Slidr Team
CatawbaGO completed 13,696 rides and carried 18,164 passengers from Aug 20, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026 (as of September 2026). Here is what Catawba College's electric shuttle program shows about campus transit at a small college.
The program at a glance
CatawbaGO is the electric shuttle program Catawba College runs with Slidr in Salisbury, North Carolina. It launched on August 18, 2025 to connect students, faculty and staff with campus, off-campus housing and downtown Salisbury. Slidr runs the whole operation under the CatawbaGO brand: vehicles, drivers, charging and technology.
From Aug 20, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026, CatawbaGO completed 13,696 rides and carried 18,164 passengers across 272 operating days, and 539 unique riders used it (as of September 2026). Over the same period riders gave the service an average ride rating of 4.95 out of 5.
Why Catawba needed a shuttle
Catawba College had no campus transit system. Major residence hall renovations, and a new hall going up, moved many students off campus, and those students suddenly needed a dependable way to get to class every day. Students without cars also had limited access to grocery stores, medical offices and downtown Salisbury. The college wanted a modern, sustainable answer that would also help with recruiting.
That origin matters for any college weighing a program of its own. CatawbaGO did not start as a nice-to-have amenity. It started as the fix for a specific, urgent problem, which gave it a clear group of riders who needed it every day.
The first two semesters
In its first semester, Fall 2025, CatawbaGO completed 4,251 rides and carried 5,846 passengers. In Spring 2026 it completed 6,396 rides and carried 8,126 passengers. The second semester was busier than the first on both counts, which is the pattern a new campus service wants to see as students learn it is there and dependable.
Shared rides and electric miles
From Aug 20, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026, CatawbaGO had a 35% shared-ride rate, so pooled trips became a normal part of how students ride (as of September 2026). Over the same period the vehicles drove 35,208 all-electric miles and avoided 31,048 lbs of tailpipe CO2. The average trip was 2.59 miles and the average ride lasted 8 minutes.
For a college with sustainability goals, those are figures a sustainability office can report directly. As Noah, Catawba's Sustainability Program Director, put it: “the data they give us helps back up our sustainability goals with real numbers.”
How the service works
CatawbaGO launched in August 2025 with one Ford E-Transit and one VW ID. Buzz and now runs two VW ID. Buzz vehicles, both full-size electric vans. It is an on-demand service: riders request a ride in the app or schedule one ahead. As of Fall 2026 the service runs Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
The practical lesson is that a campus can start with a sensible fleet and hours, watch how students actually ride, and adjust the vehicles and hours to match.
What other colleges can take from CatawbaGO
Start from a real problem. Programs that solve a specific need, such as getting off-campus students to class, build a steady rider base faster than programs launched as a general perk.
Measure from day one. Rides, passengers, unique riders, ratings and electric miles give the college a clear record for its cabinet, its board and its sustainability reporting.
Let the data shape the service. Rides, passengers and ratings show the college how CatawbaGO is used, so the vehicles and hours can follow real demand rather than a plan fixed at launch.
Keep the operation off the college's plate. Slidr manages the vehicles, drivers, charging and technology, so college staff can focus on students rather than on running a transit operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many rides has CatawbaGO provided?
From Aug 20, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026, CatawbaGO completed 13,696 rides and carried 18,164 passengers (as of September 2026).
How did the first semester go?
In Fall 2025, its first semester, CatawbaGO completed 4,251 rides and carried 5,846 passengers. In Spring 2026 it completed 6,396 rides and carried 8,126 passengers.
What vehicles does CatawbaGO use?
CatawbaGO launched with 1 Ford E-Transit van and 1 VW ID. Buzz and now runs an all VW ID. Buzz fleet. Every vehicle is fully electric.
Who runs CatawbaGO?
Slidr operates CatawbaGO for Catawba College, managing operations, drivers, charging and technology under the CatawbaGO brand. The full program story is in the CatawbaGO case study.
The bigger picture
CatawbaGO shows that a small college does not need a bus system or a transit department to give students dependable, electric transportation. It needs a clear problem to solve, a partner that runs the service end to end, and the discipline to keep adjusting as the ride data comes in.
