Roadmap to Recovery: University Planning, Strategies, and Benchmarking for 2021

IPMI

Roadmap to Recovery 2020

Academic Update: Research, Trends & Insights to Navigate Recovery & Reopening December 2020

The fall 2020 semester for higher education campuses has been a mixture of trial and error, adaptation, and survival. With the impacts of the global pandemic continuing to evolve, ensuring some level of education and campus experience has been a rapidly moving target. Within the parking and mobility realm, this challenge has been no different. For programs that manage on-campus transportation activities, defining how to operate shuttles, manage parking, assist with mobility options, and keep patrons and staff safe has constantly evolved with the ebbs and flows of this unique campus life experience.

This document, developed by the International Parking & Mobility Institute’s Research & Innovation Task Force, seeks to assemble data from academic parking and mobility programs across the United States to help understand how the strategies implemented and adapted over the fall 2020 semester met the needs of patrons and helped to support campus life. The data was collected using an online survey that asked questions about enrollment trends, strategies used, lessons learned, and revenue impacts. The information in this document has been assembled to help programs throughout our industry understand the potential opportunities and challenges associated with individual strategies or combinations of multiple strategies.

Considerations for adapting programs to COVID-19: 1. Provide safe, equitable, and supportive transportation options 2. Maintain operations and management in the face of quickly changing conditions 3. Respond to campus needs and shifting demands in real time The following institutions participated in the survey: • • • • • • •

Arizona State University Auburn University Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo George Mason Louisiana State University Montgomery College Stanford University

• • • • • • •

Texas A&M University The Pennsylvania State University The University of Alabama UCLA University at Buffalo University of California at Davis University of Houston

• University of Tennessee at Knoxville • University of Vermont • University of Wisconsin-La Crosse • University of Wisconsin-Madison • Virginia Commonwealth University

We are very grateful for the participation of these programs and the contribution they are providing to the industry. In addition to the data provided throughout, there also links to videos at the end of this document that include program directors discussing specific strategies, how they were implemented, and the lessons learned from the fall 2020 semester.

1

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

Respondents by Geographic Area

10% Midwest West

Northeast

11% 21% East

26%

32% South

The geographic distribution of the responding schools is generally balanced across five predominant regions, with at least 10% of responses from each grouping.

Percentage of Respondents by Student Enrollment Size

Less than 15,000 6%

15,000 to 30,000 26%

30,000 to 40,000 26%

Greater than 40,000 42%

When reviewing the respondents by campus size, the results skew toward larger campuses with more than 30,000 students enrolled. Nearly 70% of respondents had campus populations above 30,000. Very few smaller schools (< 15,000) participated.

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

2

How Students Are Taking Classes in the Fall 2020 Semester The survey asked respondents to define how educational activities are occurring on campus in fall 2020, including: • In-person classes with social distancing • Remote learning, whether on- or off-campus • Hybrid configurations with some classes remote and some classes in person The predominant response was some combination of remote learning or hybrid learning, even if students were on campus for the semester.

In-Person

3

Remote

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

Hybrid

Expectations for Demand Level Changes In the Next 12 Months The survey asked respondents to provide a general estimate of when demand levels might return to pre-COVID levels on campus. Options were returning to previous levels this year or next year or continued decreases this year and/or next year. The results generally indicate that respondents expect demand to generally return in 2021, likely coinciding with distribution of a vaccine.

A similar question was asked of survey respondents in summer 2020 in a more widely distributed survey across the parking and mobility industry. The results of that survey were compared to the results of the fall 2020 survey to determine how expectations were changing among respondents. The results below show the academic responses from the summer survey compared to the results of the fall survey. The results indicate that there is more optimism for a return to pre-COVID levels after the observations and lessons learned from fall 2020.

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

4

Modified Permit Structures Modifying permit structures (either temporarily or permanently) serves to accommodate the changing needs of users on campus by providing different options. In this case, that could include changes to pricing, locations, and grouping of permits on campus.

