Transportation and commuting

2050 vision

We are seamlessly connected through a network of low-carbon transportation options that prioritize convenience, affordability, safety, and accessibility. More Huskies are commuting by transit, carpool, or bike than ever before. When it comes to air travel, our UW community is thoughtful about flying less and mitigating air travel’s carbon impacts. UW faculty, staff and students embrace sustainable travel to commute, serve our community and stay connected.

Actions

Flagship action: Reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips

TC1 Flagship action: Bolster U-PASS and other sustainable commuting modes through a coordinated campaign to meet the Seattle single-occupancy vehicle trip reduction goal of 12% by 2028.

This calls for an outreach campaign to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips by promoting public transit, biking, walking, and carpooling. This action builds on the UW’s current Your Move, UW campaign, which highlights sustainable transportation options and connects the campus community to tools such as U-PASS, campus shuttles, biking infrastructure and ridesharing programs. Campaign messaging and outreach will support commuters in navigating the logistics of trying new alternatives.

Desired outcomes include a reduction in single-occupancy vehicle trips, increased use of transit and other sustainable transportation modes, reduced transportation-related emissions, and greater awareness of mobility options to start and end trips. Outcomes will be tracked through annual surveys in alignment with the Washington state-mandated Commute Trip Reduction program.

Timeline:Complete by the end of Fiscal Year 2029

2027: Refine and implement campaign outreach strategies to promote transit, biking, walking, carpooling and other shared mobility options.
2028: Scale campaign efforts across all campuses and evaluate outcomes through Commute Trip Reduction reporting.

Tracked metrics:

Single-occupancy vehicle commute rate
Percent of UW community members utilizing U-PASS
Percent of bike commuters

Campus connections: Aligns with UW Bothell’s 2026-2036 Sustainability Plan, which prioritizes reducing drive-alone commuting and expanding safe, accessible alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle travel. UW Tacoma will continue to partner with Pierce County’s Ride Together Pierce program, including a vanpool option offered at no additional cost through U-PASS.

Funding needs: This action can be accomplished within existing Transportation and Commute Services budgets.

Complete a safety assessment

TC2: Complete a safety assessment of vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian travel across all campuses to identify barriers to safe and sustainable commuting modes.

UW Transportation Services’ Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) surveys show more than 80% of weekday commute trips to the Seattle campus are already made by modes other than driving alone. CTR results also indicate that increased safety along travel routes, at transit stops and in parking areas is among the most influential factors in motivating people to choose alternatives over driving alone. As campus populations grow and travel patterns continue to evolve, addressing safety concerns is critical to maintaining and expanding UW’s high rate of sustainable commuting.

This action entails a coordinated assessment of vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, micromobility and transit travel conditions across all three UW campuses. The assessment will combine existing data (such as CTR results, collision and incident data, and campus plans) with on-the-ground evaluations to help identify barriers, infrastructure gaps and areas of elevated risk. Findings will be used to prioritize campus-specific improvements and to inform capital planning, operational changes and future investments.

Timeline: Complete by the end of Fiscal Year 2030

2027 - Confirm scope, methodology, and data sources for safety assessments.
2028 - Conduct assessment across campuses.
2029 - Finalize and publish findings, and integrate priority recommendations into capital planning and campus operations.

Tracked metrics:

Safety assessments completed
Number of identified safety concern areas
Percent of concern areas with recommended improvements planned or in-progress

Campus connections: The safety assessment will be conducted across all campuses.

Funding needs: Moderate investment in staff time, data analysis and community engagement including potential consulting support. Additional capital investment may be needed to implement the findings of the study.

Lead partners: UW Transportation Services

Micromobility commuting

TC3: Improve access to bicycle, e-bike and micromobility commuting.

The UW supports biking as a commuting option, providing more than 7,000 bicycle parking spaces across our campuses. Seattle campus commute surveys show that 6% of weekday commute trips are primarily bicycle trips and another 8% are partially completed by biking, accounting for more than 16,000 daily trips. Survey respondents identify infrastructure and security as key factors influencing biking frequency. While nearly half of bike commuters park at standard racks, satisfaction with bike parking security is low and respondents rate additional secure parking and more bike lanes as the most impactful improvements to encourage more frequent biking. Approximately 9% of survey respondents used a bike share program in the month prior to the survey, primarily for campus-related trips.

This action focuses on improving both the physical infrastructure and programmatic support needed to make biking, e-biking and micromobility options safer, more convenient and more accessible across campuses. Implementation will build on existing data to improve bicycle storage, advance e-bike charging and expand access through campus programs such as bike borrowing and micromobility pilots.

Timeline: Complete by the end of Fiscal Year 2031

2028 - Assess cycling needs and priorities using existing data on bike storage demand, program use and commuting patterns.
2029 - Advance targeted bike storage improvements, assess priority locations for e-bike charging and pilot expanded bike borrowing options.
2030 - Track the success and challenges of program enhancements across campuses to better inform long-term mobility and capital planning.

Tracked metrics:

Percent utilization of secure bike and micromobility storage across campuses
Participation and usage rates for bike and e-bike programs
Changes in reported barriers to biking and micromobility
Contribution to reductions in single-occupancy vehicle commuting as reflected in CTR data

Campus connections:

All campuses will participate in expanding bicycle and micromobility programs, adapting infrastructure and support systems to local commuting contexts.
Aligns with UW Bothell’s 2026-2036 Sustainability Plan, which emphasizes expanded micromobility access, including bike borrowing and improved e-bike infrastructure.

