The student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers recently completed a study evaluating the driver and passenger experience with Razorback Transit.

Graduate student Pratik Pokharel led the student group tasked with the ideation and execution of the survey polling campus community members on their experience riding Razorback Transit. The results of the survey gave them the data necessary to form recommendations presented to transit administration.

Sarah Hernandez, civil engineering professor and faculty adviser to the ITE student chapter, said this initiative was a great opportunity for students to utilize the concepts they are learning in the classroom for real-world applications.

"I encourage students to undertake service projects that have an impact on their day-to-day lives at the University of Arkansas," Hernandez said. "The students fully committed to this effort and successfully carried out a driver and passenger survey of the Razorback Transit system. They spent countless hours preparing and conducting the survey and were able to provide valuable insights into route configurations that may better serve our students, staff, and faculty."

The collaboration between the students of the ITE and Razorback Transit began when a University Relations feature writer, DeLani Bartlette, contacted Hernandez and Staff Senator Michela Cupello to share concerns about Razorback Transit service and noted that the ITE students, fresh off their 2023 "Traffic Bowl" victory, were well-positioned to work on a related project.

"I set out to find people who were knowledgeable in [the transportation] field who would be willing to come up with some solutions," Bartlette said. "The students in ITE were wonderful, and I'm so thankful for all their hard work collecting data."

Recognizing the potential to channel this student expertise into meaningful improvements for campus transit, Cupello proposed connecting the group with Razorback Transit to present their ideas for consideration.

"I saw a chance to turn a service concern into a collaborative effort that could benefit the entire campus," Cupello said. "By bringing together our students' talent and the experience of our transit team, we could address real issues while giving students a platform to apply their skills in a tangible, impactful way."

Cupello was excited to see two groups on campus come together and share their expertise with the goal of improving the quality of transit service offered to the community.

"This project exemplifies the power of collaboration across departments, disciplines and roles — bringing together staff, faculty and students to drive meaningful impact," Cupello said. "I was honored to leverage my roles as a staff senator and Facilities Management representative to help transform a complex transportation challenge into an opportunity for meaningful learning and strategic advancement."

Razorback Transit Director Adam Waddell also viewed the collaboration as a valuable opportunity to gain industry insights from the student group that spends many hours researching and analyzing public transportation trends and innovations.

"Our staff is always grateful for the opportunity to meet with students and researchers to explore ways to improve our services," Waddell said. "We have so many talented and intelligent minds working alongside us at the university, and any time we can interface with those people, it only serves to benefit our department and the campus as a whole."

Razorback Transit is undergoing a separate study to evaluate current operations and identify potential areas of growth for improved ridership experience. The study will conclude later this year, with implementation strategies to be communicated shortly after.