For many students, faculty, and staff, driving seems like the best option for getting to and around campus. According to Parking and Transportation Services’ 2019 commute survey, more than 53 percent of the campus community drive to school or work alone. While drive-alone commuting may be the best option for some, there are alternate ways to travel to campus each day.

To help the campus community understand their best alternative commute options, Parking and Transportation Services has launched Commute Concierge, a program that tailors alternative transportation for the Georgia Tech community. The concierge service allows individuals to schedule one on one communication with PTS' transportation experts to discuss personalized commuting options, routes, and program offerings. Commute Concierge is backed by staff experts who bring more than 17 years of education and experience in alternative transportation, bike advocacy, ride matching, and city and regional planning.

Communicating with the concierge is easy, beginning with a brief survey that captures the user’s starting point and destination, days worked on campus, arrival and departure times, and preferred transportation modes. Customers also schedule a virtual meeting time with the experts to discuss their personalized commute recommendations and available incentives and rewards.

Campus transportation planner Lisa Safstrom believes this service can help make choosing a commute option easier for potential customers. "There are lots of options to get to campus, and people might not know how to find the relevant information,” Safstrom said. “We can help with that. Many people that drive now might not have to. MARTA buses and rail, Xpress, CobbLinc and Gwinnett commuter buses, biking or even walking may be more viable than people might think.”

Not only can carpooling, biking, or taking transit make one’s daily commute simpler, but it can also save money, decrease pollution, and reduce stress.  “I really missed my bike commute while working from home during Covid, as it was a daily ritual where I could clear my mind and get in a little exercise,” said Aaron Fowler, director of transportation.  “Now that many of us are transitioning back into the office again, we anticipate an increase in interest in what commute options are available and we hope we can help as folks create new commuting habits.”

Responsible stewardship is one of Tech’s core values, and Commute Concierge fosters sustainability and efficiency by offering cleaner commute options to the campus community. “This effort is in alignment with Transportation’s strategic TDM plan and is intended to give commuters more options to choose when making daily commute decisions,” said senior director Sherry Davidson.  “Our hope is that this program will introduce a broad range of commute options to campus commuters and encourage the use of affordable, low-carbon transportation options, which will help reduce traffic congestion, promote well-being, and reduce our carbon footprint.”

Visit pts.gatech.edu/commute-concierge to request concierge services and learn more about commuter rewards, route planning, and transportation options.

Current Campus Commute Options

Carpooling - two or more students or employees may drive together to campus and receive $100 off the cost of a yearly parking permit. Georgia Tech supports carpooling as a commute alternative to reduce traffic and parking congestion and to improve air quality in the region.

Biking - Georgia Tech holds national designation as a Gold Level Bike Friendly University. Most campus streets have bike infrastructure, and bike racks are available throughout campus.

Transit - PTS offers discounted monthly MARTA passes for students, faculty, and staff and pre-tax discounted commuter bus (Xpress, CobbLinc, and Gwinnett County Transit) and MARTA passes for employees through payroll deduction.

Walking - Many students and employees live within walking distance of campus. Georgia Tech works with city and community organizations to improve pedestrian accessibility and safety in getting to campus.