Commuting without polluting

Melissa Perez stands on the platform of the Fullerton Transportation Center at 6 a.m. on a crisp Monday, sunrise still a good hour away.

“Nobody New,” by The Marias, plays on her AirPods as she waits for the Metrolink train, which is how she commutes to UC Irvine.

“My friends are tired of me not having a [driver’s] license, but I love public transit,” says the 22-year-old, who grew up riding OCTA buses. “I find it convenient, and it saves me a lot of money. It’s become part of my life.”

The fourth-year social ecology student is among the 83 percent of campus community members who use a sustainable transportation mode – biking, walking, carpooling, driving zero-emission vehicles (electric, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell), car-sharing, telecommuting and utilizing public transit, like buses and trains. Metrolink offers students 50 percent off fares, and UC Irvine offers a 20 percent rebate for employees and students who use the train to commute to campus and do not purchase long-term parking permits.

In 2018, UC Irvine became the first college in the nation to abandon its traditional biodiesel buses and transition to an all-electric fleet that moves students throughout campus. The university’s Campus-to-Campus shuttle – a partnership among the UC Irvine School of Medicine, UC Irvine Transportation & Distribution Services, and UCI Health Parking and Transportation Services – allows students, faculty, staff and patients to travel through the entire health system and main campus free of cost.

It’s all part of UC Irvine Transportation & Distribution Services’ commitment to environmental stewardship and a legal mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all vehicles traveling on and around the university campus.

Erika Hennon, sustainable transportation programs manager, says the biggest challenge is getting people to take that initial ride.

“People get intimidated about that first try of getting on the bus, the train, or even if they live really close, getting on a bike and coming to campus,” she says. “When we can get people to give it that first try, they really see the benefits.”

For Perez, being aboard the train is her personal time. “I’m kind of forced to just chill and relax, and that’s helpful as a busy college student,” she says. “Although I’ve seen the route a million times, it’s fun to listen to music, look out the window and journal – the view is so pretty and never gets old.”

Lars Walton, associate chancellor and chief of staff for Chancellor Howard Gillman, spends three days a week traveling the 25 miles between his house in Orange and campus by bike. Via car, the one-way trip takes about 30 minutes or more , but by bike, it can take an hour.

“I’m in a much better mood when I get home after an hourlong bike ride than if I were in the car for 40 minutes,” says Walton, who also uses the time to think through complex issues. “The mountains-to-the-sea trail that runs 22 miles from Weir Canyon to Upper Newport Bay is very pretty, and it’s fun to go through all the seasons.”

To help the campus community navigate sustainable transportation choices, T&DS provides resources like custom commute planning; myCommute, a personalized transportation portal; and a Pump2Plug program. Qualified employees who transition from gasoline to electric vehicles are eligible for complimentary Level 1 charging for three years.

“We offer support connecting people with bus routes, bike and walking routes and even help finding carpool partners with RideMatch,” Hennon says. “There are a lot of people who work and go to school at UC Irvine, so there’s likely someone within a short distance that you could carpool with.”

In addition, the campus offers discount pricing on an annual University Pass, which entitles holders to unlimited, reduced-cost rides on all OCTA buses.

“We don’t just teach or learn about sustainability at UC Irvine,” Hennon says. “We really live it.”