The Ģ����Ƶ was recognized with platinum-level distinction, the highest, at the City of Seattle’s 2019 Commute Trip Reduction Champion Awards on June 5, 2019.

The CTR Champions program honors employers for reducing their drive-alone rates and providing innovative commuter programs to their employees.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as a CTR Champion by the City of Seattle again. Sustainability is not only a value upheld by the university but a value that drives the work at Transportation Services as well,” said Transportation Services Director Anne Eskridge.

The university was awarded for providing U-PASS, an all-access transit pass, as well as subsidized vanpools, extensive bike commuter facilities and no free parking on campus.

The Ģ����Ƶ also was honored for its approach to new mobility options such as partnering with bike-share companies to provide discounted access to staff and students, and reorienting the parking adjacent to the Ģ����Ƶ Link light rail station to create a shared mobility hub that prioritizes car-share, shuttle, ride-hailing and bicycle activity. Thanks to these robust programs more sustainable modes of transportation are being adopted by students, staff and faculty as a part of their commute.

An annual transportation survey conducted by Ģ����Ƶ Transportation Services finds that driving solo accounts for 19% of commute trips made to campus, with most individuals commuting by walking or transit. This annual survey informs Transportation Services of how commute trends are shifting to develop better programming and services. Strategic campaigns managed by Transportation Services — like Ride Transit Month and Ride in the Rain — encourage the use of sustainable modes, address customer needs and help shift commuter behavior in a growing and evolving campus.

“I am thankful for the work our Transportation Services office does to encourage sustainable travel,” said Facilities Vice President Lou Cariello. “Whether it is installing a new bike house, strengthening the network of buses that run through campus or expanding transit, carpool and vanpool benefits to our customers, we are happy to provide the Ģ����Ƶ community with the resources to commute greener and smarter.”

The Ģ����Ƶ’s Seattle campus was recognized with platinum-level distinction at the 2015 CTR awards and in 2016 and 2017 at the gold level.

The Commute Trip Reduction Champion Award is one of many accolades that Ģ����Ƶ has received for its sustainable transportation programs. These awards include a 2018 recognition as a gold-level Bicycle Friendly University, presented by the League of American Bicyclists.

To learn more about the City of Seattle’s Commute Trip Reduction Awards, click .

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The university awards are part of the League’s larger program to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. This is the second time the Ģ����Ƶ has won this award, which is good for four years. Of the 193 BFU colleges and universities, only 29 have achieved gold or platinum status.

The Ģ����Ƶ is home to over 10,000 bicycle parking spaces, 1,000 of which are in secure lockers, houses and bike rooms. More than 10 percent of faculty trips to campus are by bike, according to the 2017 campus transportation survey. Six percent of all daily visitors to campus travel by bike, for a total of 17,622 trips a week.

In addition, Ģ����Ƶ Transportation Services supports bike commuters with promotions such as the current “” campaign and offers introductory classes on topics ranging from bike maintenance to bike safety. A supportive program called “” pairs beginners with more experienced bikers of the Ģ����Ƶ community.

“We’re honored to be awarded a Gold Bicycle Friendly University designation for the second time. At the Ģ����Ƶ, sustainability is in our nature,” said Transportation Services Director Anne Eskridge. “Embracing and advocating sustainable modes of transportation, like biking, is at the heart of the work we do each and every day at Transportation Services. We strive to have a strong biking program and support commuters that bike to Ģ����Ƶ.”

For more information about the bicycling resources Ģ����Ƶ Transportation Services offers, visit or contact them at ucommute@uw.edu.

To learn more about the BFU program, visit the League at .

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It’s time to figure out if your route is affected and explore options, if you haven’t already done so.

Along with King County Metro’s tools – see – the Ģ����Ƶ in August introduced a service. Ģ����Ƶ staff can help riders with personalized commute plans on the phone at 206-221-3701; in person at the University Transportation Center, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and via email or using a new .

Members of the concierge staff also will be available at meetings, if requested, to help faculty, staff and students.

Ģ����Ƶ Transportation Services was already contemplating adding service to help people plan their commutes, but when Proposition 1 failed last April there was a clear need to get the Commute Concierge in place prior to the Metro transit cuts.

“The cuts are so complex, there are so many changes in service that everyone can be affected differently,” said Celeste Gilman, commute options manager. “That’s why we wanted to provide individualized service.”

For buses serving the U District, examples of changes include route 30 between Sand Point/Ravenna/U District and downtown, which will operate only during peak hours and no longer offer off-peak or weekend service. Completely gone are the 205 Express between South Mercer Island/Mercer Island Park and Ride/First Hill and the U District, as well as all express service on route 48 between Loyal Heights/Greenlake and the U District and on into the Central District and Mount Baker station.

Mass transit, of which Metro is one option, is the most common way people commute to campus, Gilman said.

In advance of the Metro changes, Transportation Service has also reached out via email this summer to alert faculty, staff and students about possible changes based on the zip code where they live. Two more waves of emails will be sent this month.

The reductions taking effect Sept. 27 across the Metro ridership area are designed to help bring service levels in line with available funding. Three additional cuts in service have been planned in 2015, although those cuts may not have to be as deep as expected because the revenue picture has improved. Passage of a ballot measure in Seattle in November may further affect the scale of the cuts in 2015.

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