8,192 Rides and Counting: How CatawbaGO Became Campus Essential
Salisbury, North Carolina
“What started as a solution to a construction problem became a permanent part of campus life.”
Overview
Catawba College launched CatawbaGO with Slidr to give students, faculty, and staff a reliable way to move around campus and into the surrounding Salisbury community. Two VW ID. Buzz vehicles operate in a hybrid model: one runs a fixed campus loop while the other handles on-demand rides, giving riders flexibility whether they need a predictable route or a door-to-door pickup.
The Challenge
Catawba College, a small liberal arts school, lacked any campus transit system. Major residence hall renovations forced many students to live off campus, creating an urgent need for daily transportation to class. Students without cars had limited access to off-campus essentials like grocery stores, medical offices, and downtown Salisbury. The college wanted a modern, sustainable solution that would also serve as a recruiting advantage.
The Slidr Solution
Slidr deployed 2 VW ID. Buzz vehicles in a dual-mode configuration: fixed route for high-traffic campus corridors and on-demand for flexible, app-based rides 7 days a week. The program launched under the CatawbaGO brand with Slidr managing all operations, drivers, charging, and technology. One vehicle runs the fixed loop Monday through Friday while the second handles on-demand requests all week long.
Results
In just 1.5 semesters, CatawbaGO has delivered over 8,100 rides to nearly 11,000 riders. The 35% shared-ride rate shows strong adoption of pooled trips, and the 16-minute average wait time keeps the service practical for daily use. With over 22,700 miles driven on electric vehicles, CatawbaGO is proving that small colleges can operate world-class transit programs. The program has logged 2.79-mile average ride distances and 8-minute average ride lengths, with 1,816 fixed-route riders complementing the on-demand service.
“We were in a tough spot. Major renovations to several residence halls and a brand new one going up meant we had to move a lot of students off campus. Suddenly we needed a reliable way for those students to get to class every day. Slidr stepped in with CatawbaGO and it solved that problem right away. All-electric, connects the off-campus housing to campus and downtown Salisbury, and students actually ride it consistently. On top of that, the data they give us helps back up our sustainability goals with real numbers. What started as a solution to a construction problem became a permanent part of campus life.”
What started as a construction workaround became a permanent part of campus life. 10,870 riders and growing.
At a Glance
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