Trustees approve 3-year contract with SP Plus for free expanded campus transit services

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (April 4) approved a three-year, $7.8 million contract with SP Plus (SP+), a Metropolis company, to provide free transit services with expanded campus routes for students, staff and faculty at Purdue’s West Lafayette location. The contract begins July 1 and runs through June 30, 2028, with SP+ service scheduled to start Aug. 25, the first day of fall semester classes.

Last November, Purdue launched a publicly advertised request-for-proposals process to solicit bids for campus transit services. As part of that process, Purdue’s goal was to partner with an operator that could enhance the transit experience for students and staff and improve ease of use for West Lafayette riders by leveraging technology — including providing an enhanced mobile app, improving operations, offering a more adaptable fleet with multiple transit vehicle sizes, and elevating overall service — while keeping transit services free for anyone with a Purdue ID.

Representatives from Student Life, Office of the Provost, Campus Planning and Architecture, and Parking Operations made up the evaluation team for campus transit services, with input and engagement with the Purdue Student Government and Purdue Graduate Student Government on routes and schedules.

The competitive public bid process yielded eight proposals. The campus transit services contract with SP+ will be financed by Auxiliary Funds — Parking.

Through the contract with SP+, campus routes will also be expanded to help provide better access to parking locations on the perimeter of campus.  

“SP+ has unparalleled experience to effectively and efficiently design and operate routes to meet our campus needs,” said Jessica Robertson, Purdue associate vice president for auxiliary services. “Our transit services will be comprised of a mixed-size fleet model that offers greater flexibility, more capability and increased frequency. SP+’s service model emphasizes adaptability and customization, enabling scalability.”

With the contract approved by the trustees, further discussions now will begin between Purdue and SP+ to finalize campus route designs and schedules with enhanced and expanded service.

“We are thrilled to be entrusted with the provision of this vital service to connect Purdue’s students, staff and faculty to the campus,” said Brett Munkel, PTMP, vice president of university services for SP+. “Our team is dedicated to delivering a convenient, safe and cost-effective service, and we look forward to partnering with Purdue University for many years to come.”

Purdue’s current fixed-route service agreement with CityBus for the silver, black, bronze and Tower Acres campus loops expires July 31. Service, however, will effectively wrap up when the spring semester ends because campus transit loops stop service during the summer months.

More details on off-campus transit and semester passes will be communicated at a later date. CityBus has historically handled off-campus transit, and current information on CityBus routes and schedules can be found online.

About SP+, a Metropolis Company

Metropolis is an artificial intelligence company whose computer vision platform enables checkout-free payment experiences for the real world. Continuing its trajectory as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the United States, Metropolis envisions a future where people transact in the real world with even greater ease than experienced online. Following its take-private acquisition of SP+, Metropolis is now the largest parking network in North America, with more than 4,000 locations. Its proprietary artificial intelligence technology is deployed across the United States, reaching more than 50 million customers and processing over $5 billion in payments a year. To learn more about Metropolis, please visit www.metropolis.io.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.