Parking permit prices to hold steady

After four years of annual increases, the cost of parking permits won't go up for 2003-04, said Brodie Hamilton, director of Parking and Transportation Services (P&TS). Permits for 2002-03 expire Aug. 31.

Prices for 2003-04 permits are $468 per year for an "A" sticker, $156 per year for a "C" sticker and $48 per year for a "Z" sticker.

Online ordering for permits is now available on the department's website at http://transportation.stanford.edu, and P&TS officials are encouraging employees to use it soon to order parking permits. If employees are at all familiar with using the web, the entire process will likely take less than 90 seconds, said Robin Rolls, transportation demand management coordinator. "It's really fast. The time-consuming part is always waiting here in line." More than 600 employees ordered permits using the online form on Monday, the first day the service became available for 2003-04 permits.

Staff also can sign up for Clean Air Cash, which is awarded to employees who are eligible for parking permits but don't buy them, and purchase transit passes online, Rolls said.

Employees can choose to have parking permits mailed to them at home or they can pick them up at the P&TS office at 340 Bonair Siding. It could take up to two weeks for the department to process permit requests, so staff who want to have permits mailed to their home address shouldn't delay, Rolls said. P&TS is ending its policy of observing a formal 15-day grace period, and vehicles without current permits could be ticketed beginning Sept. 1.

Paper permit application forms are not being automatically mailed to all employees but are available on request from P&TS or from administrators in each department, Rolls said. "We wanted everyone who wanted a paper form to have them, but we hated to think of printing up all those forms and having them go to waste." The forms also can be downloaded from the department's website.

Employees who order permits online will receive confirmation of their order and a notice when a permit either has been mailed to their home address or is available for pickup at the P&TS office. Employees who fax or mail permit applications can request that permits be mailed or that P&TS staff call when permits are available for pickup.

• Parking & Transportation Services