Columbia’s Evening Shuttle Met an Exponential Increase in Ridership with Expanded Service

September 01, 2022

The 2021-2022 academic year was one of significant growth in demand for Columbia’s Evening Shuttle service, powered by Via. The shuttle, which runs each evening until 3 a.m. within a coverage area surrounding the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses, provided 162,000 rides over the academic year. Its mission is to provide free and safe rides home during the evening hours for Columbia affiliates.

8,676 unique riders were served and 4.4 average weekly trips per rider were reported, meaning the average rider used the service multiple times per week.

Growing Service to Meet Ridership Demand 

To put this growth in perspective, utilization of the Evening Shuttle increased by 56 percent over the prior academic year. Between the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters alone, ridership increased by a whopping 98 percent. 5,200 riders used the service in April alone, which totaled over 23,000 rides. This was a notable number of rides in April despite the service’s start time transitioning from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. when daylight savings time began and sunset occurred later in the day. 

Graph showing the increasing number of ride requests per month over the course of September to May

Adjusting Service Model to Maintain Reasonable Wait Times 

Graph showing that the majority of ride requests received ETAs below 15 minutes

As demand skyrocketed, Columbia partnered with Via to increase the size of its fleet. As part of the service agreement, Via hired Columbia-dedicated drivers to meet rigorous security requirements set by the University to maintain a safe service. Adding drivers during high-demand periods enabled a relatively consistent average wait time of 15.2 minutes throughout the academic year. On average, each vehicle completed 7.4 trips per hour, which ranked Columbia’s service as a top performer in efficiency across Via’s portfolio. 

Columbia’s efficiency is a leader among similar Via services 

Graph showing that Columbia ranks 7.4 rides per hour per driver, which is one of the top Via university ratings

Changes to Coverage Zone Meet Rider Needs 

In response to requests from riders, Columbia Transportation expanded the coverage zone twice during the spring semester. On January 5, the eastern boundary moved to Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. (about a 20 percent increase in service area). On March 14, the zone expanded again, north to 137th Street (about a 5 percent increase in service area). About 2.5 percent of rides started or ended within the expanded zones between January and June 2021.  

Graphs showing the requests that occurred within the new zones as Columbia's service expanded twice throughout FY 21-22

Rider Satisfaction was Consistently High 

Although wait times tend to rise during peak periods throughout the evening, the service continued to receive positive ratings from riders even during high-demand – and high-ETA – periods. Ratings averaged 4.86 out of 5 from January through May, with the full breakdown listed in the table below. 

Evening Security Shuttle Receives High Marks on Via Rider Rating App

Students, faculty, and staff with an active UNI and Columbia ID on the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses are eligible to use the shuttle. Visit the Transportation website to learn more and get a promo code to unlock free evening rides within the coverage area.