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September 2007

Minneapolis Community and Technical College

College encourages faculty, staff and students to use transit

For Minneapolis Community and Technical College, the college’s downtown location is a plus – easy to get to on Hennepin Avenue and near the activity and excitement of the big city.

But with the big city location comes limited and often expensive parking near campus, which adds pressure on spaces at the college’s parking ramp for students, faculty and staff.

MCTC’s administration, with the help of a Transportation Task Force, is looking at ways to encourage more transit use by its 11,000 students, said Gary Westerland, director of the college’s auxiliary services.

During last year’s spring semester, the college participated in the pilot program for the Go-To College Pass, which offers local colleges and trade schools a chance to sell students a discounted semester-long transit pass. The pass provides students unlimited rides on buses and trains at one price. Passes can be used to get to campus, work or anywhere buses and trains travel in the Twin Cities.

MCTC is renewing its involvement in that program this fall for a variety of reasons, said Westerland.

“We have a responsibility as an institution of higher education to be as green as we can be,” he said. By subsidizing the students’ cost of the pass, the college also wanted to make transit a more affordable option for students getting to school.

Students are responding in a big way. By the first week of classes, 700 MCTC students purchased Go-To College Passes, up from 261 last spring.

Already participating in the TransitSchools program – where faculty and staff can buy transit passes at a discount – MCTC is exploring other options to further encourage faculty and staff to ride transit versus drive alone.

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