37%

implemented this in fall 2020

57%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

43%

will not continue in spring 2021

8%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

Revenue Shortfalls in Fall 2020 Results show a comparison of respondents that used and did not use this particular strategy. The percentages represent a comparison to the previous fall semester.

Permits

Used 42%

Not Used 76%

Hourly/Pay-As-You-Go

Used 17%

Not Used 19%

Used 23%

Not Used 42%

Citations

5

About one-third of respondents used this strategy to provide more flexible options for users. Across the respondents, approximately half who implemented modified permits intend to keep them for another semester of more. In general, the implementation of this strategy appears to have moderate success with some measurable revenue impacts.

Of all the parking strategies used by respondents, this outcome had the largest impacts to permit parking revenues, with corresponding shifts to citation and hourly revenues.

While not universally found in locations with mostly remote learning, most of the respondents that used this had a low (<20%) proportion of in-person students.

Flexible Permit Options Flexible permit options account for variations in schedule and time on campus as more schools shift to remote or hybrid learning and work from home. This could include daily permits, punch cards, and pricing strategies that reflect different access needs.

implemented this in fall 2020

53%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

90%

will not continue in spring 2021

10%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

11%

Revenue Shortfalls in Fall 2020 About half of the respondents indicated that they implemented some form of flexible permit. Nearly all of the respondents who implemented this strategy intend to keep it for spring 2021. Many of the schools who used flexible permits had a higher than average proportion of hybrid style learning. Several respondents indicated that they wished they could have sold flexible permits sooner to offset changing demands on campus.

Several of the respondents that reported revenues near preCOVID levels indicated that they implemented a combination of flexible permits, more pay as you go parking, and contactless payments in addition to operational changes.

Results show a comparison of respondents that used and did not use this particular strategy. The percentages represent a comparison to the previous fall semester.

Permits

Used 56%

Not Used 71%

Hourly/Pay-As-You-Go

Used 18%

Not Used 19%

Used 20%

Not Used 50%

Citations

6

Additional Hourly/Visitor/ Pay-As-You-Go Options Implementing more pay as you go (visitor or hourly) parking provides additional flexible options for campus users who may not need the guarantee of parking on campus every day. Combined with contactless payment options, this strategy provides a safer and convenient option for patrons.

42%

100%

implemented this in fall 2020

intend to maintain for spring 2021

0%

will not continue in spring 2021

0%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

Revenue Shortfalls in Fall 2020 Results show a comparison of respondents that used and did not use this particular strategy. The percentages represent a comparison to the previous fall semester.

Permits

Used 57%

Not Used 67%

Hourly/Pay-As-You-Go

Used 22%

Not Used 16%

Used 35%

Not Used 34%

Citations

7

A little less than half of the respondents implemented additional pay-as-you-go options, but all of those expect to carry this forward into the future. Pay-as-you-go parking has widely been viewed as a convenient option that helps to unbundle the expectation of parking every day and provide demand management benefits. This strategy should continue beyond impacts from the pandemic.

Many respondents indicated that this strategy was proving especially helpful in providing flexible parking options and helping balance the needs of on-campus and off-campus learning structures.

Contactless (Hands Free) Payment Options Implementing contactless payment provides a safer way to pay for parking transactions without having to physically interact with revenue control technology.

Using tools such as mobile payment and smartphone applications provides users the means to pay without traditional technologies.

implemented this in fall 2020

68%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

85%

will not continue in spring 2021

15%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

0%

Revenue Shortfalls in Fall 2020 A majority of the respondents implemented contactless payments and intend to keep these options. The industry was moving in this direction pre-pandemic and the need for touchless payment options for health purposes has simply accelerated the transition.

The expansion of pay-as-you-go parking options and flexible permits can be more easily facilitated with mobile or appbased technologies that provide more control and flexibility with each dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transactions. Many respondents indicated that a continued expansion of these services would occur in spring 2021 and beyond.

