Alternative Transportation Options

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Policy Number:
UW-6110
Old Policy Number:
TS-53
Responsible Office:
Transportation Services

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

UW-Madison Transportation Services shall help meet sustainability and traffic mitigation goals by providing alternative transportation options for faculty, staff, students, and visitors. This policy outlines some ways to reduce the number of single-occupancy motor vehicles driven to campus on a daily basis to reduce environmental pollutants, traffic congestion, fuel costs, and the building of new parking ramps on campus.

Scope:

Faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

Policy:

Getting to Campus:

  • An annual Madison Metro bus pass is available for students, employees, and eligible emeriti of UW-Madison, UW Health, UW Foundation, UW Medical Foundation, WARF/WID/MIR and Wisconsin State Historical Society. UW-Madison Transportation Services manages the employee bus pass program. Associated Students of Madison  manages the student bus pass program.
  • The state vanpool program is open to UW-Madison and affiliated employees. Vanpools are groups of 7 to 15 commuters who share their ride to work in a passenger van owned, insured, and serviced by the State Vanpool Program. Contact the State Vanpool Office at (1-800- 884-VANS) for information.
  • UW park and ride lots are off-campus parking, available for a lower cost. UW-Madison Transportation Services provides several options as a method to limit the number of vehicles driving to and parking on campus. More information can be found at the UW-Madison Transportation Services website. 
  • Metro park and ride lots are also available for commuters. For additional information, visit the Madison Metro webpage.
  • Carpooling is an alternative to driving single-occupancy vehicles to campus. UW-Madison Transportation Services supports and encourages faculty and staff to commute to campus in one motor vehicle. Employees can register a carpool of two or more (2+) people and obtain a carpool permit for groups larger than three (3) people. Wisconsin’s rideshare program can assist people looking for a carpool partner. 
  • Biking and walking are encouraged by UW-Madison Transportation Services as an alternative to parking motor vehicles on campus. We maintain bicycle paths, provide bicycle racks and lockers, and work in partnership with others to improve safety and security on campus. We collaborated with a bike share program, which provides discounted memberships for students, faculty/staff and UW affiliates; see UW-Madison Transportation Services' website for details. City and county bicycle maps are available at UW-Madison Transportation Services offices.

Getting around campus:

  • A fare-free campus bus (Route 80) circulates through campus with primary stops at the Memorial Union, Union South, UW Hospital and Eagle Heights. Service runs from approximately 6:15 a.m. until 2 a.m. Route 84 is a limited service route supplementary to Route 80, stopping in Eagle Heights weekday evenings. Two evening routes (Route 81 and 82) circulate in nearby neighborhoods from 6:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.

    Routes 80, 81, 82, and 84 schedules and maps are online at mymetrobus.com.

Support programs:

  • An Emergency Ride Home is provided in the case of an eligible emergency for faculty and staff who commute to campus via alternative transportation. See the Emergency Ride Home Policy or the UW-Madison Transportation Services website for more information.
  • The Flex parking program is a parking option for faculty & staff who primarily use alternative transportation modes to campus but have an occasional need to bring a vehicle and park it on campus. See Flex Permit Parking Policy or our webpage at UW-Madison Transportation Services.
  • Bicycle sharing is available through a partnership with Madison BCycle. UW students, employees and affiliates are eligible for reduced membership prices. See the bicycle webpage at UW-Madison Transportation Services website for more information.
  • Car sharing is an additional transportation option for faculty & staff who use alternative transportation to get to campus but have an occasional need for a vehicle. This partnership between UW-Madison Transportation Services and Zipcar provides faculty & staff an opportunity to rent a car by the hour or day. Visit our website at UW-Madison Transportation Services.
Related UW-Madison Policies:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Assistant Vice Chancellor of UW-Madison Transportation Services
Policy Manager:
Director of Parking Operations
Contact:
Director of Parking Operations -- Tanara Teal-Tate, tanara.tealtate@wisc.edu, (608) 263-9591
Effective Date:
03-01-2004
Revised Dates:

03-01-2005, 03-01-2007, 03-01-2008, 01-01-2012, 03-01-2018, 05-19-2022

Retrieved:
02-06-2023 14:38:16