The University of Oregon will launch a motor pool July 1, ending a long partnership with Oregon State University and providing UO users with 41 brand-new sedans, vans and trucks to rent.
University users should use OSU’s reservation system for trips ending before June 30 and the UO reservation system for trips beginning July 1 and after.
The move from a shared-vehicle model with OSU to a UO-only motor pool followed extensive research on user needs and long-term costs, said David Reesor, director of Transportation Services. The change will enable the university to modify and expand the service to meet future expectations.
“We looked at all options for a new motor pool service,” Reesor said. “After doing our due diligence, it was very clear to us that establishing an in-house operation was critical.” Located at the UO Motor Pool, 3233 Franklin Boulevard, the fleet includes:
- Six Toyota Corolla Hybrid sedans.
- Four Toyota Sienna minivans.
- Six Ford all-wheel drive Escapes.
- Four Ford F-150 trucks (two with canopies).
- Twenty-one Ford 12-passenger Transit vans.
“While the newness of the fleet means reliability and limited maintenance costs, it was purchased with a capital investment from the UO, including from Transportation Services department funds,” Reesor said. “The department will pay off the projected vehicle debt over 10 years, and the motor pool program will be self-sustaining, with program costs covered by program revenue.”
With the new motor pool comes a new, first-ever position: motor pool manager, held by Bryne Hagstrom, who has been managing Duck Rides and the Access Shuttle.
Hagstrom’s background is in commercial trucking. He’s managed logistics, dispatch, customer service, large fleets — he even spent years driving an 18-wheeler, hauling freight on trips as long as Everett, Washington, to Miami, Florida, some 3,300 miles.
All those miles behind the wheel gave Hagstrom plenty of time to think about the transportation business and what separates top providers from everybody else.
“At the end of the day, it’s a people business,” he said. “The thing that sets you apart is the level of service you provide to your customers. I want to bring that culture to the U of O — the ‘above and beyond’ customer service culture. I want it to be a positive experience from the time you put in your information to rent that vehicle to the time you return it.”
Frequent motor pool users include academic departments, researchers, club sports programs, student groups and event organizers, and vehicle needs range from single-day use to months at a time, on urban or off-road terrain.
The motor pool is the best way to meet the transportation needs of a university with limited parking and a commitment to reducing single-driver trips, Reesor said.
“We have about 4,000 parking spaces for a community of 28,000 people,” he added. “If each department was purchasing and storing their own vehicle at the university it would be very expensive and take away from parking for daily commuters. By pooling these vehicles, we preserve that very finite parking resource for daily commuters.”
There is also potential to support the cost of the motor pool — and reduce vehicle needs across the Eugene-Springfield area — by eventually making the service available to non-university users, Hagstrom said.
—Matt Cooper, University Communications