When James Rowland, a sophomore in physics, commuted to campus with a friend and noticed that his friend did not have a normal pass for the lot he was parking in, he asked his friend how he was able to park in that location.
The answer? The carpool permit.
According to the transportation website, the carpool permit is a way for at least two students to exchange their previously purchased commuter permits for a carpool permit. This permit is valid in any of the parking decks on main campus, centennial campus and centennial biomedical campus.
There are currently approximately 82 student carpoolers, which translates to 41 less cars on the road each day, according to Christine Klein, public communications specialist for transportation and Allison Carpenter, Wolftrails manager.
“The number of student carpool permits sold continues to grow as more commuters learn of this option,” Klein said.
For Rowland, the process of obtaining the permit was fairly straightforward.
“I was worried it would be complicated when I read the stipulations and instructions online, but once we got the ball rolling everything fell into place,” Rowland said.
Rowland said that while the carpool permit is a good idea, it might not be achieving the desired outcomes.
“There have been times when my partner has had to come back to campus to pick me up, essentially negating the benefit to sustainability,” Rowland said.
The carpool permit is a part of the Wolftrails program, which also includes employee carpool programs, the free GoPass for city and regional buses, bicycle incentives, Zipcar and Zimride, according to Klein.
“Based on year-to-date Wolftrails participation, we calculate a total carbon savings of over 650 tons per year,” Klein said.
According to Klein, the benefits that the program offers are three-fold.
“[Our programs] reduce overall campus carbon footprint, saves students money and offers flexibility to permit-holders, and frees up parking spaces to help accommodate parking needs of more students,” Klein said.
For Jennifer Gowen, a senior in chemical engineering, the carpool pass was especially helpful since she has classes on both main and centennial campus.
“I found the carpool pass to be extremely helpful as I could drop [my partner] off on main campus all day and then navigate between centennial and main campuses,” Gowen said.
Gowen also said that another aspect of the permit – the eight daily passes that are given to the secondary permit holder – allow it to be even more flexible.
“On days when something comes up, he can use one of the eight daily passes that allow him to park on campus,” Gowen said.
High involvement with extracurricular activities can put a strain on parking, Gowen said, but the carpool permit allows for extra flexibility and convenience.
“For someone who stays on campus for more than just class, the carpool pass has been extremely helpful getting between different sections of campus,” Gowen said. “The ability to park in any student commuter spot on campus is well worth the extra hassle of leaving ten minutes earlier to pick up someone from their house.”
Gowen said she thinks that the effort to increase sustainability – even though it might not be as beneficial financially to the university – is commendable.
“I applaud the university for taking a cut in their parking income to increase sustainability around campus,” Gowen said. “The University has done enough work to make this available to students, now it is time for students to use the resource.”
Klein said that while she realizes that there is no “silver bullet” when it comes to behavioral change towards sustainability, the transportation office’s goal is to make those opportunities available for students.
“We want to ensure that [students] know their options and offer them incentives to encourage them to give an alternative mode of transportation a try,” Klein said.
