The first year of a two-year pilot program providing 5,600 CU-Boulder employees with metro-wide bus passes has ended with an 80 percent increase in transit ridership and a 5.7 percent decline in on-campus parking demand among eligible employees, an RTD survey shows.
But that success must be surpassed in the program's second year with an even greater ridership increase and parking demand reduction if the program is to continue next year, according to Paul Tabolt, vice chancellor for administration.
Tabolt is taking a hard look at the economics of the faculty-staff Eco Pass program as RTD聮s first-year discount came to an end in December 1998. The City of Boulder聮s contribution will decline over four years.
"The Eco Pass is a popular employee benefit and it helps with traffic congestion and air pollution, but in today聮s world, a program like this must also make sense fiscally," Tabolt said.
One of the key litmus tests for the faculty-staff Eco Pass program is whether it is a more cost effective way of meeting parking demand than building a new parking garage. A cost analysis shows that in 1998, the Eco Pass program cost 27 percent less than a new parking structure. With higher second-year costs it will take further gains for the program to stay competitive with a new parking garage.
"If we can make even two-thirds of the gains in the second year that we聮ve seen this first year, the program will be a strong candidate for continued funding in 2000 and beyond," Tabolt said.
Under the Eco Pass program, CU pays RTD in advance for employees聮 unlimited access to all its regularly scheduled routes in the metro area, including the skyRide to DIA, the SKIP and the city聮s HOP shuttle.
For more information about the CU-Boulder faculty-staff Eco Pass program, contact David Cook, CU Transportation Modes Coordinator, at 303-735-2705.