Slidr is excited to announce our expansion into North Carolina with the launch of CatawbaGO, a new electric transit program at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC. This partnership marks a significant milestone for Slidr as we bring our turnkey electric transit model to a new state and a new type of community: a small liberal arts college deeply connected to its surrounding city.
What Is CatawbaGO?
CatawbaGO is a free, app-based electric shuttle service providing point-to-point rides for Catawba College students, faculty, and staff. The service connects the campus to key destinations in downtown Salisbury and the surrounding area, including retail centers, restaurants, healthcare facilities, and recreational destinations. The program operates 100% electric vehicles and combines on-demand ride requests with fixed-route service during peak periods.
As the Biltmore Beacon reported, CatawbaGO offers free point-to-point rides within its service zone, removing the financial and logistical barriers that often prevent students at small-town colleges from accessing off-campus resources. Students simply download the CatawbaGO app, request a ride, and get picked up within minutes by a professional driver in a clean, electric vehicle.
Why Catawba College?
Catawba College is a private liberal arts institution with approximately 1,300 students located in Salisbury, a city of about 34,000 residents in Rowan County. The college's campus is compact but sits within a broader community that offers essential services and amenities at distances that are inconvenient to walk but do not justify maintaining a personal vehicle.
Many Catawba students come from outside the region and do not bring cars to campus. Without reliable transportation, these students are effectively confined to campus, missing out on the dining, shopping, cultural, and recreational opportunities that Salisbury offers. CatawbaGO solves this problem while simultaneously driving foot traffic and economic activity to downtown Salisbury businesses.
The college's leadership recognized that transportation access is a retention and quality-of-life issue. Students who feel connected to the broader community are more likely to stay enrolled, participate in off-campus internships and service learning, and have a positive overall college experience. CatawbaGO is a direct investment in student success.
The Electric Rideshare Buzz
PluginNC, North Carolina's leading electric vehicle news outlet, covered the CatawbaGO launch and highlighted the "electric rideshare buzz" it has generated in the Salisbury community. The coverage noted that CatawbaGO represents one of the first dedicated electric microtransit programs at a small college in North Carolina, positioning Catawba as a leader in campus sustainability innovation.
The electric fleet aligns with Catawba College's broader commitment to environmental stewardship. The college has invested significantly in sustainability initiatives, including its Center for the Environment and its LEED-certified facilities. Adding zero-emission transportation to the campus infrastructure extends that commitment into daily student life in a tangible and visible way.
How the Service Operates
CatawbaGO runs during the academic year with extended hours on weekends. The service zone covers the Catawba College campus, downtown Salisbury, key shopping and dining corridors, and medical facilities. Riders request trips through the dedicated CatawbaGO app, which provides real-time vehicle tracking, estimated arrival times, and ride status notifications.
During high-demand periods, such as Friday and Saturday evenings, CatawbaGO operates supplemental fixed routes connecting the most popular destinations. This hybrid model ensures that the service scales efficiently during peak times while maintaining the flexibility of on-demand service during off-peak hours.
All vehicles are operated by professional, background-checked Slidr drivers trained in defensive driving and customer service. Vehicles are maintained to Slidr's fleet standards and undergo daily safety inspections before entering service.
Community Impact Beyond Campus
One of the most exciting aspects of CatawbaGO is its impact beyond the college campus. By connecting students to downtown Salisbury, the service supports local businesses that benefit from increased foot traffic. Restaurants, coffee shops, and retail stores near the campus and downtown corridor gain a new customer base that previously had limited access.
The City of Salisbury has been supportive of the program, recognizing its potential to strengthen town-gown relations and contribute to downtown revitalization efforts. When students can easily and freely travel to downtown Salisbury, the entire community benefits from increased economic activity and cross-community engagement.
A Model for Small Colleges Nationwide
CatawbaGO demonstrates that electric microtransit is not only for large research universities with massive transportation budgets. A college of 1,300 students can implement a professional, technology-enabled, electric transit program that materially improves student life and community connectivity. The keys are right-sizing the fleet, designing a service zone that matches actual demand patterns, and partnering with an operator that understands the unique dynamics of small-college communities.
Slidr's expansion to North Carolina with CatawbaGO opens a new chapter for our company. We are actively exploring additional partnerships with colleges and communities across the Carolinas and the broader Southeast. If your institution or community is interested in learning how a CatawbaGO-style program could work in your context, we invite you to get in touch.
CatawbaGO represents what happens when a college puts student access and sustainability at the center of its transportation strategy. We are proud to partner with Catawba College to bring this vision to life.