Results show a comparison of respondents that used and did not use this particular strategy. The percentages represent a comparison to the previous fall semester.

Permits

Used 60%

Not Used 69%

Hourly/Pay-As-You-Go

Used 20%

Not Used 14%

Used 36%

Not Used 32%

Citations

8

Modified Enforcement Practices Modified enforcement practices have been implemented across university campuses to support changing needs and access conditions. With the implementation of remote work and learning, many programs have scaled back enforcement efforts to promote the varied use of parking assets on campus.

74%

implemented this in fall 2020

57%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

43%

will not continue in spring 2021

0%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

Revenue Shortfalls in Fall 2020 Results show a comparison of respondents that used and did not use this particular strategy. The percentages represent a comparison to the previous fall semester.

Permits

Used 61%

Not Used 69%

Hourly/Pay-As-You-Go

Used 17%

Not Used 22%

Used 30%

Not Used 47%

Citations

9

Three-quarters of the survey respondents indicated some level of modified enforcement for the fall 2020 semester, whether to ease operational costs, improve staff safety through social distancing or provide some relief for on-campus students and staff. One respondent made enforcement 24 /7 to monitor and manage visitor parking on campus. The schools that implemented this change are split nearly evenly about continuing the activities into the spring 2021 semester.

Of those that plan to continue to use modified enforcement practices in the spring 2021 semester, the average budget losses for other segments were much less significant than those reinstating normal enforcement practices. Most of these respondents had citations as less than five percent of their total budget (pre-COVID).

Modified Shuttle/ Transit Services Many programs modified transit services on campus to account for changing demands due to remote learning and changing access patterns. This could include consolidation of routes, changing frequencies and headways, and developing plans to modify routes as demand dictated.

implemented this in fall 2020

79%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

60%

will not continue in spring 2021

40%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

25%

Most of the respondents to the survey indicated that there was some modification to on-campus transit services or shuttling. Several respondents indicated that they wish they had planned to operate less transit from the start with most campuses adopting remote or hybrid learning options.

One respondent indicated that they had to shift operational strategies as the semester evolved.

Those schools that implemented modified or reduced transit options saw the least impacts to overall permit revenue due to an increase of students and staff driving and parking on campus.

The majority of respondents who implemented this in the fall 2020 semester are planning to continue to operate at reduced levels. Of those who are going back to a more complete operation, about two-thirds expect demand levels on campus to return to normal levels this year or early next.

10

Socially Distanced Shuttle Options Many programs implemented socially distanced shuttle options on the routes that remained in place to ensure the riders and drivers maintained safe spaces and helped to ensure safety. In most cases, these changes were likely tied to state and local guidance.

74%

implemented this in fall 2020

64%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

36%

will not continue in spring 2021

20%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

Most of the survey respondents implemented some form of social distancing on shuttles and transit options, including increased space, reduced capacity, and safety barriers for drivers. Of those that implemented these changes, about two-thirds intend to maintain the social distancing elements through the spring 2021 semester.

Of those who are planning to modify socially distant shuttling options, about half plan to reduce transit service until demand returns and the other half are dealing with elevated levels of remote learning that is likely affecting overall shuttle ridership.

11

Expanded Shared Personal Mobility Options Expanding shared personal mobility options on campus provides another alternative to transit services that can be maintained at a socially distant level. While there are some concerns about cleaning devices, the mobility options help to defray driving or congested shuttling options.

implemented this in fall 2020

intend to maintain for spring 2021

11%

100%

will not continue in spring 2021

0%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

0%

Very few of the respondents indicated that they expanded shared mobility options for the fall 2020 semester. For hose few that did, there was an overwhelming response to maintain those options for students and staff. In the cases where this was implemented, there was a higher proportion of in-person and hybrid learning activities.

12

Reduced Shared Mobility Options Shared mobility options are reduced in a need to keep students and staff from utilizing mobility devices that have been touched by someone else, in an effort to curb the spread of germs related to the pandemic.

