Cal Poly kicked off the new year being recognized as one of 2021’s Best Universities for Commuters in the nation by the Best Workplace for Commuters Organization. This means that Cal Poly has met the National Standard of Excellence in offering exceptional commuter benefits to those who commute to campus. To achieve this, Transportation and Parking Services has continued to provide support for campus commuters in at least five different ways so that they are encouraged to leave their cars at home.
These benefits include support for short distance commutes, like on a bike, by offering 7,000 bike racks and 252 bike lockers on campus. SLO Transit, otherwise known as the city bus, is a great alternative to driving a car. It has two stops on campus and eight different routes all around the San Luis Obispo area. The best part about this option is that students, staff and faculty can ride the bus for free! For long distance commutes Cal Poly provides a shuttle to the SLO airport as well as the Mustang Express which transports students to many California regions before and after fall breaks. Additional services include rideshare matching, vanpool benefits, on campus Zipcars, and more
Aside from traditional commuter benefits, this year providing telework materials was also recognized as a commitment to commuters. Cal Poly supplied employees and students with different tools and tips for telework, allowing many to work remotely, and thus reducing commutes to campus and the resulting greenhouse gases.
Funds to support this work come from parking citations. All money from these citations goes to creating, supporting and marketing sustainable transportation options.
This recognition, which Cal Poly has received multiple times since 2006, allows the university to gain access to new support services such as webinars, benchmark surveys, guidebooks, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities, and other tools. This recognition from the Best Workplace for Commuters Organization demonstrates just how invested Cal Poly is in its community of commuters as well as the university’s overall environmental impact.