Baltimore Collegetown Shuttle

1. Baltimore Collegetown Shuttle Innovative Collaboration Among Colleges & Universities

2. What is the Baltimore Collegetown Network? www.baltimorecollegetown.org

3. Member Institutions The Baltimore Collegetown Network is a consortium of 16 institutions • Baltimore City Community College • Baltimore Hebrew University • Baltimore International College • College of Notre Dame of Maryland • Coppin State College • Goucher College • Johns Hopkins University (& Peabody Institute) • Loyola College • Maryland Institute College of Art • McDaniel College • Morgan State University • Towson University • University of Baltimore • University of Maryland, Baltimore • UMBC • Villa Julie College Shuttle schools are highlighted in red

4. Colleges in Baltimore • Mission is to recruit, engage, retain • Bring people to the city • 100,000 students • 40,000 employees • 11,000 new undergraduates annually • 39,000 out-of-state and international students • Contribute $3.3 billion to the local economy • Encourage tourist spending • 60,000 students and parents visit our campuses each year • Advance workforce development • 15,000 students graduate from our institutions each year. • Transport students • 72,000 riders used the Collegetown Shuttle last year

5. Institutional Commitment • Governance • Governing Board of one VP from each institution • Committees • Marketing • Student Affairs • CFOs • HR Directors • Transportation • Others • Collegetown Shuttle • Cornerstone initiative of BCN • Committee representative • Funding • Marketing

6. How Was Transportation Identified As A Need? • Greatest obstacle identified to greater collaboration by the Teagle Foundation report was the lack of convenient inter-campus transit links. • Obstacles identified to the use of public transportation were: inconvenience to get from school to school and the student perception of the safety and service of busses. • There is no direct college-to-college route. • Many students may have cars, but parking at colleges for events and classes can be difficult to find.

7. History Of The Collegetown Shuttle • A grant-funded study by the member campuses and the KFH group determined that Baltimore’s lack of a comprehensive transportation system held the area back as a premier college town destination. • The 1998-99 study did an: • Analysis of transit needs: consisted of a paper survey at each college, interviews with administration, staff and students • Inventory of currently available transportation resources • Inventory of currently available transportation resources • Alternatives • Recommended Plan (creation of the Collegetown Shuttle system) • Ten institutions came together to address this issue. • Five secured a $150,000 grant from the Teagle Fdtn. and started the Collegetown Shuttle in 1999-2000.

8. Collegetown Shuttle Route • Participating Schools • Goucher College • Towson University • College of Notre Dame • Loyola College • Johns Hopkins University • Maryland Institute College of Art • UMBC • Social DestinationsInner Harbor, Belvedere Square, Penn Station, Towson Town Center • Part-time staff “I like the shuttle because it reduces the hassle of finding transportation, especially for students who do not have cars. I enjoy the ride, talking with the friendly bus drivers who eventually made the ride something to look forward to. With the shuttle, I also meet many new people at other schools.” Beverly Ukandu, JHU ‘08

9. Shuttle Funding • Funded primarily by the participating member schools • Approximately 20% of budget comes from fundraising • Strong partnership with the DHMH Tobacco Prevention Department as exterior wrap sponsor • Interior sponsorships • Tout successes, keep awareness alive

10. Shuttle Ridership Numbers

11. Website • Look at the shuttle schedule • Track Shuttle online • Post shuttle updates, delays, and announcements under Hot Tips www.BaltimoreCollegetown.org

12. What Do Students Think Of The Shuttle? • In the Spring of 2007, BCN surveyed almost 500 riders. • Riders are primarily undergraduates, but graduate students, faculty and staff can and do use the Shuttle. • What did they say?

13. Reasons Why Students Ride The Shuttle • Go to other colleges* (16% of respondents) • Get to work (4% of respondents) • Social (92% of respondents) - Go to restaurants - Go to mall, other shops - Grocery Shopping - Internships - Doctors Appointments - Banking - All sorts of personal needs These numbers are consistent with previous four years of rider survey data

14. What Do Students Like About The Shuttle? • Free • Perceived Safety • Convenient • Meets their needs • Dependable • No need for a car • Nice staff • Saves money “I love the shuttle. My friends and I use it to get around town. It really helps us get where we want to go.” Monica Radcliffe, Goucher student

15. What Do Students Say Can Be Better? • Expanded routes • More shuttles during peak travel hours/ weekends • Better identification of shuttles/signage • 24 hour phone line with shuttle updates • Increased frequency of the shuttles “Expand service to provide service to more of the city, to more campuses, every day.” - Loyola College student, ‘06 survey

16. What Do Campuses Like About The Collegetown Shuttle? • Makes Baltimore more accessible to students in a safe environment. • Operates seven days/week; meets a need for their students. • Great recruitment and retention tool. • Serves as a national model for collaboration and student transportation.

17. Next Steps • Work with institutions and community partners to connect more of Baltimore’s 100,000 students to social destinations, internships, jobs, and transportation hubs. • Meet student needs for direct routes, free fares, and reliable service in order to engage them in the community. • Represent higher education needs in regional transportation planning discussions.

18. Contacts Kristen Campbell, Executive Director, Baltimore Collegetown Network 410-828-5733 Kcampbell@BaltimoreCollegetown.org Maureen Cannon, Assistant Director, Baltimore Collegetown Network 410-828-5732 Mcannon@BaltimoreCollegetown.org Bill Smedick, Ph.D, Johns Hopkins University Chair of the Collegetown Transportation Committee 410-516-8190 smedick@jhu.edu

19. Questions? www.baltimorecollegetown.org