21%

implemented this in fall 2020

25%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

75%

will not continue in spring 2021

0%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

A handful of the respondents indicated that there was a removal of shared mobility options on campus in response to the desire to remove overall student and staff common touchpoints. Of those that removed mobility options, threequarters plan to bring those options back for the spring 2021 semester.

13

Education/Marketing for Socially Distant Mobility Beyond the implementation of new safe and socially distant mobility options on campus, there is also a need to help educate the campus population about how to access and use these new options. Programs used a number of outreach tools including online information, social media, and program ambassadors.

implemented this in fall 2020

58%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

64%

will not continue in spring 2021

36%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

0%

Slightly more than half of the respondent programs used education or marketing campaigns to help promote the use of socially distanced mobility options. For those that implemented tools such as flexible permits and hourly options with the marketing and education to support the programs saw some of the lowest impacts to overall program revenue, with higher than average levels of pay-as-you-go parking, permit purchases, and citation revenue.

14

Curbside Pick-up/ Drop-off Options The implementation of curbside pick-up and drop-off locations includes both parcel and food delivery and passenger pick-up and drop-off. Providing accessible places for these activities reduces pedestrian interaction and allows to patrons to seamlessly access food and delivery services.

47%

implemented this in fall 2020

67%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

33%

will not continue in spring 2021

0%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

Almost half of the respondents provided some form of pickup/drop-off on campus. Of those that implemented these resources for the fall 2020 semester, two thirds intend to maintain these areas for the spring 2021 semester. Most of these implementations occurred on campuses with a higher level of in-person and hybrid learning.

15

Staggered Work Schedules Staggering work schedules helps to reduce the number of in-office staff and provide more socially distant options to accommodate work that needs to be accomplished in the physical office location.

implemented this in fall 2020

58%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

73%

will not continue in spring 2021

27%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

0%

A little more than half of the respondents indicated that they had implemented staggered work schedules on their campuses. Of those, nearly three-quarters will maintain the scheduling options in the spring 2021 semester.

Many of these programs also implemented flexible permit options, presumably to allow those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come to campus every day options to reduce their purchases. For those that did not implement flexible permits, permit revenues remained about 70% of previous years. For those that did, permit revenue was approximately 55% of previous years.

16

Work From Home Options The implementation of remote working was designed to reduce human contact in the early stages of the pandemic and provide opportunities to reduce in-office capacity in the short term and overall operational costs in the long term.

89%

implemented this in fall 2020

76%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

24%

will not continue in spring 2021

0%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

Almost all of the survey respondents indicated that work from home options were implemented on campus for the fall 2020 semester. Of those that implemented such options, more than three-quarters are planning to keep the option available for on-campus staff.

Many of these programs also implemented modified or flexible permit options, presumably to allow those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come to campus every day options to reduce their purchases.

For those that did not implement flexible permits, permit revenues remained about 70% of previous years. For those that did, permit revenue was approximately 53% of previous years.

Several respondents also indicated that the migration to work from home has the program rethinking on-campus space needs for staff and offices.

17

Use of Program Reserves to Maintain Operations Because of revenue impacts from abrupt school closures in the spring â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20 semester and the variations in revenue from the fall 2020 semester, many academic parking and mobility programs are using program reserves to maintain minimal operational and staffing levels until revenues recover.

implemented this in fall 2020

68%

intend to maintain for spring 2021

46%

will not continue in spring 2021

54%

intend to implement this in spring 2021 for the first time

17%

Almost 70% of respondents indicated they needed to use existing program reserves to maintain operations and staffing for the fall 2020 semester. Of those, a little more than half indicate that the use of reserves would be limited to the fall 2020 semester and the remainder expect to continue to use program reserves. The majority of respondents who plan to continue to use program reserves in spring 2021 anticipate continued decreases of on-campus demand in 2021.

