At COA, community is an intricate part of our transportation experience. Much of the student population and a many of the faculty and staff live a short distance from the campus, allowing them to walk or bike. How about: Instead of a rideshare board, the COA community uses email to request and offer rides of faculty, staff and students, it can be as easy to find a ride as sending an email to the COA community (faculty, staff and students) asking if anyone is going in the direction you would like to be.

Vehicle Fleet

In June of 2008, College of the Atlantic purchased two, 12-passenger vans to replace existing vans from the vehicle fleet. (The current vehicle fleet for the college is made up of three vans (one 14-passenger, two 12-passenger), one sport utility vehicle and one mid-size car. The purchased vans are not hybrids, electric, or currently capable of running on biodiesel. The purchasing of standard gasoline vehicles was not a decision made lightly. An ad hoc committee from the Campus Committee for Sustainability was active in creating a recommendation for the college, working from September 2007 to April 2008. Safety, environmental concerns, funding, maintenance and storage, and insurance coverage were all factors in deciding which vehicles to purchase. In relation to alternative options, the final report recommends that COA "should seek a grant or sponsorship from an auto manufacturer to obtain a cutting edge, high-miles per gallon vehicle that will demonstrate the college's continuing commitment to protect the environment." Until this comes through we are pleased to have safe and reliable transportation for the community.

Night Bus

COA students, in collaboration with the campus' buildings and grounds office, operates a public transportation option, known as the "night bus." COA's night bus runs from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., stopping at campus every half hour, and circulating through various planned locations in Bar Harbor. The bus cut downs on individual car traffic and provides an alternate to walking and riding bikes at night.

Bike Program

COA's bike program provides a bike for any faculty, staff or student at no cost. Bikes can be signed out at the library for anywhere from an afternoon to an entire term. Each bike comes with a helmet, lights, and reflective vests. Currently all of COA's bikes are restored and repaired older bicycles. The bikes are maintained by a team of COA students working with the Student Life Outdoor Program. All COA community members have access to the bike shed where they can get tools or help with repairs. The Student Life Outdoor Program also offers bike maintenance workshops for community members.

Marine Fleet

The College of the Atlantic maintains a small fleet of watercraft for use in academic and recreational programs. All diesel-powered vessels are running E85 ethanol. The college's flagship is the RV Indigo, a 40-foot diesel-powered vessel equipped for plankton trawls, limited sample collection and observation of seabirds and marine mammals. Indigo is fully Coast Guard certified for passengers in coastal waters. The other principal COA work boat is the Laughing Gull, a 20-foot inboard/outboard that is suitable for field work and logistics around the nearer islands and in the bays. In addition, the college sailing flotilla consists of two Rhodes-19 and one O'Day-23 sailboats. We also maintain a number of dories and rowing boats for both recreational purposes and to facilitate landings on offshore islands. Allied Whale possesses the 26-foot RV Borealis, and three hard-bottom inflatable boats that are used in its whale research.