What Students Are Looking For When It Comes To Transportation To Campus

By Victoria Robertson on April 11, 2015

Off campus living can be challenging for students, especially when it comes to transportation to campus.

Most students are looking for an affordable apartment in a good location with easily accessible transportation.

This may not seem like much, but there is a large breadth of transportation that will need to be covered, as all students are different and may require different forms of transportation for their individual needs.

For instance, many students are active and will use their commute to campus as a way to get in a workout. If the location is close enough, these students may opt to walk, or possibly get to campus by bike.

While these both appear to be options that require no work on the leasing office’s part, students want to know that there is storage for their bikes, and to know that they are in an area where it’s safe to use either of these options in order to commute.

On the leasing office’s part, they should supply bike storage (which can be as simple as racks where students can use chains and padlocks) and supply students with a map of the safest routes to campus from the apartment complex.

Another option for commuting is by car. Many students bring their cars to school, especially when they will be living off campus and know that the distance between the apartment and campus is a bit farther than they want to be walking.

For these students, the main concern isn’t only parking, but safe and affordable parking. Most students prefer covered parking, as this is one of the safest options and it helps protect their cars from the elements.

Students also look for parking garages to be exclusive to the residents of the apartment complex, as this helps reduce the rate of vandalizing and robberies.

On another note, the parking garage should also be easily accessible to students. Students opting to drive to campus are looking for a quick and easy commute, not a 10-minute walk to a parking spot to then drive over to campus for class. The best parking garages are those directly next to, or even underneath the apartment complex.

As far as price goes, students don’t want to add another hundred-something dollars to their rent per month simply because they need their car. The price for a parking spot should be reasonable enough that students in need of their cars don’t feel as if they’re being robbed by bringing them to school.

One of the most common forms of transportation that students will be looking to use is the bus. Even students that like to get their exercise by walking to campus will look for nearby bus lines on rainy or cold, winter days.

Some apartments include a bus line specifically for their student residents. This is one of the most convenient options students look for, as this requires little planning on their part.

The downsides to this option are in scheduling (as the apartment’s shuttles usually run on a fixed schedule that may not work with a student’s academic schedule) and in cost, as oftentimes this option is one that isn’t included in the monthly rent and can run students extra money they may not have.

However, if this is an option the leasing office has been grappling with, it is best to include this form of transportation, as there are always students in need of whatever form of transportation they can get a hold of.

However, not all apartments need to have their own transportation provided to the residents. Most students just want to be in close proximity with their campus’ bus stops. The best way to help residents with this is to provide them with a map and a basic outline of bus schedules, as this way they can plan their transportation around their academic schedule.

For students living off campus, transportation is always a cause for concern, especially for those that know they lack the ability to get themselves to and from campus for classes.

Students don’t want to feel limited in their apartment choices because of a lack of transportation options, so it’s in the leasing office’s best interest to accommodate students in any way they can in this regard. It’s far more likely that a student will sign a lease if they feel safe and as if they will have no problem with their daily commute.

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