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Commute Options

Transportation Services manages many programs to promote alternatives to driving to campus alone. Parking can be difficult to find. Commute by foot, bicycle, bus, carpool, vanpool, train or get dropped off and reduce traffic congestion, traffic emissions, and the demand for on campus parking.

For help planning your commute, please contact Transportation Services at (951) 827-8277 or email alttransportation@ucr.edu.

• Biking & Walking

  Riding a bike or walking is a fun, healthy, and environmentally friendly commute mode. There are over 3,000 bike rack spaces located throughout campus.  There are also four locked bike cages available at no cost for those that have registered their bikes on campus. 

  Bike amenities:  UCR has several self-fix-it stations for do-it-yourself light repairs.  Pedals bike shop is also conveniently located on campus every Wednesday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM in Lot 19, offering repairs, parts, and accessories.  Transportation Services provides free bike registration and issues bike licenses daily between the hours of 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

  If you are a UCR campus employee or graduate student, you may want to explore incentives for biking or walking to campus. Visit our Biking/Walking page.

• RTA / U-PASS Program

  UCR subsidizes 100% of your RTA bus pass through RTA’s U-PASS Program.  Just swipe your UCR ID card on board for unlimited, FREE rides on any RTA fixed route.  All RTA buses come equipped with free Wi-Fi and USB charging ports.   Current RTA schedules are available online or at Transportation Services.

  If you are a UCR campus employee or graduate student, you may want to explore incentives for taking the bus to campus. Visit our Learn About Taking the Bus page.

• Carpool

  UCR partners with Zimride to provide free carpool matching.  It’s a private network so you’re only matched with others in the UCR community.  Find a carpool partner and share the ride to save money on parking and gas.

  If you are a UCR campus employee or graduate student, you may want to explore incentives for carpooling to campus. Visit our Learn About Carpooling page.

• Vanpool

  Vanpooling is a cost effective option available to all members of the UCR community.  Routes operate Monday-Friday, traveling between common pickup locations and UCR’s campus.  They run once per day, usually arriving before 8:00 AM and leaving the campus by 5:00 PM.  Prices vary depending on the distance of the route and number of riders.  A monthly charge is assessed to all vanpool riders regardless of the number of days they ride.  Start by adding your name to the waitlist using your NetID.

  If you are a UCR campus employee or graduate student, you may want to explore incentives for vanpooling to campus. Visit our Learn About Vanpooling page.

• Metrolink

  Metrolink’s train services provides connections in six Southern California counties with two local stations near UCR.  Metrolink offers a 25% discount to students with a valid student ID.  RTA has several bus routes that run from the Metrolink station directly to campus.

• Drop-Off

  If you are a UCR campus employee or graduate student and carpool to campus with another working adult, you may want to explore the Drop Off Program.

  What distinguishes a Drop Off participant from a Carpool participant is their driving partner’s place of employment. Drop Off program participants share a ride with another person not working on campus and the Drop Off participant does not park a vehicle on campus.

Parking Options

If you choose to drive to campus, a valid parking permit must be displayed in your vehicle at all times on the UC Riverside campus. Free parking is available at the Hunter Park Metrolink station. Undergraduate commuter permits are available online by logging in with your UCR NetID. Undergraduate commuter students MUST purchase their permit online. Commuter permits may be purchased using Visa, Mastercard, Discover or by Transfer to Student Account.

• Free Parking

  The Riverside Hunter Park/UCR Station is an official county sponsored Park & Ride lot and offers complimentary parking (see map) for commuters.  The station is two miles from UCR and is located at 1101 Marlborough Avenue, Riverside.  From there you can take RTA Route 52 directly to campus.  Bus service begins at 5:10 AM and the last bus back from UCR is at 7:30 PM.  Buses run approximately every 30-40 minutes.  The P2P shuttle will take students back to the Hunter Park Metrolink Station in the evenings between 7:30 PM and 10:30 PM.

• Carpool

  Student carpool permits are available in the Parking office only. Student carpools require a minimum of 3 undergraduate students living 3+ miles from campus who travel along the same route.  Each carpool group must register together in person. A quarterly permit must be paid for up-front and the cost split between the members of the group. One carpool permit hangtag will be issued per carpool.  Any carpool member with a current parking permit will be required to return it.  It is the carpool members’ responsibility to switch the permit between vehicles if they are changing cars. 

