| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.54 |
| Liaison | C Jane Hagen |
| Submission Date | Sept. 3, 2024 |
Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-17: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
C Jane
Hagen Sustainability Data Analyst Sustainability |
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
The VCU bike loan program at RamBikes consists of loanable commuter TREK hybrids that are free to rent at no cost for any student, faculty or staff member with a valid VCU ID. The bikes have a 48-hour check-out period to encourage a high turnover rate and allow anyone to get the chance to try them. Bikes come with a helmet, lights, and a u-lock by request. One renewal is allowed, but after that the bicycle must be returned. The Outdoor Adventure Program also offers mountain bike and road bike rentals for a small fee.
URL: https://bikes.vcu.edu/about/specialty-programs/
Does the institution participate in a car sharing program?:
Zipcars are located around VCU’s campus for rent by the hour or day. VCU students and employees can join for $25/year. Rental rates include gas and insurance.
URL: https://www.zipcar.com/universities/virginia-commonwealth-university
Does the institution offer preferential parking or other incentives for fuel efficient vehicles?:
A brief description of the incentives for fuel efficient vehicles:
Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
Ten charging stations are available at VCU in the West Broad St. Deck, STEM Building (Monroe Park Campus), I Deck, and N Deck (MCV Campus), ensuring convenient access for the VCU community and visitors.
VCU’s Level 2 charging stations are equipped with dual-port J1772 connectors, allowing two vehicles to charge simultaneously.
URL: https://parking.vcu.edu/parking/ev-charging/
Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
All VCU students and employees have unlimited transportation access on Greater Richmond Transit Company's (GRTC) Pulse Bus Rapid Transit, local and express routes. In 2021, VCU pledged around 3.9 million to match grant funding to make this public transportation free for all riders.
The GRTC network provides VCU students and employees greater access to VCU, VCU Health and the entire Richmond region. In addition to connecting the Monroe Park and MCV Campuses, students and employees can access doctors, shopping malls, parks, arts, restaurants, community resources and more. Plus, commuters can use GRTC to get to and from campus every day and save money on parking, fuel and tolls. This incentivizes living close to campus for faculty and staff to be able to utilize this free resource to commute to campus. GRTC bus service is only available in the city, and not the outlying suburbs, therefore this incentive is only useful to employees living closer to campus.
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?:
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:
VCU offers flexible teleworking schedules of up to a 40% for eligible employees. VCU encourages managers to consider flexible working arrangement requests and offers IT support specifically for safe remote working. By allowing for these telework days, VCU is able to limit or eliminate the commute for many employees on those days they telework.
URL: https://hr.vcu.edu/career-development/flexible-work-arrangements/
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.