How to be a Smart Commuter

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Students at bus loop

From a trip planning tool to a carpool service exclusively for the campus community, UBC has several resources to better support students, staff and faculty in finding more convenient and sustainable transportation options to get to and from campus.

It’s back to school season, which means preparing ourselves for busier roads and buses as well as for full parking lots on campus this September. Now is a good time for the campus community to plan their commute to make it less stressful, more economical, sustainable and enjoyable.  

There are over 80,000 people on campus and more than 150,000 trips to and from the Vancouver campus each day. With such a large population that is projected to continue to grow over the coming years, reducing traffic congestion and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a key climate action priority for UBC.  

One way to achieve these goals is to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles that travel to and from campus, by providing our campus community with the tools and resources they need to make more sustainable transportation choices.   

Optimize your campus commute 

UBC has partnered with Commutifi to provide the campus community with a tool that identifies the best travel options for everyone's commute based on where they are travelling from. The tool asks several questions to better understand each person's commute to campus. It then provides a commuter score based on time, cost and carbon emissions and identifies alternative commute options as well as UBC transportation resources and incentives to help the campus community commute smarter. 

Visit the Commutify website to learn more: https://dashboard.commutifi.com/to/ubc/ 

Carpooling resources and incentives 

We heard from the campus community that one of the biggest challenges to carpooling was finding people to carpool with. To help with this, UBC has partnered with Liftango – a carpooling app that connects drivers and passengers within the UBC community. As a bonus, drivers can earn a $2 HONK parking credit per daily trip.  

Visit the Liftango website to learn more: https://www.liftango.com/metro-vancouver-carpool 

 

This video highlights a range of sustainable transportation options, programs, and incentives provided by UBC to help the campus community plan their commute while working towards achieving the university's climate action and sustainable transportation goals.   

Transit safety and student discounts 

As transit usage levels are returning to pre-pandemic levels, you might have concerns and questions around the safety of taking public transit. Translink has taken steps to ensure passenger safety. To learn more, visit the Translink COVID-19 response page: https://www.translink.ca/rider-guide/coronavirus-precautions.  

Once on campus, the 68 bus runs every 20 minutes to help the campus community to get to key attractions and sites across campus quickly and safely. For people with mobility challenges there is an Accessibility Shuttle that can get you closer to where you need to go.  

If you’re new to UBC, learn more about the U-Pass BC Program, which provides students with universal, accessible, and affordable access to public transit across the Metro Vancouver Region. 

Visit the Transit page on the Campus and Community Planning website to learn more about these and other transit related tips and resources: https://planning.ubc.ca/transportation/transit 

While you’re there, learn more about the benefits of Skytrain coming to UBC:  https://skytrain.ubc.ca/impact-benefits/ 

Creating a safer and more enjoyable cycling experience 

UBC is continuously upgrading and expanding the cycling infrastructure on campus to make for a safer and more enjoyable cycling experience.   

There are over 9,000 outdoor parking spaces for bikes throughout campus. End-of-trip facilities such as lockers and showers are also available for cyclists, making it easier to do longer trips. In need of bike repairs? The Bike Kitchen located on campus is open Mondays to Saturdays until 6pm.  

Discount on Zygg e-bikes
UBC has partnered with Zygg e-bikes to provides the campus community with a 10% discount off a Zygg personal e-bike subscription. To be eligible for the discount, users must sign-up with a UBC email (use code UBC10). Learn more about this another e-bike programs: https://planning.ubc.ca/e-bike

Visit the Cycling page on the Campus and Community Planning website to learn more about these and other resources available for cyclists: https://planning.ubc.ca/transportation/cycling 

 

For more transportation resources, including campus maps and roadwork updates, visit the Transportation pages on the Campus and Community Planning website: https://planning.ubc.ca/transportation 

 

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