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2025 Year in Review: Accomplishments and Goals

Stephany Correa-Diaz — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:51:22 +0000

2025 Year in Review: Accomplishments and Goals Stephany Correa-Diaz Mon, 04/06/2026 - 20:51

In 2025, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Transportation continued to roll towards providing more sustainable, accessible, safe and efficient transportation options for getting to and around campuses. From earning Platinum Bicycle Friendly University status to expanding electric bus service and launching Buff Ride, our first on-demand mobility program, we continued to align transportation operations with the university’s mission of excellence in education, research, and public service.

Driving Progress Toward Climate Action Plan Goals

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Climate Action Plan lays out specific targets and objectives for Category 7 Scope 3 goals, which focus on student and employee commuting.

Strategic Planning and Improved Services

Transportation Services launched �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s first comprehensive Transportation Demand Management (TDM) planning process, led by Alta Planning + Design, a nationally recognized mobility planning firm in line with Climate Action Plan objectives. Final report and recommendations are due during the third quarter of 2026.

Enhanced Measurement and Data Tools

Completed a campus-wide Transportation Survey of students and employees in the Fall—produced in collaboration with �鶹��Ѱ��Data & Analytics—to refine and better understand our transportation mode splits, commute frequency, and emerging trends.
Developed a GIS-based residential distance dashboard to measure distance to campus from home addresses. This allows for estimation of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) based on mode split survey data for the Climate Action Plan monitoring and emissions modeling.

Operational Efficiency

Parking and Transportation Combined - Consolidated Parking Services and Transportation Services into a single unit, to improve coordination and long-term service delivery.

Electrification and Fleet Modernization

Continued expanding CU’s electric fleet, and worked to improve electric bus uptime and integration of new electric vehicles across operations such as waste hauling and distribution services.
Developed a campus-wide Electric Vehicle Plan to guide future charging expansion, fleet conversion, and infrastructure investments.

Highlights by Mode

Transit: Buff Bus, RTD, Buff Ride

In 2025, �鶹��Ѱ��bus riders took more than 1.4 million rides on public transit thanks to free bus access added to their Buff OneCards. Combine that with over 1.1 million Buff Bus trips, and �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s bus and transit programs continue to be the backbone of CU's sustainable transportation efforts.

Highlights

�鶹��Ѱ��Buff Bus team combined the Will Vill, Will Vill Limited and Bear Creek Express into a single new route and implemented “Bump and Go” and “Breakers” on Will Vill operations, dropping headways from 6 to 11 minutes down to 4.
Launched the Buff Ride, a convenient, app-based, on-demand campus transit option which allows riders to request rides between eight designated stops on the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder campuses.
Buff Bus added two new Battery Electric Buses to the fleet and oversaw production of two more, with delivery scheduled for summer 2026.
Increased RTD ridership in large part to the re-establishment of the Flatiron Flyer express (FF2), the FF4 and the AB2 to the airport.

Trends

Ridership and total boardings rose by more than 8,000 trips over 2022-2023 numbers, from 2.14 million to 2.95 million, but continue to be far below pre-Covid numbers.
Total bus pass "unique users" are also up, from 5,043 in 2022-2023 to 5,709 in 2025.
Around 5,000 users are considered “regular users”, taking between 50 to 200 trips annually.
Over 2,000 �鶹��Ѱ��transit riders take the bus for the majority of their commutes, taking over 675,000 trips annually! This is around 6.7% of �鶹��Ѱ��pass users.

�鶹��Ѱ��Bike Program

2025 was a big year for the �鶹��Ѱ��Bike Program which was awarded Platinum status from the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly University program, placing the university among only 10 universities nationwide to hold the program’s highest status.

Highlights and Trends

�鶹��Ѱ��was the first new addition to the Platinum “Bicycle Friendly University” list in over 10 years!
The Bike Program added free access to BCycle to all employees as of August.
Five new BCycle stations and expanded dock counts were added, creating a total count of 319 docks on campus.
E-bike ownership is growing annually. The 2025 transportation survey notes that 13% of those who rode a bike to work rode an e-bike.
BCycle ridership was just slightly under 2024’s record breaking stats with 717,000, which was 87,000 more than 2023.

Lime e-Scooters

A key partner with CU, Lime works with our team to control speed, rideable zones, and parking hubs. With around 790 scooters in Boulder, Lime has become an integral part of CU’s transportation options.

