Virginia Tech wins gold award for commuting effort

9 Feb 2015

Virginia Tech received its sixth straight gold award from the Best Workplaces for Commuters Race for Excellence by increasing alternative transportation participation and improving commuter resources.

During the past year, the university:

Increased carpool participation by 11 percent for faculty and staff and 10 percent for students.
Increased Virginia Tech ridership of the Smart Way bus between Blacksburg and Roanoke by four percent.
Expanded shuttle service for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute.
Worked with Blacksburg Transit to expand or add service to several routes.
Increased the number of bicycle parking spaces.
Improved Hokie Bike Hub service.

“We’re always working to improve commuter options for the Virginia Tech community and are proud to be recognized for our accomplishments,” said Debby Freed, alternative transportation manager.

To be eligible for a Race for Excellence award, an organization must first be recognized as a Best Workplace for Commuters by meeting the National Standard of Excellence in commuter benefits, a standard established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and maintained by the National Center for Transit Research.

The Best Workplaces for Commuters program encourages sustainable transportation and recognizes organizations that have taken steps to offer transportation options such as vanpool and transit benefits for their employees.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.