Funding needs: Most improvements can be advanced through existing programs, data and staff capacity, with targeted upgrades and pilots implemented over time.

Lead partners: Transportation Services

Address air travel

TC4: Develop tools and best practices to reduce air travel and mitigate flight-related emissions.

Air travel is one of the University’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize as low-carbon alternatives to jet fuel are still in development, and because of the important role that in-person gatherings play in research, athletics, professional development and relationship-building. Colleges and universities across the country and internationally are working to reduce emissions from air travel through a combination of education, policy, incentives and mitigation programs.

Recent efforts and lessons learned from the Air Travel Working Group demonstrated that our community cares about this complex issue. Feedback indicated that more education on this topic is needed, as well as a range of voluntary tools for individuals and units to develop their own approach. This action will result in more readily-accessible education, tools and resources which can help our UW community make informed decisions about air travel. Examples of tools at other institutions include more options and technical assistance for virtual meetings and conferences, voluntary carbon offset programs, and best practices guidance for colleges and units to develop their own approach to reduce emissions from travel.

Timeline: Complete by the end of Fiscal Year 2030

2027 - Reconvene existing Air Travel Working Group.
2028 - Develop, pilot and refine educational materials and a resource toolkit, including virtual engagement alternatives, guidelines for “fly less” planning and opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint from flights.
2029 - Publish a comprehensive toolkit, and share through UW communications channels across academic, administrative, and operational units.

Tracked metrics: Metrics will evolve as UW’s air travel tracking and reporting systems mature. Initial performance metrics may include:

Total emissions from UW-sponsored air travel
Percent change in UW-sponsored air travel emissions relative to a baseline year
Number of units utilizing air travel emissions tools and guidance (e.g., fly-less decision support, mitigation resources)

Campus connections: Educational materials and a resource toolkit will be made available to all campuses and units across the organization.

Lead partners: Air Travel Working Group, Environmental Stewardship Committee, Faculty Council on Campus Planning and Stewardship

Funding needs: Implementation will require staff time and coordination across units to develop tools, deliver outreach and support pilot programs.

Fleet electrification

TC5: Create a University-wide fleet electrification plan.

Fleet vehicles represent about 2% of the UW's direct greenhouse gas emissions. While modest in scale, these emissions fall largely within the University’s operational control, making fleet electrification a practical strategy for reducing Scope 1 emissions. As of 2023, electric and hybrid vehicles accounted for approximately 29% of the UW’s fleet of more than 700 vehicles.

This action will support existing efforts by developing campus-specific fleet electrification plans that identify vehicle replacement schedules, charging needs, electrical infrastructure upgrades and funding requirements. UW Seattle expects to transition to a fully electric fleet by 2035 as internal combustion engine vehicles are retired and suitable electric models become available. UW Bothell and UW Tacoma will develop plans that reflect their distinct operational needs and may pursue longer-term electrification timelines.

Timeline: Complete by the end of Fiscal Year 2031

2028 - Complete fleet and charging infrastructure inventory, electrical capacity and site assessments for each campus (include UW Medicine contracted vehicles).
2029 - Finalize electrification plans and identify priority vehicle replacements, charging infrastructure and charging locations. Secure funding and begin infrastructure upgrades.
2030 - Install campus-wide charging infrastructure and finalize procurement strategies for phased fleet transition.

Tracked metrics:

Fleet electrification campus plan complete
Number of EVs purchased
% fleet electrified

Campus connections:

Fleet electrification planning will be led centrally through UW Transportation Services and informed by the unique needs of Tacoma, Bothell and UW Medicine including fleet size and vehicle use.
Aligns with UW Bothell’s 2026-2036 sustainability goal to transition to a fully electric fleet by 2035, including development of a fleet electrification plan by 2028.

Lead partners: Transportation Services

Funding needs: Additional funding required. Upfront investments in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure may be significant, requiring capital planning and external funding.

Reducing transportation emissions is critical to meeting the UW’s climate goals and supporting community well-being. Transportation is the University’s third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, including daily commuting as well as professional, research and athletic travel. How people move to, from and between campuses directly affects emissions, air quality, public health, affordability and access. The actions in this section focus on strengthening sustainable commuting, mobility options and thoughtful air travel.

In 2022 commuting accounted for about 5.7% of total University greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of emissions associated with commuting to and from campus has decreased by 46.5% since 2005, as the UW has made meaningful progress in reducing drive-alone commuting through long-standing investments in public transit.

A cornerstone of this work is the U-PASS program, launched in the early 1990s and widely recognized as a national model. U-PASS has long covered students, providing unlimited rides on most regional public transit. In 2022, all employees paid by the University became eligible for a fully subsidized U-PASS, reinforcing transit as an affordable commuting option. Continued support for public transit, biking, walking, ridesharing and telecommuting remains essential to sustaining long-term emissions reductions.

Air travel accounts for approximately 6.3% of UW’s total emissions and presents significant opportunity for future reductions. Reducing emissions from air travel was included as one of the 10 targets in the 2020 Sustainability Action Plan. An air travel working group convened to address air travel emissions published a white paper with recommendations for the University. The working group partnered with the Faculty Council on Campus Planning and Stewardship (FCCPS) on a possible resolution on air travel, but ultimately this was not passed by the Faculty Senate. Air travel emissions are addressed in this SAP using a new approach informed by that working group’s efforts.

Fleet vehicles account for approximately 2% of our direct emissions and less than 0.5% of total University emissions (direct and indirect). Actions in this focus area bolster fleet electrification planning, which is already underway and consistent with state policy.