This case study was taken from a paper titled “Success Stories from Employee-Sponsored Transportation Programs” which is part of the larger “Transportation Toolkit for the Business Community” (which was created with funding from the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Use Department of Labor, through a cooperative agreement between the Community Transportation Association of America and the Federal Transit Adminsitration)
Integrating ridesharing, carsharing, and public transit to create a robust public transportation system
Case Study: Cornell University
Programs: OmniRide, Rideshare, and Ithaca Carshare
Partners Involved: Cornell University, Ithaca College, City of Ithaca, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Local Public Transit, Ithaca Carshare
Funding Source: Cornell University, NYDOT
Cornell University, the largest employer in the Ithaca, New York area, has been providing commuter benefits for nearly 20 years through a variety of Transportation Demand Management programs. Currently, over 1/3 of faculty and staff commute via means other than single occupancy vehicles, a number that has remained fairly consistent for the past 17 years. Among the various benefits offered are: free public transportation on campus for those with appropriate ID, parid for by Cornell; unlimited transit seven days a week with OmniRide, which provides passes for any campus city or county bus in Tompkins County any time the buses run; discounted free or rebated parking for Rideshare’s permit-based parking program has generated interest among other local enities, including the city of Ithaca.
Cornell estimates that its commuter benefits program has reduce employee-parking requirements by approximately 2,200 parking spaces. In addition to saving on parking construction and maintenance, Cornell notes that employees drive about 10 million miles less each year, generating important air quality benefits and significantly reducing traffic congestion on and around campus. In addition, traffic congestion through adjacent neighborhoods and municipalities has been reduced, and the university has benfited from improved community relations. The unviersity estimates that these programs have saved more than $40 million in net costs.
The university has aided in the launch of a local, community-based, non-profit car-sharing program designed to servce the campus and surrounding communities. Ithaca CarShare, supported with seed money from Cornell, became operational in late June 2008. Additional support for the program is provided by a NYDOT cost-shared agreement administered by the NY State Energy Research and Development Authority and Ithaca College. It is the first program of this type to be implemented in an area of this size. Tompkins County has a population of 100,000 of which 35,000 are students, faculty, and staff affiliated with Cornell and Ithaca College.
The university is dedicated to encouraging greater participation in TDM efforts throughout the community. Staff is currently working with local municipalities to develop park-and-ride lots on the periphery of the urban core that will make use of existing parking lots in 5-6 key locations. Cornell is partnering with Ithaca College, the City of Ithaca, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and local public transit to develop a vanpool program to serve the many staff and students who commute from as far out as 60-80 miles (or as close as 20-30 miles), as well as other commuter to the city. Implemented in fall 2008, the program is the first state effort outside of New York City.
Results: Campus parking needs were reduced by over 2000 spaces; employees drive an estimated 10 million miles a year less. Overall benefits include reduced congestion and $40 million in net savings, increased municipal interest in permit-based parking, vanpool access to community for staff and students with long commutes, and a carsharing program that serves the entire community.