Leaper X, on-demand campus transit service, coming soon

Purdue Parking and Transportation Services has partnered with Cummins Inc. and Energy Systems Network to offer students, faculty and staff access to a free, on-demand transit solution for the fall 2019 semester.

Leaper X, named to align with the University’s Giant Leaps celebration and to indicate the experimental nature of the program, is an app-based shuttle service that allows anyone with a Purdue University email address to self-select when and where they wish to travel from a list of preprogrammed options.

Shuttle services will operate primarily from 6 p.m. to midnight with rides available from one included location to another, such as from Neil Armstrong Hall to Hillenbrand Residence Hall.

In addition, Leaper X will be available in a restricted capacity from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., when riders can travel from one of approximately 50 central, on-campus locations to a selection of perimeter destinations and back again. Some of these destinations will include the following:

• Purdue University Airport.
• Purdue Technology Center Aerospace.
• Zucrow Laboratories.
• Parking and Transportation Services.
• Surplus Store.
• East Airport Parking Lot.

Once the rider selects the pickup and dropoff location from the list of options in the mobile app, a Leaper X branded shuttle will arrive to provide complimentary transit. Each shuttle can transport approximately 12-15 people, which gives drivers the ability to respond to multiple ride requests at once. Additionally, the app will have a built-in distance restriction that requires a ride to be longer than one-quarter mile.

The Leaper X pilot program will launch officially in the coming weeks, replacing both the CityBus Black Loop and the Av Tech stop on the Gold Loop for the remainder of the fall 2019 semester. Leading up to the official launch date, Leaper X will be available concurrently with CityBus services to help ensure a smooth transition. More information about the timing of the transitional phase and the official launch will be available soon.

The goals of the pilot program are to reduce travel time, boost availability and expand transit coverage. Information from the pilot program will be evaluated by the partnering organizations to test connected technologies and collect operational data to determine the viability of similar programs in the future. Though the pilot program is free of charge, evaluation of a future cost for service will be part of the pilot.

Additional information may be found at www.purdue.edu/leaperx, and questions may be directed to leaperx@purdue.edu.