How to Participate in a Vanpool

Faculty, staff, and students from UCSD, Scripps, Salk Institute, and VA Hospital may participate in the vanpool program.

• Free trial period: Ride 1 week free on established vanpools (space available) or 4 weeks free when forming a new vanpool.
• Save time: Vanpools use high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
• Save money: Decrease gas and vehicle maintenance costs. Eliminate parking costs.
• Park free when necessary: UCSD members can get an Occasional Use permit for 10 complimentary days of parking per quarter.
• 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).

Note: The previous policy of 1st and 12th months free has been eliminated, beginning with June 2009 memberships, but will still be honored for those who began before it ended.

• Vanpool groups determine their own commuting schedule.
• Each has a primary and backup driver. They usually ride free or at a reduced price, depending on their arrangement.
• Riders catch their vanpool at a predesignated time and location.
• Vanpools drop off riders at locations near their offices.

• Monthly fees vary with the distance each vanpool must travel between the neighborhood of origin and campus or the Hillcrest Medical Center.
• The vanpool route spreadsheet (Excel) lists rates for UCSD affiliates for each neighborhood vanpool.
• Affiliates’ rates are subsidized by Transportation Services. Eligible non-UCSD affiliates should expect to pay a higher fare.
• Paying monthly fees:
  • Faculty and staff pay monthly fees through payroll deduction.
  • Students pay each quarter in advance with cash or check (payable to UC Regents).
  • Non-UCSD affiliates pay monthly with cash or check (payable to UC Regents).

• Arrange with the vanpool coordinator to ride free for 5 days.
• To join, complete a Vanpool Program Authorization of Payroll Deduction form (PDF) or request a form by:
  • Phone: (858) 534-0883
  • E-mail: Vanpools
  • Pickup: Stop by the Commute Solutions desk inside the Campus parking office, Gilman Parking Structure (map), 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. weekdays.
• Include a check or money order payable to UC Regents with your form, covering vanpool fees prior to activation of payroll deductions. The vanpool coordinator calculates the initial payment based on your start date. Write your driver’s license or employee number on your check.
• Submit your completed form and payment:
  • By mail: Vanpool coordinator, Mail Code 0011, or
  • In person: Commute Solutions desk, Gilman Parking Structure (map), 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. weekdays
• 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 3 vehicles. (Vehicles must be registered to you or a family member at a single address.)
  Subsequent permits will be given to your vanpool driver for distribution.
• If there's no suitable vanpool for you, find other UCSD affiliates and form a new vanpool. Use UCSD’s ride-matching service and contact the vanpool coordinator for the next step.

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.
• Are nontransferable. Only the member who is issued the permit can use it. The permit cannot be shared, sold, or given away.
• Are only valid in designated spaces. For accepted spaces, read Where and When to Park.

Note: Violation of these policies may result in:

• Parking citations
• 6-month suspension from the Vanpool Club
• Ineligibility to participate in any Commute Solutions programs for up to 6 months