zipcar’s Pittsburgh locations: https://www.zipcar.com/pittsburgh

Learn more about Zipcar membership discounts offered to Pitt students, faculty, and staff: https://members.zipcar.com/registration/?search=t&org_p=t#step

Learn more about Zipcar’s general student discounts for Pitt students: https://www.zipcar.com/universities/university-of-pittsburgh

3) CommuteInfo

Pitt partners with Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission's CommuteInfo program to provide free ride-matching services.

Learn more about Pitt Ride Match: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/commuting/carpooling/find-carpool-match

Learn more about CommuteInfo: https://commuteinfo.org/for-commuters/commuting-options/carpool/#morphing

The University of Pittsburgh provides preferred parking for electric vehicles. Individuals with an Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Permit designated a home garage, but are able to charge at any Pitt-owned EV charger in any garage or lot. There are currently 18 chargers in 3 popular parking garages on campus (plus 4 more at our Meade Street Lot nearby), giving EV Permit holders more flexibility to park at 3 popular, centrally-located garages than traditional parking permit holders.

Learn more about Pitt's EV parking permits: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/parking/permits/electric-vehicle

We have a total of 22 Level 2 charging stations located in University parking garages or lots. Chargers are located in the following areas:

- Posvar Garage: 8 Level II Chargers
- Soldiers & Sailors Garage: 4 Level II Chargers
- O'Hara Garage: 6 Level II Chargers
- Meade Street Lot: 4 Level II Chargers

Charging stations are available for use by both employees and students. All Pitt EV chargers are currently being used by employees with paid EV Parking permits, but could be made available to students on a semester basis by request.

Learn more about Pitt's EV parking permits & charging stations: https://www.pts.pitt.edu

The University of Pittsburgh strives for convenient multi-modal access to and through our campus, prioritizing active, shared, and low carbon mobility, along with a walkable campus that enhances the health and safety of our community and the environment. We have a variety of transportation and mobility goals outlined in the 2018 Pitt Sustainability Plan, including:

- Achieve Silver-level Bicycle-Friendly University status from the League of American Bicyclists by in 2021 and Gold by the end of FY2025.
- Embrace international 2030 Challenge goal of 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from commuter travel and direct transportation by 2030 (from 2013 regional baseline).
- Increase active Pitt registered carpools by 2% and create 1 new vanpool annually between FY2018 and FY2030.
- Reduce Pitt Shuttle fuel usage by 3% annually between FY2018 and FY2030.

Further description of some mode-specific efforts programs and initiatives at Pitt that we use to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation reduce the impact of commuting are below:

BIKING

The University of Pittsburgh is one of 190 universities affiliated with The League of American Bicyclists, currently holding the League's Bronze Bicycle-Friendly University Designation (BFU) for our work in promoting and enabling safe, accessible bicycling on campus. We are committed to improving upon our current BFU status and are aiming to achieve Silver BFU status in 2021 and Gold BFU status by 2025 by partnering with Healthy Ride to provide students, faculty, and staff on Pitt's Oakland campus with free access to the city's bike share program; convening the University's first Active Mobility Committee; and, expanding upon our bike parking options across campus.

There are currently 1,136 bike parking stalls on campus, 1,206 active bicycle registrations, and 16 Healthy Ride bike share stations in Oakland (the Pittsburgh neighborhood where Pitt is located).

Learn more about Pitt’s growing biking resources & amenities: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/commuting/biking

HEALTHY RIDE BIKE SHARE

Students, faculty, and staff at Pitt’s Oakland campus are able to enjoy unlimited 30-minute Healthy Ride, Pittsburgh’s bike sharing system, at no cost to them. Pitt piloted this partnership with first year students in the 2019-20 academic year – and offered it university-wide for the first time in 2020-21. Despite the global Covid-19 pandemic, in Fall 2020 alone, Pitt students and employees took over 7,000 trips on the local Healthy Ride bike share, including for commuting to and from campus!

Learn more about Pitt’s Healthy Ride partnership and offering: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/commuting/healthy-ride

UNIVERSITY SHUTTLES

The University of Pittsburgh runs its own fleet of shuttles across 11 routes and schedules; this shuttle system serves nearly 1 million riders annually.

Starting in July 2020, Pitt partnered with its shuttle providers to shift to a new state-of-the-art fleet of 20 propane-powered shuttle buses, which help us reach towards carbon reduction goals and improve local air quality. Along with new amenities like passenger-counting technology and WiFi, the shuttles contribute to a 33% reduction in carbon emissions from Pitt’s shuttle operations (previously a mix of gasoline and 5% biodiesel vehicles) until the shuttle fleet is able to be electrified.

Learn more about Pitt’s shuttle services: https://www.pc.pitt.edu/buses-shuttles
Learn more about Pitt’s new propane shuttles: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/shuttle-propane-switch/

PUBLIC TRANSIT

The University provides all students and employees free access to the local public transit system (Port Authority of Allegheny County). Students and employees are able to automatically use their valid University IDs to ride all local buses, light rail, and inclines in the Port Authority system to get to, from, and around campus – as well as to get anywhere in the Pittsburgh region served by the Port Authority system, which operates a fleet of 700 buses 365 days a year, servicing more than 7,000 stops throughout Allegheny County (the county Pittsburgh is located within).

As a result, Pitt students and employees take hundreds of thousands of trips on public transit monthly. More than 54% of students and almost 60% of employees use the local Port Authority public transit system to commute to Pitt’s Pittsburgh campus.

Learn more about the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s public transit system: https://www.portauthority.org

CARPOOL & VANPOOL

Pitt provides carpool and vanpool coordination in partnership with local nonprofit CommuteInfo (a regional ridesharing initiative for the surrounding 10 counties & program of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission). Almost 100 employees travel to and from campus using 7 vanpools, and over 155 registered carpools received preferred parking spots in Pitt-owned parking garages and lots.

Learn more about Pitt vanpooling: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/commuting/vanpooling
Learn more about Pitt’s carpool offerings: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/commuting/carpooling

Learn more about Pitt’s overall commuting options: https://www.pts.pitt.edu/parking/commuting-options