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Campus Carpark Crisis
With ever growing attendance rates, universities are urgently looking for ways to accommodate their enlarging student populations. But in the rapidly changing environment of the 21st century, old-fashioned solutions are no longer sufficient.
This is the era in which technology is used to bring universities into the future. Modern, high-powered applications are fast becoming a necessity in order for campuses to stay competitive and get the big results they need.
Consequently, smart college rideshare programs are spiking in popularity. These systems are using mobile tech and machine learning to streamline transportation for students, as well as generate a great number of other beneficial effects.
If your university has yet to implement its own tech-driven campus carpooling program, you’re missing out on these powerful perks. Below, we give a rundown of the top eight ways your institution could be suffering without advanced carpooling.
1. Sustainability goals are harder to reach
Countries around the globe are beginning to impose sustainability requirements for their businesses and institutions. As a result, many of today’s universities are committing to ambitious sustainability goals.
But even with the most valiant efforts, campuses won’t become truly green while most students are still driving themselves to campuses. Each student driving their own car contributes significantly to carbon emissions (as much as 50% of a commuter college’s carbon footprint). It also increases the required space and resources needed to build parking facilities that can handle the capacity.
In an effort to cut down on pollution, resource use, and urban sprawl, today’s most forward-thinking universities are employing smart carpooling initiatives to consolidate student commutes.
2. Campus traffic congestion persists
Insufficient parking capacity is a common problem for modern universities, as is the issue with traffic congestion on internal and surrounding roadways. Overwhelmed infrastructure inhibits mobility to, from, and on campus, making it difficult for staff and students to arrive on time.
Additionally, more traffic on campus comes with greater safety risks. The more cars driving through areas with a large number of student pedestrians, the more likely it is for harmful accidents to occur. Universities that put off smart carpooling aren’t seizing one of the most powerful solutions available for reducing campus congestion and increasing safety.
3. Missed opportunities for community building
University students are often young people living away from home, immersed in an unfamiliar, high-pressure environment. If they remain isolated, many of them can struggle to build the new friendships and connections necessary to thrive both socially and academically.
When students have the option to start sharing rides, it gives them a chance to forge ties and broaden their horizons. This is where college carpooling can play a pivotal role in creating a cohesive and welcoming campus setting.
4. Parking permits remain a pain in the...
Imagine a world in which your administration no longer has to issue parking and carpooling permits. Resource-heavy processes and paperwork could be eliminated, freeing up your staff and funding for more effective use.
With smart carpooling programs like Liftango, your university can achieve this. Our platform automatically registers and tracks shared rides. It even offers parking integrations that will automatically approve carpooler parking, and, if needed, reserve designated parking spaces and apply program discounts.
5. Old carpool models leave room for exploitation
Your students were admitted to your university because they’re clever. Unfortunately, this quality can backfire when it comes to old-fashioned, permit-based carpooling programs. In an effort to save money, some students outsmart the system by acquiring carpool permits, even when they aren’t actually carpooling.
Without smart carpool tech, there’s no way to track whether or not students are exploiting the carpooling loophole. But with automated tracking tech found in the most cutting edge applications, it’s easy to monitor carpooler activity and prevent abuse.
6. Attendance rates suffer
As mentioned previously, traffic and parking congestion on campus can make it a challenge for students to get to class on time. If the problems are especially bad, many students may not even show up for class at all. In fact, college students name insufficient parking as one of their biggest obstacles to success.
Rolling out a carpool program with smart parking integrations can provide students with guaranteed parking, even for free or discounted rates (Tip: by making carpooler parking free, you can maximise student participation, thereby optimising the yield of your investment). All of this ensures that your students can keep attending without hassle or strain.
7. A wealth of data is out of reach
Good, thorough data is perhaps the greatest tool available to universities. With the right information, institutions can more easily identify the problems they face, and make better decisions about how to fix them.
Without smart carpool tech, your university won’t have access to insights that could be the key to more effective transportation solutions. How many students are carpooling, what are parking space usage rates, how much CO2 is being saved—all of these questions can be easily answered with the built-in analytics of Liftango.
8. Your campus stays stuck in the past
Put simply, colleges that stick to traditional parking and transport methods won’t be at the forefront of innovation. Today’s most lauded and competitive universities are striving to remodel their campuses and operations with 21st century advancements, and that includes adopting tech-driven carpool programs designed to meet modern goals.
Not only are these thought-leading universities becoming more desirable in the eyes of students, they are also setting the bar for the new era of higher education!
