Duke Transportation Services (DTS) has long been known as a transportation service provider.
The company is responsible for transporting Duke’s employees to and from the Duke Medical Center and the Duke University Medical Center.
The Duke Transportation Service, or TDSS, is also responsible for ferrying students to and fro to and through Duke and other Duke-affiliated institutions.
As Duke University grows in population and has become more financially viable, the company is increasingly becoming more involved in transportation.
“We’re not the only one to get into this business, but we are one of the best at it,” said Drew Davis, vice president of Duke Transportation and Vice President of Marketing for Duke University.
Davis said TDSS has been in the transportation business for nearly 30 years.
TDSS is not the first company to get involved in the Duke transportation business.
Duke University, which now has a fleet of buses and trams, started using TDSS to provide transportation to students during the Great Recession of 2007.
TDASs services, Davis said, were originally a part of the Duke Transit System, which was formed in 1975 by Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Davis recalled TDAS’s first bus trip to Duke in the late 1980s.
“Duke was a big, big player in the bus industry, and I was very excited to get out and ride one of their buses,” Davis said.
TDCS service on campus and other parts of the university are now available 24 hours a day.
Davis added that TDSS and Duke have a long history.
“When Duke first opened the Duke Transportation Center, it was like an overnight in the 1980s, and we were the only ones that were using it,” Davis explained.
Davis added TDAS was established in the early 1970s and was originally a bus company. “
That was an important partnership for TDAS, and they’ve been a part and they will be for a long time.”
Davis added TDAS was established in the early 1970s and was originally a bus company.
Today, the TDAS company is the largest bus company in the world.
“A lot of people know us for our buses and we also operate the Duke Tramway and Duke Shuttle,” Davis added.
“Our fleet is the second largest in the country and we’ve got about 40,000 people that ride our buses daily.”
The Duke Trams, which run from campus to the Duke Student Center and back, also have a fleet.
Davis explained that TDAS has a strong relationship with Duke and that TDCS has been a partner with Duke on the Duke Shuttle.
TDASSS service is offered on a 24-hour basis, except during the Duke Winter Storms.
Davis emphasized that TDASS services are not a commuter service, but instead a service that can be used by Duke’s students, faculty, staff and guests.
Davis also noted that Duke students have had a significant impact on TDASS service, especially since the Duke Athletic Association, which organizes Duke football games, became a member of TDAS in 2015.
Davis has seen TDASSs growth since its founding in 1980, and said that Duke’s student population is expanding as well.
“The Duke University population is growing every year, and this is just the beginning,” Davis remarked.
Davis noted that TDRS service is also available on campus, but only on Saturdays and Sundays.
He said the service will be available for students on all days.
“I have to tell you, Duke is a wonderful community and we love to serve our students,” Davis stated.
Davis’ views on TDAS are not shared by all Duke University students, who expressed their displeasure with the service.
“It’s really hard for me to feel like Duke has done the right thing in terms of having TDAS,” said freshman Jessica Anderholt.
“You can’t do anything right in this world and I think it’s unfair to them.
They should be better, but it seems like they’ve gone overboard.”
Anderthert said she thinks the Duke bus fleet should be replaced.
“They should be using other buses, because they are a great company, but they are also just so full, and there’s just no room,” Andertort stated.
“This isn’t really a Duke transportation service,” Athert added.
TDRS and TDASS are part of a larger Duke Transportation Partnership, a partnership between the Duke and Duke University communities that includes transportation to andfrom Duke University and Duke’s other colleges and universities.
Davis echoed this sentiment.
“TDAS and TDAS have been partners with Duke for 30 years, and now that they’re a bigger company, they are in a stronger position,” Davis told The Lad.
“These are students that have been there for a while, and the TDASS is the only service that we’re offering to them.”
Davis said the Duke Mobility Alliance, which includes Duke University alumni and Duke staff, has been working with