Lime had its biggest year yet in Boulder with 773,600 trips, and its best month yet with over 131,700 trips taken in October!
Lime’s single biggest day with 7,025 trips corresponded with the �鶹��Ѱ��Football game against the University of Wyoming. Sko Buffs!

NightRide

CU’s NightRide program continues to provide safe and convenient free rides throughout Boulder. With an eye towards sustainability, the NightRide fleet is comprised of four fully electric Chevy Bolts, three hybrid vehicles, two plug in hybrids, with just one gas powered vehicle required for providing wheelchair lift service.

With over 30 student drivers, NightRide provided over 16,000 trips in 2025.
Spring 2025 saw 9,781 trips in 111 nights, an average of 88 rides each night.

Vanpool

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder participates in the Way to Go Vanpool program and subsidizes ride costs so that members pay a set monthly fee that covers the cost of the van, gas, maintenance, insurance and parking.

Trending up – On average, the total count of vans increases by 3 per year.
The Vanpool program topped 20 vans for the first time ever, surpassing 100 members with 112 at the end of 2025.
Members largely represent Facilities Services, Housing and Dining, with more than 8 primary languages spoken:
- Spanish 36, English 29, Lao 24, Nepali 14, Chinese 4, Tibetan 3, Thai, Hmong
"Driving miles avoided" topped 1 million miles!

Carshare

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder partners with Colorado Carshare and Zipcar to offer flexible, low-cost access to short-term rental vehicles for students and employees.

Colorado Carshare added a new location and electric vehicle near the University Club in lot 204, bringing the total number of EVs to three.
Zipcar remains popular with over 900 active users.
Trending down - Even with the addition of EV options, and a minor decrease in the number of active members, usage of carshare at �鶹��Ѱ��has dropped significantly from 2024 to 2025. Colorado Carshare usage dropped almost 50% to around 260 bookings per vehicle, while Zipcar usage dropped almost 20% to 387 bookings per vehicle.

Electrification of Transportation

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder continued expanding its electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in 2025 to support cleaner travel. New fleet EVs were added by the Distribution Center, the Environmental Center, and the first electric trash truck order was placed. Meanwhile, chargers were installed in two lots near the 18th and Broadway gateway to campus, lots 204 and 310.

Total ports available to commuters topped 50, with 53 charger ports available at nine locations on campus.
EV charging sessions were up by over 2000 sessions compared to 2024, with 6,569 sessions by 1,397 unique users.
Gas avoided by EV commuters topped 5,000 gallons.

Engagement

Transportation staff were busy with outreach and communications throughout the year, including the monthly Be Mobile newsletter, tabling at Move-in, presenting at �鶹��Ѱ��Discover onboarding, working with students for multiple class projects, and more.

Highlights and Trends

Bike Fest tabling got us in front of hundreds of students alongside 18 other tents and vendors.
The Be Mobile monthly newsletter averaged 243 readers per month, peaking with 261 in August. Click here to sign up for the Be Mobile newsletter and receive monthly news for your commute.
Parking and Transportation website visits almost doubled compared to two years ago, in large part due to the addition of daily parking options, with 109,000 total visits.
The top Instagram post got 5,000 views and was a joint post with MENV for their welcome back event. Get campus transportation news on Instagram by following our account @transportationbuffs!
Our team also collaborated with the ENVS Campus Climate Action Planning and Implementation course, taught by Josh Radoff (Director of Campus Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resilience), and the Climate Action Planning course (GEOG 4022).

What’s Next: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

As �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder looks toward the future of campus transportation, we’re identifying key areas for growth and improvement. In 2026, we will focus on expanding carpool options, improving electric bus reliability, and addressing crash trends and commuter behaviors. Our team will complete the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan to support climate goals, while continuing to monitor parking demand, work-from-home rates, and cost-of-living impacts. These are just a few of the efforts that will help us build a safer, more efficient, and more inclusive transportation system for everyone coming to and navigating campus.

Read about some of �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's 2025 transportation achievements and future goals.

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Download the Transit App for Live Buff Bus Tracking

Nancy Portner — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:16:19 +0000

Download the Transit App for Live Buff Bus Tracking Nancy Portner Mon, 03/30/2026 - 12:16

Real-time location tracking for �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Buff Buses, RTD, HOP, B-cycle and more is available via the Transit app. The app also includes expected arrival times and service notifications. Download: From Google Play or the Apple Store.

