UMD Smart Commute is the sustainable transportation program at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Our goal is to provide the university community with options and incentives that encourage the use of sustainable transportation to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles coming to and parking on campus.
Transit, carpool and vanpool (ridesharing), biking, walking, teleworking and Zipcar carshare are all sustainable modes of transportation.
smart commute success story: Biking To Work, Oh Deer!
Cate Barger's drive from Mt. Rainier to UMD was only about six miles, but traffic made her commute feel much longer. In August 2018, Cate got the jumpstart she needed to switch to biking full time—burning 56,400 calories, saving more than $1,500 and seeing more deer than she expected in the process! Read on to learn how she started commuting by bike.
Campus Transportation and the Climate Action Plan
The university, through the Climate Action Plan, is committed to achieving carbon neutrality for all emissions by 2050.
Investing in sustainable transportation is far less expensive than building more parking—it costs $31,500,000 to build and regularly maintain a 900-space parking garage. DOTS provides a variety of incentives to encourage the UMD community to try ridesharing, biking, walking and transit.