With the results from the most recent transportation survey now compiled and evaluated, the administration is continuing to work toward the most convenient and efficient bus system for the new campus.
The results from October's survey show that among the respondents, the largest group interested in the bus service is undergraduate students, followed closely by full-time staff members.
"We will be repeating the survey this month to target students that returned from their winter break and may have a better idea of their Fall schedule or their intentions," explained Gina E. Cinali, executive director, institutional planning, assessment, research and testing (IPART), adding that a repeat survey will also be conducted for staff and faculty.
The purpose of repeating the survey Cinali said is twofold: to identify the most representative and comprehensive profile of AUC's community and to guarantee more accurate information, particularly pertaining to residence addresses. "This is essential if we want to determine appropriate pickup points and timetables for the new campus shuttle bus plan," added Cinali.
The October survey also revealed that about 60 percent of the respondents plan to use the AUC shuttle bus service while 30 percent plan to drive their own cars. The remaining 10 percent will opt to either take a taxi, share a ride, walk, or commute by bicycle or motorbike. Currently, 25 percent use their car to get to AUC's downtown campus.
The shuttle service to and from the new campus is scheduled to run from approximately 6 am to 11 pm and include up to eight lines with one to three pickup points along the way and two drop-off points on campus. There will be separate routes and times for those workers who need to get to the campus for shiftwork. In selecting possible pickup points for each route, a number of factors must be taken into consideration, including: proximity of customer residences; access to nearby public transportation; availability of parking at or near the pickup point; access to the Ring Road; overall travel times to the new campus from a particular location; and the ability to get the required approvals from local authorities to use a location as a pickup point.
"The schedules and where possible, the pickup points, will be adjusted as necessary to meet the university's needs, some of which will not be clear until we actually begin operating the service" said Paul Donoghue, vice president for planning and administration, who heads the new campus office. “We hope that by repeating the transportation surveys we will have better and more reliable data upon which we can base our plans for the bus service." Click here for list of pickup points.
"We also know there has been a lot of concern from staff and faculty about the possible cost of transportation to the new campus because there is not a developed public transportation system in the area” Donoghue said. "We surveyed a number of multinational firms that have locations outside downtown Cairo as well as several other private universities and we are adopting similar practices." Bus passes will be made available to staff and faculty without charge.
Plans for parking on the new campus are also moving forward. About 1,500 general parking spaces and 150 short-term guest spaces are now being built; there are plans to add about 500 spaces before the campus opens. The parking program is planned as open-access with no lots or spaces currently reserved for particular groups, although a separate lot for faculty may be created. “Reserved lots or spaces require additional operational costs and given the limited number of lots, could pose a problem for other groups” said Donoghue. “The request is under consideration.”
Other than a single route to a drop-off/pickup point and the short-term guest parking lot, cars will not be allowed on campus without a valid parking permit; the permits will either be in the form of a sticker or hanging tag and will have a LE 3,000 annual fee.
A website for online information on transportation and parking is under construction and expected to be available by mid-March. The site will provide detailed information on both programs and is expected to enable the AUC community to signup for bus passes or purchase parking permits on-line.
Click here to view the map of the Ring Road with New Campus location.
