Durham, NC - It took Daniel James less than 30 seconds to get his GoPass, a swipe card that will allow him free rides on local and regional buses for a year. 

James was among several hundred Duke employees and students who claimed their free passes on Monday, Aug. 1, the first day the passes were made available by Duke's Parking and Transportation office.  

To reduce parking and congestion on campus and help limit Duke's carbon footprint, Duke is offering GoPass to staff and faculty whose offices are on East, West, Central and Medical Center campuses; the American Tobacco Campus; or within one-half mile of the East, West, Central or Medical campuses (see eligibility map). All undergraduate, graduate and professional school students are eligible.  

James, a safety and health specialist with Occupational and Environmental Safety, took advantage of the table set up outside the Duke Clinics Food Court during Monday's lunch hours. All he had to do was show his DukeCard to claim his GoPass. He plans to use the bus pass to try commuting on public transit from his home in Cary. 

"I'm still not sure if it will work, but this gives me the opportunity to try it at no risk," he said.

Brian Williams, Duke's transportation demand management coordinator, said approximately 500 passes had already been sent to employees who were transitioning from the discount bus pass program to GoPass. Another 120 employees and students picked up a GoPass at Monday's tabling event at Duke Clinics. 

Williams will be managing lunchtime distributions at the following locations the remainder of this week:

• Aug. 2 and 3, Duke Clinics Food Court, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Aug. 4, Duke Hospital Atrium Cafe, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Aug. 5, Bryan Center (top floor), 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Eligible employees and students can also pick up the GoPass at one of Duke's two Parking and Transportation offices: 

• 2010 Campus Drive (near the corner of Campus Drive and Anderson Street). Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• 4290 Duke Clinics (near the Medical Center Bookstore, on the same level as the Duke Clinics Food Court). Open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.