Two years in the planning process, Purchase Park2Fly has already served hundreds of travelers during its first two months of operation.
“I was flying out of Westchester Airport all the time to visit my girlfriend, now wife, in Florida,” explained Bill Guerrero, president of the Purchase College Association, the business arm of the State University of New York at Purchase. “I experienced the challenge of bugging friends and colleagues to drop me off.”
A lightbulb moment occurred with a resource staring Guerrero straight in the face.
“One of the business operations I manage at Purchase is parking,” he said. “One of our lots was empty year-round. I also teach an entrepreneurship class here and I gave the idea to a group of students and told them to pursue it and develop it.”
The model meant utilization of underused parking spaces, a complimentary shuttle service to-and-from the airport and police surveillance of the cars parked at SUNY Purchase.
The introductory rate per-day to park a car was $5, which will increase to about $10 to $15 in the summer. The rate per-day to park a car at the Westchester County Airport garage on average costs about $26.40. Travelers are advised on the airport website to arrange for drop-off and pick-up when possible, as peak travel periods can result in garage overflow.
Revenue earned from Purchase Park2Fly will go toward capital improvements and scholarship pools at the school. Purchase College Association oversees campus dining services, the bookstore, laundry services and other amenities.
