The Auraria Campus, measured.
A semester of measurable progress toward cleaner, smarter, more rewarding commutes across the three universities of the Auraria Campus: CU Denver, MSU Denver, and the Community College of Denver.
A low-cost program that moves students.
During Spring 2025, the Auraria Campus ran a multi-modal commuter benefit program on the Commutrics platform, awarding students points for every logged trip, weighted toward transit, walking, biking, and other low-carbon alternatives to driving alone. Points converted to a cash benefit. The program served all three Auraria institutions and produced real behavior change in a single semester.
A relatively low per-student incentive produced measurable mode shift, high satisfaction, and rich campus-specific mobility data, all in one semester. When presented with alternatives, a majority of surveyed students preferred the Commutrics model over higher-cost transit-pass options.
How the program rewards the right trips.
Higher-impact modes earn more points. The Spring 2025 structure rewarded transit and Park & Ride most heavily, with walking and biking close behind, and a small allotment for driving alone to keep every commuter engaged.
Points convert to a cash benefit (1,000 points = $10). Monthly leaderboards and prizes added a gamification layer that students cited as a motivator, and email plus flyers were the two leading channels that drove sign-ups.
How the Auraria Campus gets to campus.
Across 74,240 logged trips, alternative modes carried more than seven of every ten, and driving alone declined as the semester went on.
The campus return on participation.
Every alternative-mode trip eases congestion into campus, cuts carbon, and keeps money in students' pockets.
What students are saying.
End-of-program survey · 212 respondents across the three universities · April–May 2025.
I started carpooling to school every single day. It made me feel good about choosing a different way to drive, and doing something small to help.
I used to drive to campus most of the time, but now every trip is on the RTD light rail, and I walk or bike the rest.
I love that this program exists. Not only have I planted two trees through my commuting, but I've made roughly thirty bucks with it.
I really liked how easy it was to self-report my trips. I also appreciate the money incentive, especially as a college student who is struggling.
I liked the monthly ranks and prizes. They inspired me to use public transit more, since I would get more points.
It made me more excited to use my bike! And I varied my transportation more often when I saw the options laid out.
Four ways to scale across campus.
The pilot proved demand. These are the models the Auraria Campus could adopt for a permanent program serving its ~19,000 on-campus students.
- ✓ Rewards every mode
- ✓ Unlimited transit, up to 5 days/week
- ✓ Carpool matching + analytics
- ✓ 94% back to student benefits
- ✓ Same multi-modal rewards, lowest cost
- ✓ Reduced transit cost
- ✓ Carpool matching + analytics
- ✓ 94% back to student benefits
- ✓ Covers all transit trips
- – Transit only, no rewards
- – No carpool or mobility data
- – All students pay regardless of use
- ✓ Covers transit for those who opt in
- – Transit only, no rewards
- – Admin & labor to manage passes
- – Net-loss risk; not cost-effective for many
Both Commutrics options send ~94% of funding straight to student benefits, at a fraction of the cost of an RTD pass, rewarding every sustainable choice, not just transit.
Bring a measurable commute program to your campus.
Book a 30-minute call and we'll walk through what a Commutrics program looks like for an organization your size.