  Student carpool permits are VALID:

  • On the top floor only of the Big Springs Parking Structure
  • In Gold Lots 26, 30, 32, 50 and gold striped spaces in Falkirk
  • After 6:00 PM Monday-Friday and all day on weekends in all non-reserved spaces in Red, Blue and Gold permit lots

  Student carpool permits are NOT VALID:

  • In Residence Hall, Campus Apartment or Oban Family Housing lots
  • In Pay-by-Space stalls
  • In Disabled or Medical stalls
  • In Service stalls
  • In any specially marked stalls
• Gold Permit

  Gold permits are available online by logging in with your UCR NetID.

  Gold permits are VALID:

  • In Gold Lots 26, 30, 32, 50 and gold striped spaces in Falkirk
  • After 6:00 PM Monday-Friday and all day on weekends in all non-reserved spaces in in Blue parking areas in Lots 1, 6, 9, 13, 23 and 24

  Gold permits are NOT VALID:

  • In Residence Hall, Campus Apartment or Oban Family Housing lots
  • In Pay-by-Space stalls
  • In Disabled or Medical stalls
  • In Service stalls
  • In any specially marked stalls
• Gold Plus Permit

  Gold plus permits are available online, in limited quantities, by logging in with your UCR NetID.

  Gold Plus commuter permits are VALID:

  • In Gold Lots 26, 30, 32, 50 and gold striped spaces in Falkirk
  • In the additional lot designated on the permit
  • After 6:00 PM Monday-Friday and all day on weekends in all non-reserved spaces in Red, Blue and Gold permit lots

  Gold Plus commuter permits are NOT VALID:

  • In Residence Hall, Campus Apartment or Oban Family Housing lots
  • In Pay-by-Space stalls
  • In Disabled or Medical stalls
  • In Service stalls
  • In any specially marked stalls 
• Orange Permit

  Orange permits are available online by logging in with your UCR NetID.

  Orange permits are VALID:

  • Monday-Friday 6:00 AM - 5:00 PM in designated spaces in the Gethsemane Church parking lot located at 891 Blaine Street (on the corner of Canyon Crest Drive and Blaine Street) and in the Gold striped spaces in International Village.
  • After 6:00 PM Monday-Friday and all day on weekends in all non-reserved spaces in Blue parking areas in Lots 1, 6, 9, 13, 23 and 24 on campus.

  Orange permits are NOT VALID:

  • In Residence Hall, Campus Apartment or Oban Family Housing lots
  • In Pay-by-Space stalls
  • In Disabled or Medical stalls
  • In Service stalls
  • In any specially marked stalls
• Night Permit

  Night permits are available online by logging in with your UCR NetID.

  Night permits are VALID:

  • After 4:00 PM Monday-Friday and all day on weekends in all non-reserved spaces in Red, Blue and Gold permit lots

  Night permits are NOT VALID:

  • In Residence Hall, Campus Apartment or Oban Family Housing lots
  • In Pay-by-Space stalls
  • In Disabled or Medical stalls
  • In Service stalls
  • In any specially marked stalls
• Motorcycle Permit

  Motorcycle permits may be purchased at the Parking Services office.

  Motorcycle permits are VALID:

  • In designated motorcycle spaces only

  Motorcycle permits are NOT VALID:

  • In Pay-by-Space stalls
  • In Disabled or Medical stalls
  • In Service stalls
  • In any specially marked stalls
• Medical Permit

  Students may purchase a one week temporary medical permit at the Parking Services office. If a student needs a medical permit for a longer period of time, they need to contact the Student Disability Resource Center. The Student Disability Resource Center will determine if accommodations are needed and notify Parking Services if a longer term medical permit is approved.

  Medical permits are VALID:

  • In Medical, Red, Blue, Gold, Residence Hall, Campus Apartment and Oban Family Housing spaces
  • In Disabled spaces if displayed with a valid Disabled Person Parking Placard or DP license plate issued to you by the DMV

  Medical permits are NOT VALID:

  • In Pay-by-Space stalls
  • In Reserved stalls
  • In University Village disabled spaces
  • In Disabled spaces if the student does not have a Disabled Person Parking Placard or DP license plate issued to them by the DMV