Which permit is right for you?

For those who commute on a part-time basis, we offer daily parking permits at daily rates. If cost is a priority for you, the ‘C’ permit is the lowest-cost option. You can park six times at the daily ‘C’-permit rate before it makes more sense to purchase a monthly permit.

To see the cost of ‘A’ and ‘C’ permits at the daily rate, please refer to our Short-term Daily vs. Long-term Commuter Permit table to help you decide which permit type--daily or monthly--makes financial sense for you.

If you purchase a monthly permit and only use it part-time, visit our Permit Cost Based on Days Commuting table to see the daily equivalent rate of a monthly permit based on the number of days you are commuting. 

Please note that Stanford's main campus returned to weekday enforcement as of June 16.

Bikes can be a healthy option for commuting, providing exercise, stress relief, and cost savings. Refer to our Bicycle FAQ for Returning to Campus and our Bicycle Resources During COVID-19 page to help you get ready for a bike commute and learn about best practices for bike safety. 

The Campus Bike Shop at Tresidder Union and in the Mirrielees parking lot on Escondido Road provide repairs at both locations, rentals and sales (available at Tresidder only) to the Stanford community. 

The following options are available to store your bike while commuting to campus: 

• Bicycle storage cages 
  • The rental fee is $72 annually. 
  • There are four bike cages on the main campus: Knight Management Center Garage, Stock Farm Garage, Via Ortega Parking Garage, and the Center for Academic Medicine (CAM). 
  • There are two bike cages at Stanford Redwood City: BeWell Recreation Center, Room B140 and ECH/A2 building.
• Bicycle lockers
  • All bike lockers are currently occupied through the end of December 2021. 

Please note that Stanford is not liable for any loss, injury or damage resulting from the use of the bike storage facilities. For Stanford’s recommendations on keeping your bike secure, visit our webpage and see our How to Lock Your Bike infographic.

If you decide to  carpool or vanpool, please create as much physical distance as possible between other passengers and drivers, to the extent possible, and wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the virus.

If you are a driver of the vehicle, please wipe down all frequently touched surfaces with at least a 60 percent alcohol-based disinfectant wipe after sharing a ride and follow best practices for ventilation. Visit our carpooling or vanpooling tips to learn more about these and other ways to protect yourself and others.

Stanford carpools

While a formal Stanford carpool program is currently unavailable on the main campus and at Stanford Redwood City, those who are comfortable carpooling can share the cost of commuter permits and expenses informally.

One person could purchase the Stanford permit, while carpool partners split the cost of the permit and related commuting costs among themselves.

Stanford vanpools

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, they will need to purchase or register for a parking permit to park. Personal vehicles are not associated with vanpool permits.

If you need to park your personal vehicle on campus during weekday business hours (6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday), you must purchase a daily parking permit. Permits are not required after-hours.

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

Refer to our Parking Permit Reinstatement: Updates for Carpools and Vanpools page for additional information.

If you choose to take public transit for your commute, please take a look at some tips that we’ve created to help protect yourself and others and slow the spread of COVID-19.  

Free transit passes, including Caltrain’s Go Pass, VTA’s SmartPass, AC Transit’s EasyPass, and SamTrans’ monthly pass continue to be valid for eligible commuters. To check the status of your transit passes, visit the Transit Pass Eligibility and Status Checker.

Please refer to our Public Transit Service Changes: COVID-19 page for a table summarizing public transit service changes, fare payment requirements, and safety protocols in response to COVID-19.

You can also visit our COVID-19: Updates on Public transit and pre-tax transit purchases page for more information. 

Employees may continue to purchase transit passes and transit parking using pre-tax dollars through the Edenred Commuter Benefits program. Using pre-tax dollars can help you save up to 40 percent. You will need to log into the Pre-Tax Transit Portal to place your order. Please note that these purchases are non-refundable, so it is important to monitor and manage your orders. For more information please refer to our Pre-Tax Payroll Deduction page.

At this time, the Marguerite shuttle service has implemented a number of steps to protect the health and well-being of everyone on board, including face covering requirements, passenger limits, restricted boarding, entering and exiting through the rear door, best practices for cleaning and ventilation, and notices to remind riders of physical distancing guidelines.

We are monitoring Marguerite ridership, especially in light of regulations that limit the number of passengers allowed to board each bus under COVID-19 safety guidance. As more of the Stanford community return to campus, decisions to increase service levels will be made in collaboration with university leadership and funding partners. We will continue to announce changes to Marguerite service through our website, newsletter, and other campus communications. If you have Marguerite shuttle questions, please contact us at marguerite@stanford.edu or 650.724.9339.

For information regarding Marguerite service changes made since April 1 and available alternatives, please refer to our Marguerite Service Changes: COVID-19 page.

Please refer to our Zipcar at Stanford page for information about the self-service, on-demand car sharing program available on the main campus and at Stanford Redwood City.

Zipcar has enhanced its cleaning protocols and products. For additional updates, visit Zipcar's COVID-19 updates webpage.

The on-campus branch is temporarily closed and rentals will be handled by Enterprise's Palo Alto location at 814 San Antonio Road, which offers curbside services. 

Stanford's discounted rates for students, faculty, and staff still apply at the Redwood City location at 345 El Camino Real or the Palo Alto location. Customers can call the Palo Alto location directly at 650.843.4990 or the Redwood City location at 650.366.9200 or visit Enterprise’s reservation page to make a reservation.

List of resources

Please visit our Resources for Stanford Commuters webpage for a full list of resources.

One-on-one commute consultations

If you would like assistance on planning your commute, our team is available for one-on-one commute consultations via Zoom to help you assess your options. Please sign up for a 15-minute consultation by using this registration link. We're also always available to help at commuteclub@stanford.edu or 650.736.9923.

Frequently asked questions

Our COVID-19: Featured Topics page is being updated regularly with new information and frequently asked questions regarding our programs and services.