As colleges across the country are turning to ride-hailing services for campus transportation, Syracuse University is evaluating the potential of implementing a partnership of its own.

Ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, began operating in Syracuse in 2017. The university has looked into possible ride sharing options in the future, said Christine Weber, public information officer for the Department of Public Safety, in an email.

SU currently partners with transportation company Centro to provide bussing throughout campus and the city of Syracuse. The university announced in September that it would be purchasing four trolleys as part of its transportation services.

There has been a decrease in usage of university-provided transportation services, especially during late-night and weekend hours since the introduction of ride-hailing services, said Jennifer Horvath, communications director for Business, Finance, and Administrative Services, in an email. But there has been little to no impact from this change from a financial standpoint, she said.

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Schools in central New York have already established partnerships with ride-hailing companies. Both Cornell University and Ithaca College have partnerships with Zimride, a company that matches passengers and drivers for colleges and businesses. Over 4.5 million traveled miles have been saved through the partnership, as well as over 3.45 million pounds of carbon emissions, according to Cornell’s Zimride website.

Harvard University, Northeastern University, University of Florida, University of Southern California and The Ohio State University all have partnerships with ride-hailing companies, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Northwestern University recently abandoned its in-house Safe Ride service in favor of a partnership with ride-hailing company Via, The Daily Northwestern reported. Students are expected to see a 38% increase in the number of hours drivers are available, Metro reported.

Beatriz Bueno Dorea, a double major in physics and Spanish language, literature and culture, said ride-hailing services allow her to go more places, especially since she doesn’t have a car.

“When we didn’t have Uber, we only really had either the buses or taxis, and sometimes I didn’t have time to be able to take the bus,” she said. “If I took the taxi it was quite expensive.”

According to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center, 36% of U.S. adults say they have used ride-hailing services, up from 15% in 2015. Among people 18 to 29 years old, 51% said they have used ride-hailing services.

Six SU residence halls made the list of top 10 Uber destinations in Syracuse in 2018. Day Hall was No. 2 on the list, followed by Flint Hall, Lawrinson Hall and the Brewster/Boland/Brockway Complex. Sadler Hall landed at No. 7 on the list, and the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel, which houses some students, was at No. 9.

SU’s four trolleys will debut on campus in November as a replacement for the routes covered by Birnie Bus. The university’s contract with Birnie expired this year. The routes include the Quad Shuttle, the Warehouse Express, the Late Night Orange Express and the Euclid Shuttle.

Sophia Thurman, a senior policy studies major, lives on South Campus and regularly uses campus shuttle services. She’s had a generally positive experience with campus transportation and shuttles, she said.

“I haven’t had too many incidences of them not following their schedule, but when it does happen, I have had to take an Uber to class to avoid being late,” Thurman said.

Published on October 2, 2019 at 10:44 pm

Contact Alex: ajrouhan@syr.edu