Parking permit requirements resumed at Stanford's main campus and Stanford Redwood City as of Wednesday, July 1. With some exceptions, mainly for carpools and vanpools, Stanford's parking program returned to the same system as before the shelter-in-place orders, including rates, enforcement, permit types, and policies.

Commuters and residents are required to have a valid ‘A,’ ‘C,’ ‘Z,’ ‘C-SRWC,’ ‘MC,’ or resident parking permit purchased through the online ordering system to avoid potential citations.

If you will be commuting part-time, consider purchasing daily permits to save on parking costs. To learn more about permit cost based on days commuting, visit our table.

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 has resumed full operations including rentals, sales, and repairs to provide services to the Stanford community. 

We are also hosting two free bike webinars in August. Benefits-eligible university employees are able to earn self-reported BeWell Berries for participating in the online workshops (one berry per webinar).

• Bike Gears Made Easy! on Aug. 19
• Virtual Fix-A-Flat Class on Aug. 26

Lastly, Commute.org has set up a Bicycle to Work Rewards Program to encourage bicycle commuting and those who live or work in San Mateo County can receive up to $100 when they log their bicycle commutes. Visit Commute.org's Bicycle to Work Rewards Program website for full program details and to join.

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

Free or reduced-cost permits and reserved carpool spaces are not available, but 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.

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, 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.

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. If you have a Clipper card with a Stanford-issued Go Pass that was active in March 2020, but has not been used since, don't worry. The Go Pass is still active and no action is required beyond tagging on and off for each ride. While fare payment is required on Caltrain and VTA, fare collection is currently suspended on AC Transit and SamTrans.

Caltrain

Some Stanford commuters have expressed concern about whether or not Caltrain will continue to operate given the financial challenges caused by ridership decreases due to COVID-19. We have developed a Caltrain Updates: COVID-19 page to help provide context about Caltrain’s current situation and the proposed eighth-cent sales tax measure to provide the agency with a direct funding source.

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 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, standard best practices for ventilation, and notices to remind riders of physical distancing guidelines.

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

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.

Zipcar

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.

Enterprise

The on-campus branch is temporarily closed and rentals will be handled by Enterprise's Redwood City location at 345 El Camino Real, which offers curbside services. 

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