Sustainable Transportation

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. 

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Sign up for Smart Commute

Smart Commute Success Story: Carpool Colleagues

Sustainability has always been near and dear to Allison Tjaden’s heart, especially while working on sustainability programs with Dining Services. So when the opportunity arose to switch up her commute, she decided to practice what she preached and start carpooling. Read on to learn how and why Allison rethought her ride.

Rethink Your Ride, Earn Rewards

Sign up for the Smart Commute digital platform to discover your sustainable transportation options in your area and earn rewards for your sustainable commute. The platform includes a trip planner that introduces users to local transit, bike routes and walking paths. It can also connect you with a carpool partner who's affiliated with the university. 

Taking sustainable commute trips can also be rewarding. By logging your commutes to campus through the platform and participating in Smart Commute challenges, you can earn points that are redeemable for prizes in the Smart Commute store. 

How it works: 

  1. Log your trips on your Smart Commute Dashboard
  2. Earn points for each sustainable commute
  3. Click on "Incentives" to participate in challenges and points programs
  4. Redeem rewards!

Trip Planner How-To

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.