Flagstaff, Ariz.
Jeff Meilbeck
CEO & General Manager
Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority
Open communication and a willingness to collaborate and develop out-of-the-box solutions is the backbone of NAIPTA’s relationship with NAU.
The Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA) is the public transit agency in Flagstaff, Arizona, operating the Mountain Line fixed route, Mountain Lift paratransit, and Mountain Link bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. Serving nearly 1.9 million passengers a year, NAIPTA has been on a trajectory of growth and increased efficiency, anchored by a strong partnership with Northern Arizona University (NAU), a campus of 21,000 students in the heart of Flagstaff.
One of NAIPTA’s biggest headlines over the past several years has been the addition of the Mountain Link BRT-style route, connecting NAU with popular residential and retail areas for students. Launched in August 2011, Mountain Link riders made more than 708,000 trips in fiscal year 2015, and when NAU is in session, Mountain Link sees an average of more than 75,000 riders a month.
As NAU’s enrollment continues to grow, so does the demand for student housing, both on- and off-campus. This growth put pressure on the Mountain Link system to transport more students to and from campus, and within the campus itself. NAIPTA worked closely with NAU to analyze class schedules and reviewed our own boarding and alighting data to see how we could better use our existing resources to meet peak demand. NAIPTA also got creative with its service delivery, adding Flagstaff’s first articulated bus to the fleet to more efficiently handle crush loads during peak times.
Serving the NAU students is an important part of NAIPTA’s mission, but it is also estimated that about 40 percent of Flagstaff’s population travels to and from the NAU campus each day for work or school. With limited parking on campus and relatively high parking permit fees, NAU and NAIPTA have partnered for several years on the ecoPASS program. NAU purchases highly discounted transit passes for all of its 2,800 employees, giving them the opportunity to have access to free public transportation. In 2015, NAU ecoPASS holders accounted for nearly 82,000 rides on Mountain Line, keeping those individual vehicles out of the congestion on campus.
Open communication and a willingness to collaborate and develop out-of-the-box solutions is the backbone of NAIPTA’s relationship with NAU. The individual success of our organizations relies on a cohesive relationship that benefits the entire community and allows NAIPTA to continue delivering on its mission of “Getting You Where You Want to Go.”
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Chris Dabbs
Regional Sales Manager
New Flyer of America Inc.
New Flyer continues to enjoy direct partnerships with various learning institutions in both the U.S and Canada.
With rising student enrollment and increasingly scarce campus parking, many universities across North America look to mass transit as a means of relieving traffic congestion and improving mobility for both students and staff.
Universities that operate the MiDi and Xcelsior transit buses, benefit from a range of modern amenities tailored to the increasingly sophisticated student ridership. Passenger seating layouts that allow for more standees, Wi-Fi accessibility, bicycle racks and USB charging ports are common features of campus shuttles. The MiDi and Xcelsior are also able to incorporate a large array of campus security and fleet management features, such as automatic vehicle locator systems, camera systems and cashless fare collection.
Since 2013, the University of Georgia (UGA) has taken delivery of 20 Xcelsior XD40 buses, and has options to purchase several more from their current contract. UGA operates a total of 50 vehicles, transporting more than 40,000 riders daily and more than 12 million annually. The transit service is in high demand, with buses operating at an average of 80 percent seating capacity. At the institution’s request, these buses were designed with the unique feature of having destination signage on both sides of the bus, so students can clearly see route information from various approaches.
Environmental sustainability is a top priority for students in North America, and universities have become early adopters of battery-electric and diesel-electric hybrid technology in both fleet vehicles and transit buses. New Flyer is proud to support our customers’ transition to zero-emission transportation. Our Xcelsior heavy-duty transit vehicle is offered in clean-diesel, compressed natural gas, hybrid-electric and battery-electric propulsion, allowing our customers to make “greener” choices with minimal impact to transit operations. New Flyer’s 6,000 zero-emission vehicles have proven reliability, logging more than 100 million miles in reliable revenue service over the last 40 years.
The advantages of strong partnerships with leading learning institutions are beneficial to New Flyer and students’ alike, bringing quality and reliability to the leaders of tomorrow by ensuring they get to classes today.
Des Plaines, Ill.
Brent Maitland
Vice President Marketing and Product Planning
Motor Coach Industries
MCI goes the distance in riding comfort, amenities and space for stuff.
For decades, MCI coaches have been hard at work transporting sports teams to games, bands to parades, VIPs on campus tours, and faculty and students to their classes. After all, there’s no mode of transportation that’s as flexible, eco-friendly, or offers so many amenities.
The advantages are many. The university has the ability to take control over the transportation budget and schedule. From a marketing standpoint, a motorcoach decaled with schools colors and logo is a rolling billboard, increasing the school’s visibility.
