Bolt to College Electric Ride Sharing Program Serves Kerman Students

 

Students commuting to Fresno City College from the Kerman area will have a new transportation option beginning this fall. Last month, OCED – in partnership with CALSTART, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, the Fresno State Transportation Institute, Fresno Metro Ministries, and others – announced Bolt to College, a project aimed at reducing carbon emissions and alleviating parking congestion on the Fresno City College campus.

Bolt to College is a subscription-based ride sharing service for Kerman-based students. Licensed and insured drivers employed by Fresno EOC will transport students using six Chevy Bolt EVs – all-electric vehicles that boast an estimated 238 miles of range on a single charge. The program will also help students save a substantial amount of money on commute costs: students commuting to Fresno City College from the Kerman area drive an average of 35 miles per day, costing about $300 per month and up to $3,000 per school year. In contrast, the Bolt to College service costs just $10 per month. Fresno City College data shows that more than 500 students commute to the campus from the Kerman area each day.

The program will begin operating in the fall semester and will assign students to a vehicle using the Student Commute Optimization Program (SCOP), a system developed by Aly Tawfik, Ph.D., Director of the Fresno State Transportation Institute. SCOP employs a geographical information system (GIS) model, integrated with an optimization model to measure and quantify commute factors and determine optimal commute choices. It will take several factors into consideration, including class schedules, traveler origins and destinations. SCOP will eventually be available to all Fresno City College students, in addition to the students residing in the Kerman area, to identify most efficient modes of travel for anyone in the region commuting to the campus.

More information on how to subscribe to Bolt to College will be distributed to Fresno City College students over the coming months.