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Committee advances property acquisition for electric bus fleet maintenance

Nancy Portner — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 21:57:24 +0000

Committee advances property acquisition for electric bus fleet maintenance Nancy Portner Mon, 03/16/2026 - 15:57

The University of Colorado Board of Regents Finance Committee on Wednesday, March 11, advanced a proposal by �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder to purchase the site of a former car dealership at 1799 Exposition Drive in Boulder.

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Buff Ride: East Campus On-Demand Bus Service

Nancy Portner — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 21:10:10 +0000

Buff Ride: East Campus On-Demand Bus Service Nancy Portner Fri, 02/27/2026 - 14:10

Buff Ride is live! Real-time tracking, easy access, and zero stress. Learn more.

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Daily Parking Option in Grandview

Nancy Portner — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:20:49 +0000

Daily Parking Option in Grandview Nancy Portner Wed, 01/21/2026 - 09:20

The new Grandview Parking Garage is now open and available for employee use by purchasing a daily permit online or paying by the hour via Parkmobile. The garage is located at 1215 Grandview Avenue, north of the new Limelight Hotel. Public parking is available on levels 3 and above. The lower two levels and basement are reserved for guests staying at the hotel.

Daily permits continue to be available in select lots on campus, based on availability. The daily discount continues for employees who are logged into their parking account to purchase their permit.

The parking availability tool can help you find available pay by the hour parking spaces in popular visitor lots.

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Live Chat Now Available

Jerod Nye — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:52:50 +0000

Live Chat Now Available Jerod Nye Mon, 01/12/2026 - 12:52

You can now chat live with in-office Parking customer service specialists. Look for the chat icon in the lower right corner of select pages.

Complete some basic information so that we can find your account and a customer service specialist will respond.

Live Chat is available weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. when customer service specialists are available.

You can now chat live with in-office Parking customer service specialists. Look for the icon in the lower right corner of select pages.

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The League of American Bicyclists: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder receives platinum award

Nancy Portner — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 19:19:41 +0000

The League of American Bicyclists: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder receives platinum award Nancy Portner Mon, 12/01/2025 - 12:19

This fall, as campuses across the country buzz with the energy of a new academic year, the League of American Bicyclists is recognizing 45 colleges and universities that are making biking a core part of campus life.

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Need a late-night ride to or from Will Vill? We've got you covered.

Nancy Portner — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:05:49 +0000

Need a late-night ride to or from Will Vill? We've got you covered. Nancy Portner Wed, 10/08/2025 - 13:05

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Transportation Services partners with Via Mobility to provide late-night bus service on the Will Vill route.

Via buses run from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday when campus is open. Buses arrive every 12–15 minutes, and the final bus leaves Will Vill at 1 a.m. for one last loop through campus.

Just look for the all-black Via buses and enjoy the same reliable service you expect from the Buff Bus!

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Buff Bus Route Changes: Quicker Commutes from Williams Village

Nancy Portner — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:58:29 +0000

Buff Bus Route Changes: Quicker Commutes from Williams Village Nancy Portner Tue, 09/16/2025 - 10:58

WillVill Goes Clockwise: Faster, More Frequent Buff Bus Service

We’re improving Buff Bus service to make campus commutes more efficient and reliable! Starting Fall 2025, the Will Vill, Will Vill Limited, and Bear Creek loops have been consolidated into a single clockwise route: Route W – Williams Village.

This new design prioritizes right-hand turns and a faster path to campus—traveling west on Baseline, north on Broadway, and turning right onto 18th Street. This route avoids major congestion points like the signalized intersection at Colorado and 28th, and the increasingly busy Regent Drive, which is impacted by the CHAP construction project. By using less congested streets like 18th and Colorado, we’re reducing overall travel time.

What’s Better with Route W?

Shorter Wait Times: Thanks to our new “sliding seats” operations model, buses now arrive every 4 minutes at both Will Vill and Bear Creek stops—down from previous averages of 6 minutes and 11.5 minutes, respectively. That means randomly arriving passengers can expect to wait 2 to 7 minutes less for a bus.
Faster On-Bus Travel: The new clockwise route is quicker than the old path via 30th, Colorado, and Regent. Fewer left turns and less traffic congestion mean you’ll spend less time riding the bus.
Balanced Commute for C4C Travelers: While Route W no longer stops at the C4C, and passengers will have a longer walk once on campus, the total travel time is about the same—thanks to reduced wait and ride times. And if your destination is closer to UMC, Physics, or other central campus buildings, your commute will be significantly faster.
In addition, starting in Fall 2026, we’ll be adding a stop on northbound Broadway, just past Regent Drive. This will provide a more convenient stop for students wanting to get to buildings on the southwest-most corner of campus.

