Move to paperless bus schedules supports campus sustainability

With more and more people accessing the Internet wirelessly from just about everywhere, finding the next Quad Shuttle, Late Night Orange Express or any other bus departure/arrival time is now just a few quick clicks or finger taps away. 

Syracuse University’s Parking and Transit Services has significantly cut its paper use by switching away from mass printing campus bus schedules. Instead, the schedules are now mainly distributed online. The change to paperless schedules began this semester and will save at least 13,000 printed schedules from being produced this year and each year going forward. 

All campus bus schedules are available online through Parking and Transit Services’ website as PDF files, which can be viewed and downloaded. Centro is still supplying the campus with printed bus schedules for its Syracuse area routes. These are available at the Parking and Transit Services office (621 Skytop Rd.), Bird Library, Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center, Goldstein Student Center and the Department of Public Safety. Or, find them online at http://centro.org/CnyCentro.aspx. 

“From a sustainability standpoint, it just made sense to stop using so much paper because so many people are using smartphones and other electronic devices,” says Scot Vanderpool, manager with SU’s Parking and Transit Services. “There was some adjustment initially, but people are getting used to going paperless. Posting the schedules at every bus shelter has helped. For those who still want a paper copy, they can be downloaded and printed as needed.” 

Not printing large supplies of paper schedules also gives Parking and Transit Services greater flexibility to update bus routes and times. “We’re not locked into what’s already been printed so we can now change schedules more easily to better meet riders’ needs,” says Vanderpool. “For example, night service to the Skytop Office Building was recently added without having to wait for new schedules to be printed.”

Using less paper on campus means reduced resource consumption, and that results in a smaller environmental impact for SU. This is a good thing as the campus continues to “go green” and work toward becoming carbon neutral by 2040 as outlined in its Climate Action Plan. 

For more information on campus bus and shuttle service, as well as other sustainable transportation programs available, visit the Parking and Transit Services website.