18

Management & Operations Changes Spring 2021 The previous sections highlighted specific strategies that have been prevalent on college campuses to help adapt campus life during the return to school in the fall 2020 semester. The survey also asked the respondents to provide more granular information about what strategies were working, what they intended to modify for the spring 2021 semester, and what impacts there may be to budgets in the next fiscal year. The following sections provide a summary of those specific changes, as well as examples of service reductions and budget impacts that the respondents are weighing for the upcoming semesters.

Parking Pricing, Permits, & Management • • • • • • • •

Utilize occupancy data to optimize permit sales and/or lot utilization.

Suspend waitlist/lottery and return to first-come, first-served permit sales.

Add more pay-as-you-go spaces around campus.

Add flexible permit options for students, faculty and staff.

Transition to a daily fee system and remove the monthly/annual option.

Make more parking available for students than is normally allocated.

Only sell spring permits (normally would sell pro-rated annual permits).

Offer daily, weekly, and monthly permits.

Transit, Shuttling & Rideshare • • • •

Reduce transit service to better match anticipated demand.

Assess community satisfaction with on-demand offering and general transit service.

Increase the occupancy on transit lines in the spring, as Covid restrictions are lifted.

Offer additional ride-share programs as a means to offer safe socially distant mobility options.

Budgeting, Staffing Operations • • • •

Hold off on non-emergency expenses due to deficit created by COVID. Avoid building any new parking structures.

Use temporary permits (printed) rather than hangtags to save money.

Get online permit sales up and going sooner to reduce the amount of work in such a short timeframe.

Demand Predictions • Spring will be about the same as fall, hoping for a few more events and meetings to bring folks to campus.

• When campus resumes in-person classes for non-essential sector (health) programs, measure whether parking space. will be insufficient due to reductions in transit offerings by partner agencies and reduced comfort with transit.

19

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

As programs continue to grapple with demand fluctuations and changes in learning styles, there are expectations that some specific changes could occur due to lessons learned in the fall 2020 semester. Most specific changes defined by the respondents indicated reductions in shuttle and transit services due to lessened demands.

47% of respondents indicated a planned reduction in service for the spring 2021 semester Potential service reductions include: • Slightly trim overall service hours to match demand.

• Reduction in both routes and shuttles serving routes until demand increases.

• No shuttles until after spring break when more in-person classes are in place.

• Fewer transit service hours and limited overtime.

• May cut transit pass subsidies and shuttle routes.

• Reduce leases and new construction.

Respondents were asked how the ongoing revenue and operational changes within their program might impact overall budgeting for the next full academic year beginning in fall 2021. The overall results and examples of impacts are provided below.

74% of respondents indicated a potential for disruptions for fall 2021 budgeting purposes Potential changes to budgeting and operation include:

Predictions for demand and revenue impacts include:

• Limiting projects that are non-essential (maintenance, construction, planning).

• Reducing maintenance activities for parking and mobility infrastructure.

• No staff overtime and no non-emergency expenses.

• Reprioritizing program needs and assessing the use of physical space on campus.

• Looking to reduce the use of permits on campus and use more LPR. • Making changes to the permit rate structure.

• Losses from this year are so significant that reserves need to be replenished.

• Expecting less parking utilization as the university moves towards greater use of remote and hybrid learning.

• Expect the number of commuter students to still be significantly down.

• Predicting a 25% increase in revenue.

• Planning on revenue only back to 5060% of previous years.

• Planning for 95% of normal activity/revenue.

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

20

Revenue Impacts from Covid-19 Like the entirety of the parking and mobility industry, revenues were impacted throughout the academic world initially from the closure of campuses in spring 2020 and further by the impacts on enrollment and campus activity the following fall.

Revenue trends were explored using five primary categories.

•

•

• • •

Permits – traditional or flexible permits that allow for ongoing use of specific lots, areas, or facilities based on user type or restrictions, typically paid in full per year or semester.

Hourly/pay-as-you-go parking – parking that is paid per increment of time used (hourly or daily), typically paid at a meter, kiosk, or via contactless payment.