Spacious seating for as many as 57 passengers assures riders have plenty of leg room. Optional Wi-Fi and power outlets at every seat keep passengers connected and productive. The overhead parcel bins and larger baggage bays offer plenty of storage space for luggage and gear. Today’s MCI coaches feature the latest generation of clean-diesel engines and options that include hybrid-electric and compressed natural gas that can give a school green bragging rights.
Most universities gravitate to the MCI J4500, North America’s best-selling charter coach for more than 11 years running, for its mix of luxury, dependability and lowest total cost of operation in its class. Standard safety features include electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring systems, three-point passenger seatbelts, and car-like handling. An optional collision mitigation system and 360-degree cameras enhance driver confidence.
Another campus-ready model that MCI makes is the D-Series, available in 40-and 45-foot versions. MCI offers its D-Series with clean-diesel, hybrid or CNG powertrains.
Schools with MCI models in their fleets include Purdue University, Idaho State and Ohio State. Cornell University has the largest number of MCI coaches featured in its Campus-to-Campus (C2C) service, which provides express transportation between the Ithaca and New York City campuses.
Aftermarket support is a big part of MCI’s appeal with universities. Technical and roadside assistance is available 24 hours a day. Fast access to parts and free standard shipping also provide a great value. Hands-on technician training is free of charge, and MCI’s online Learning Management System (LMS) has a growing library of more than 315 total courses dedicated to major coach components and systems.
Drivers have fast access to equipment guides and routes to the nearest MCI service center location via the new MCI companion app.
Riverside, Calif.
Richard Sullivan
Vice President of Sales
Transit Sales International
With universities increasing their transit programs to accommodate their growing population, the demand for reliable companies is also on the rise.
Universities prove to be one of the most promising trades for the transit business. As the number of students per university rises, so does the need for proper means of transportation. Transit Sales International (TSI) prides itself on the relationships it has been able to create with universities across the United States.
Many university transportation officials have turned to TSI because of its ability to provide affordable and dependable buses within their budget and within a reasonable and forecasted time period
Schools are currently reevaluating their commuting and on-campus transportation organization, and with our experience in the business, we are able to supply realistic, quality options at an affordable value. That affordability is due in part to the selling of refurbished pre-owned buses which are sold at a fraction of the cost of new buses.
Transit Sales International has gained a reputation in the transit world for its sense of duty when it comes to going to great lengths to ensure its customers’ satisfaction. TSI can provide hands-on instruction for customers’ mechanics in all aspects of its transit buses, at times even conducting training at customers’ facilities and setting up repair operations on-location. All systems are covered in such trainings, including air brake, air suspension, electrical and drive train. These programs are set up as part of the sales transaction and ensure success.
Customers have turned to TSI time and time again for their transit needs, and this customer loyalty proves the satisfaction that the company wants all of its customers to experience. With universities increasing their transit programs to accommodate their growing population, the demand for reliable companies is also on the rise.
Burlingame, Calif.
Ryan Popple
CEO
Proterra Inc.
Research continues to show that Millennials are driving less and seeking out transit more.
With this in mind, Proterra is working to guarantee that younger riders have clean, quiet, emission-free public transportation. Thus, bringing more zero-emission buses to university campuses around the U.S. is an integral part of Proterra’s mission.
When the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM), one of a handful of student-run agencies in the country, recently announced its decision to “go electric,” it was the first in the U.S. to bring zero-emission battery-electric buses to a university fleet and represented Proterra’s first university customer.
As ASUM prioritizes electric vehicle mass transit and begins to replace its diesel vehicles with Proterra’s state-of-the-art technology, it purchased two Proterra 40-foot Catalyst Fast Charge buses and one semi-autonomous fast charger for its UDASH routes. This purchase also demonstrates that the next generation of transit market leaders regard sustainable transport as a priority rather than a luxury.
Founded in 1999 by a student referendum, ASUM Transportation has seen its ridership grow to nearly 15,000 people per week. Last year alone it provided more than 400,000 complimentary rides to students, staff, faculty and visitors. ASUM’s purchase of zero-emission, battery-electric buses is a testament to its environmental stewardship and will help UM meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2020.
According to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Proterra buses will immediately improve local air quality when they enter service, reducing emission by 1,392 tons during their 12-year lifespan. DEQ also estimates that nearly 123,500 gallons of diesel fuel will not be burned as a result of the transition to the new technology.
Proterra’s Total Cost of Ownership was a major selling point for ASUM, given the transit agency’s size and limited resources. In addition to financing the buses through the state of Montana’s INTERCAP program, ASUM received a Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for $163,191, which aims to improve public health through reducing emissions and particulate matter.
