How to Participate in a Carpool

All faculty, staff, and students who live off campus can participate in the carpool program.

• Save time: Carpools use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.
• Save money: Share the cost of an annual permit, gas, and vehicle maintenance.
• Park free when necessary: If you sometimes need to drive, an Occasional Use permit allows 10 complimentary days of parking per quarter. (Note: The registered annual permit holder is not eligible to receive complimentary parking. Undergraduate students must join the carpool program within the first 6 weeks of the quarter to receive all 10 complimentary days of parking.)
• Park in reserved carpool spaces: Receive a reserved carpool space access sticker when you have 3 or more carpool members.
• Emergency rides home: Register in advance for Guaranteed Ride Home, a SANDAG program that provides rides in case of illness, unscheduled overtime, or family emergencies. Registered users, dial 511 when you need a ride.
• Drive shared vehicles: Pay no Zipcar application fee or annual membership fee, and receive rental credits (when you meet UCSD eligibility requirements).

Each carpool:

• Consists of 2 or more members committed to carpooling daily
• Must purchase — and share — a single annual parking permit
• Has a primary driver — though members can share driving responsibilities
• Can park in reserved carpool spaces if the carpool has 3 or more members (see carpool parking map)
• Must register at the Gilman or Medical Center Hillcrest Parking Office

Carpool registration is free. Members share the cost of the following:

• One required annual parking permit
• Gas
• Vehicle maintenance

• Find other UCSD faculty or staff looking to carpool, using the online UCSD Ride-Matching Service.
• Register your carpool at either of these locations:
  • Campus Parking Office (Commute Solutions desk), Gilman Parking Structure (map), 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. weekdays
  • Medical Center Hillcrest Parking Office, Bachman Parking Structure (map), 6:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. weekdays
• Begin by registering the owner of the annual permit as the primary driver. The primary driver may submit an approved list of carpool members.
  • The primary driver must approve each member in the carpool.
  • At least 3 members must register before you receive the reserved carpool space access sticker.
• Pick up your complimentary Occasional Use parking permit at the Gilman or Medical Center Hillcrest parking office. (Undergraduate students must do so within the first 6 weeks of the quarter only.) You will need:
  • Valid UCSD ID
  • Proof of current vehicle registration for up to 2 vehicles. (Vehicles must be registered to you or a family member at a single address.)

Note: Faculty and staff permits arrive via campus mail automatically. Undergraduates must register their carpool and pick up permits every quarter.

Occasional Use permits issued by Commute Solutions are:

• Used in the same way as those purchased from the parking office. Please review How to Display Your Parking Permit.
• Nontransferable. Only the carpool partners who were issued the permits can use them. A permit cannot be shared with anyone else, sold, or given away.
• Not issued to the registered annual permit holder. However, the annual permit holder can register one vehicle on the Occasional Use permit of one fellow carpool member, for use when the permit owner needs to park but cannot carpool.
• Not valid in "Reserved for Carpool" spaces. For accepted spaces, read Where and When to Park.
• Note: Undergraduate students must join the carpool program within the first 6 weeks of the quarter to receive all 10 complimentary days of parking.)