Citations – revenue collected from parking ticket issuance for improper or illegal parking.

Events – revenue that is collected for special on campus events, like sports or conferences.

Other – non-typical revenue like transportation fees or revenue collected from other departments.

The following sets of data provide summaries of overall revenue impacts on the surveyed campuses.

Typical Revenue Sources (Pre-COVID) The first set of data reviews the typical distribution of revenues for academic programs among the five defined categories. Permit revenue is consistently highest as it is utilized by the majority of the campus population for parking needs.

Hourly and citations are secondary sources of revenue for most programs. The graphic to the right provides a summary of all respondents. The graph below provides breakdowns by geography and enrollment size.

21

59% Permits

9%

Hourly / Visitor

16%

Citations Events 10%

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

Other

6%

Fall 2020 Revenue Impacts Covid-19 The second set of data reviews how those traditional revenue sources have been impacted by the changes in the fall 2020 semester. The percentages reported below indicate where revenues for the fall 2020 semester are compared to the fall ’19 semester. For example, when permits are shown as 63%, that would indicate that programs have generated about one-third less revenue than in the previous fall semester.

Parking Revenue Impacts for All Respondents (Nationwide)

PERMITS 63%

HOURLY 18%

CITATIONS 35%

EVENTS 7%

OTHER 15%

Parking Revenue Impacts by Geography and Enrollment

Permits

Hourly Parking

Citations

Events

Other

By Geography Midwest

81%

8%

12%

0%

0%

East

56%

19%

21%

8%

16%

West

62%

15%

37%

0%

2%

South

67%

23%

52%

15%

19%

Northeast

53%

20%

25%

10%

50%

By Enrollment Less than 15,000

81%

15%

24%

0%

0%

15,000 to 30,000

60%

13%

18%

10%

2%

30,000 to 40,000

65%

23%

62%

15%

41%

Greater than 40,000

62%

19%

29%

1%

9%

Generally, revenues have taken a substantial hit from previous semester, with a number of contributing factors: • Population changes, including less total enrollment, moves to remote learning, and generally less people on campus • Modifications to pricing structures, availability, and operations on campus • Reduction in campus visitors and event volumes due to social distancing efforts

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

22

Conclusions and Key Takeaways The survey data summarized in this document represent a snapshot of parking and mobility management trends on academic campuses for the fall 2020 semester, which has been highly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the respondents to this survey have implemented a number of strategies aimed at supporting modified campus life, providing safe transportation options, and maintaining levels of operation that would not impact staff and their programs. The strategies and outcomes identified in this document provide some lessons learned from these changes. Based on a review of the dataset, the four key takeaways below should provide guidance for academic parking and mobility programs as they continue to adapt into 2021.

1. Balance between supporting campus needs and maintaining sustainable operations is critical Results from the survey indicate that the strategies implemented on campus to support safe and equitable access during the pandemic also had corresponding revenue impacts. Future decisions will need to weigh the impacts on operational capacity vs providing service and policy reductions. The revenues generated by parking management often support a more holistic transportation system in and around campus.

2. Flexibility and choice are key The strategies that seemed to provide the highest level of customer service and choice also indicate fewer effects on overall operational capacity and revenue generation. Examples of good flexible options include implementing more hourly or pay as you go parking, providing flexible permit options, and focusing less on traditional approaches to permits and management.

3. Education and communications can optimize success Those programs that actively communicated with their campus users were more likely to find success in the implementation and ongoing operation of new strategies.

4. Data-driven decision making is still critical even in a pandemic Many programs went into the fall 2020 semester with little idea how students, faculty, and staff would react to program changes or interact with the campus in general. Those that monitored demand and responded to campus needs were more likely to find success in the fall semester and optimization of strategies.

23

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

Additional Video Commentary In addition to the survey responses summarized throughout this document, several respondents also provided video responses that provide more details about how they handled a number of program elements in the fall 2020 semester. Click on any of the topics below for more information on program decisions, policies, and practices.

Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19

24