After its first semester of service, the EagleExpress campus transportation operation completed 49,552 rides with 4,271 accounts created. EagleExpress launched Jan. 9, and in February, the operational team made early system updates leading to better routing, reduced wait times, flexible drop-offs and expanded guest booking. In cumulation, initial and ongoing adjustments further reduced the average ride duration and average wait time throughout the semester.
Additional operational highlights from the spring semester include:
- Average ride duration: 5.6 minutes
- Average wait time: 9.6 minutes
- Average ride rating: 4.7 (out of 5)
EagleExpress provides free shared rides to the Marquette community as an alternative to walking alone in the evenings. EagleExpress vans run 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily and provide door-to-door service from locations starting and ending on campus. Anyone with a valid Marquette email address can download the free EagleExpress app on the App Store and Google Play and set up a profile to use the service.
With the app, users can request a ride for groups up to eight individuals, view the approximate wait times and track their rides. There are eight vans in the fleet, each holding up to 12 passengers, as well as a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, which holds four passengers.
EagleExpress is an outcome of the President’s Task Force on Community Safety. In 2022, the task force committed to reimagining campus transportation by identifying options for modernizing operations and improving the student experience – both for riders and drivers. Now with a technology-based operation, EagleExpress drivers are dispatched directly via mounted smartphones in the vehicles, and the app simplifies booking a ride and automates updates for riders for more efficient pick-ups and drop-offs. This helps maximize the number of safe rides provided while reducing student wait times.
Learn more about the EagleExpress service and how the app works.