Parking permits required at Stanford's main campus and Stanford Redwood City

Commuters and residents are required to have a valid parking permit purchased through the online ordering system to avoid potential citations. Read our article to learn more.

For COVID-related transportation updates, please visit our Stanford Transportation COVID-19: Featured Topics page. If you are interested in learning more about your commute options as you return to campus, please refer to our Returning to Your Stanford commute page.

Parking Permit Reinstatement: Updates for Carpools and Vanpools

While parking permit requirements resumed at Stanford's main campus and Stanford Redwood City as of Wednesday, July 1, we are unable to offer the Clean Air Cash and Carpool permit programs at this time.

 

Stanford's commute incentive program is intended to encourage eligible commuters to choose a  sustainable commute instead of driving alone. While telecommuting helps to reduce trips and emissions, the program is not intended to provide incentives for full-time telecommuting. Since we do not have a way to determine levels of telecommuting among tens of thousands of individual Stanford commuters, we are unable to reinstate the Clean Air Cash and Carpool permit programs at this time.

We have, however, continued to offer free transit passes for eligible commuters and Scoop carpooling app subsidies for riders and drivers. To learn more about the return of parking permit requirements and your commute options as you return to campus, please refer to our Returning to Your Stanford commute page.

Carpools

All carpool permits have been returned, carpool groups closed, and carpool members unenrolled from the carpool program. Former carpoolers must purchase a commuter permit as of July 1, if they intend to drive to campus.

While free or reduced-cost permits and reserved carpool spaces are not available, you may informally share the cost of commuter permits and expenses. To do this, one person purchases the permit and the carpool partner(s) split the cost of the permit and related commuting costs among themselves and not through the system. 

Scoop carpool app

The Scoop carpooling app continues to be available and Stanford continues to subsidize eligible riders and drivers who use Scoop for their Stanford commute. Scoop has updated its health and safety guidelines, which involve changes to the in-car experience in order to decrease the risk of potential exposure and comply with public health recommendations from the CDC and the WHO.

Vanpools

All elements of our vanpool program are under review. While we are continuing existing vanpools currently, we are weighing whether we will be able to continue the 100% vanpool subsidy for new vanpools during COVID-19. Until that decision is made, we are unable to offer the vanpool subsidy to new groups.

Vanpool vehicles for existing vanpool groups may be parked in any 'A,' 'C,' or 'Z' commuter space. If any member of an existing vanpool drives to campus in their personal vehicle, a daily parking permit for that vehicle must be purchased in  the online ordering system to avoid a potential citation. Monthly commuter permits are not available for individual vanpool program participants and personal vehicles are not associated with vanpool permits. 

For directions on how to purchase a daily permit, visit our How to Purchase a Daily Parking Permit guide.

If you have any questions about the vanpool program, please contact us at commuteclub@stanford.edu or 650.736.9923 for assistance.