Bowdoin is committed to converting the campus vehicle fleet to 100% electric by 2027. Facilities Management is responsible for the administration of the College's fleet of vehicles which are made available to faculty, staff, and student organizations. Use of Bowdoin College fleet vehicles is limited to official College business only including academic class trips/projects/needs, community service transportation, authorized administrative trips, authorized student groups and clubs and intercollegiate athletics trips as approved by the individual or group's supervisor or sponsor.Green Transportation
Whether you're trying to get a ride downtown or you're planning a trip to Portland, Boston, or beyond, Bowdoin provides options to make it easier for you, but also greener and better for the environment.
Watch Bowdoin students talk about their ease of travel to and from campus with the twice-daily buses and trains departing from Brunswick for Portland and Boston each day!
Despite being a small contributor to overall campus emissions, transportation is important for the College to address as it looks to eliminate fossil fuels.
Bowdoin is a compact campus, which makes walking and bicycling the most convenient
modes of travel within the community. With over 90 percent of Bowdoin students living on campus, and with the availability of a grocery store, restaurants, and shops on Brunswick’s Maine Street less than a mile away, there is infrequent need for automobiles once students arrive on campus.
Bicycle Friendly University
Bowdoin College is recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists, joining an elite group of 221 colleges and universities in 47 states and the District of Columbia that are taking action for our efforts to make it easier and safer for students, faculty, and staff to choose to get around by bike.
- Bowdoin has over 1,800 bike parking spaces across campus. Three of the bike racks provide cover from the elements, while several others are placed under building overhangs.
- The Bowdoin Student Government provides funding for the Yellow Bike Club, a service that allows students to rent bikes for a full semester at a low membership fee. Additionally, members of the club have full access to their bike repair hours.
- Bowdoin has two standalone bike repair stations - one under cover at Buck Fitness Center and one at the Longfellow Arts Center covered bike rack.
- There are three bicycle shops within a mile of campus for students not comfortable doing their own bicycle repair.
- For those looking to learn, the Bowdoin Outing Club also offers an annual bike maintenance course
EV Charging on Campus
Bowdoin has been supporting employees’ transition to electric vehicles by providing EV charging stations on campus. Bowdoin currently has plugs for six electric vehicles to be charging at any one time and that number will be increasing with twelve additional charging spots being added in early 2024. The Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations are available for the Bowdoin College community and campus visitors. All of Bowdoin's chargers are currently free for the first four hours, then cost $3 per hour after that. This fee is prorated every fifteen minutes and is meant to serve as a gentle nudge to encourage people to move their cars and share the ports.
For the ChargePoint chargers, users must enable Apple Pay on their phones or download the ChargePoint app. Those who want to skip these steps can request a ChargePoint card instead but still need to provide credit card information in case the user charges beyond the four hours of free charging.
For the Blink chargers, users must download the Blink Charging mobile app and start a charge session as a guest or pay with an RFID credit card. Either option will require your credit card information in case the user charges beyond the four hours of free charging.
EV Charging Locations:
- Russwurm Parking Lot: Two ChargePoint Level 2 charge plugs are available in the lot next to the John Brown Russwurm African-American Center on College Street.
- Roux Center Parking Lot: Four Chargepoint charge plugs are available in the lot next to the Roux Center for the Environment on College Street
- Coffin Street Parking Lot: Coming Soon! Twelve Blink charge plugs are being installed and should be available for use in early 2024 in the southwest corner of the Coffin Street parking lot, next to Osher Hall.
Related News Article: Bowdoin Sustainability Adds More Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers
Amtrak Downeaster
The METRO BREEZ connects Brunswick, Freeport, Portland, and Yarmouth.