What’s Staying the Same?

Other Buff Bus routes—including the Stampede and East Campus Express—will continue operating as usual during this phase.

Check out the updated routes and schedules for Fall 2025 and see how Route W is designed to get you to campus faster and more reliably.

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Free BCycle memberships for �鶹��Ѱ��students and employees

Nancy Portner — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 19:24:45 +0000

Free BCycle memberships for �鶹��Ѱ��students and employees Nancy Portner Wed, 07/23/2025 - 13:24

Starting August 1, 2025, all �鶹��Ѱ��students and employees are eligible for a free Boulder BCycle �鶹��Ѱ��student and employee membership, thanks to a partnership between �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's Environmental Center and BCycle. Previously, employees received a discounted rate.

This membership gives you unlimited 60-minute rides - perfect for getting around campus or between �鶹��Ѱ��locations. Just download the Boulder BCycle app and use your identikey@colorado.edu email address when registering.

Bike sharing is a convenient, eco-friendly way to connect to public transit, run errands, or simply enjoy Boulder - no need to worry about parking, locks, or maintenance. �鶹��Ѱ��employee and student participation is expected to help push annual BCycle rides past 750,000!

Benefits of Boulder BCycle

A bike when you need one - you get unlimited 60 minute rides each day. Pick up a bike at any Boulder BCycle station and drop it off at a station near your destination
No need to buy a bike - with bike docking stations all across the city, it’s super convenient and easy to access a bike when and where you need one!
Connecting to public transit is a breeze - ride to a nearby Boulder BCycle dock and hop on the bus - no need to lug your bike on/off those bus racks
Not a mechanic? Not a problem - Boulder BCycle handles all the bike fleet maintenance so you don’t have to worry about flats, chains or tune ups
Safety-approved - all bikes have bright front/rear lights and a built in lock on every bike
No spandex necessary - Boulder BCycle bikes have a step-through frame and a comfortable seat, so you don’t have to bring a change of clothes to ride these bikes. Chain guards, fenders and mudflaps and a large front handlebar basket on all the Boulder BCycle bikes keep your work/school clothes squeaky clean

�鶹��Ѱ��Students and Employees: Free Membership

Thanks to the Environmental Center and their partnership with BCycle, �鶹��Ѱ��students and employees get unlimited trips for 12 months as long as they are under 60 minutes; trip fees apply to all BCycle trips over one hour.

Sign up using the Boulder BCycle app:

Download the Boulder BCycle app to set up your account.
Click on the "Get a Pass" button.
Select the “�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Student and Employee” option.
Click on the blue "create account" button. Be sure you use your identikey@colorado.edu email address when registering (this is not your first.last@colorado.edu email address).
You can use the app to check out and return bikes at any Boulder BCycle station

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Home Page Slider

2025 Year in Review: Accomplishments and Goals

Driving Progress Toward Climate Action Plan Goals

Strategic Planning and Improved Services

Enhanced Measurement and Data Tools

Operational Efficiency

Electrification and Fleet Modernization

Highlights by Mode

Transit: Buff Bus, RTD, Buff Ride

Highlights

Trends

�鶹��Ѱ�����Bike Program

Highlights and Trends

Lime e-Scooters

NightRide

Vanpool

Carshare

Electrification of Transportation

Engagement

Highlights and Trends

What’s Next: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

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Download the Transit App for Live Buff Bus Tracking

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Committee advances property acquisition for electric bus fleet maintenance

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Buff Ride: East Campus On-Demand Bus Service

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Daily Parking Option in Grandview

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Live Chat Now Available

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The League of American Bicyclists: �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder receives platinum award

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Need a late-night ride to or from Will Vill? We've got you covered.

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Buff Bus Route Changes: Quicker Commutes from Williams Village

What’s Better with Route W?

What’s Staying the Same?

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Free BCycle memberships for �鶹��Ѱ�����students and employees

Sign up using the Boulder BCycle app:

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�鶹��Ѱ��Bike Program

The League of American Bicyclists: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder receives platinum award

Free BCycle memberships for �鶹��Ѱ��students and employees