UC San Diego
Faculty and Staff
Site Search
Blink Logo
A-Z Sites Department Index
  • Blink Tabs
    • Buy & Pay
    • Facilities & Services
    • Faculty Resources
    • Finance
    • Human Resources
    • Research
    • Safety
    • Student / Class Info
    • Technology
    • Travel
  • Personal Tools
    • At Your Service via AYSO
    • At Your Service via SSO
    • Compensation Calculator
    • Enrollment Central
    • Job Bulletin
    • My Directory
    • My LeaveBalances
    • My Time
    • My Training
    • My Travel
    • SkillSoft eLearning
    • All tools
  • Business Tools
    • APOL
    • Connexxus
    • Marketplace
    • Title & Pay Look-up
    • MyApprovals
    • MyDashboard
    • MyEvents
    • MyFunds
    • MyTravel
    • EmployeeLink
    • FinancialLink
    • TravelLink
    • All tools
  • Instruction Tools
    • ASSIST
    • Class Lists
    • Degree Audit (DARs)
    • Find a Student
    • Majors List
    • Minors List
    • Schedule of Classes
    • Enrollment and Waitlists
    • WebCT
    • All tools
  • Research Tools
    • Proposal Repository
    • Faculty Expertise
    • Forms lister
    • Get Proposal #
    • Shared Facilities
    • FinancialLink
    • TravelLink
    • MyEffort
    • MyFunds
    • My Research Safety
    • MyTravel
    • All tools
  • Blink Home 
  • Facilities & Services 
  • Parking & Transportation 
  • Commuting Alternatives 
  • Commute Solutions 
  • Vanpools

How to Participate in a Vanpool

Last updated November 20, 2009 10:41:16 AM PST
Give more feedback

Find out if a vanpool is right for you and how you can participate.

Expand all

Who's eligible?

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

What are the benefits?

  • 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.

How does a vanpool work?

  • 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.

What does it cost?

  • 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).

How do I participate?

Find or form a vanpool that’s right for you: Check the vanpool route spreadsheet (Excel) for an existing route.
  • 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.

How do I use my Occasional Use permit?

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

Expand all

For more information, contact the vanpool program.

Tell us how we're doing. If you have ideas for improving Transportation Services, please e-mail them to TellTPS@ucsd.edu.

Note: This page has a friendly link that's easy to remember: http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/vanpool

Facilities & Services

Commute Solutions

  • iRide to UC San Diego
  • Carpools
  • Pedal Club
  • Ride-Matching Service
  • Transit/ Coaster Club
  • Vanpools
  • Zipcar

Departments


Transportation Services

UC San Diego 9500 Gilman Dr. La Jolla, CA 92093 (858) 534-2230
Copyright ©2009 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Feedback
  • About Us
  • Accessibility
  • Emergency Info