We understand that your commute may have changed over the past year. As you begin thinking of your return to campus and what your commute may look like in the future, Transportation Services is here to help. Whether you’re picking up the commute mode you used pre-pandemic or are interested in taking up a new one, you can use the following resources to help you continue to commute to campus.
We recently transformed our transportation permit system — the Transportation Services online customer portal is now used to reserve and purchase most transportation products, as well as manage account and vehicle information. Learn how to manage your permits in the UW’s new online transportation system with the customer portal guide.
Cancelled your U-PASS or are unsure if your U-PASS is active? Learn how to purchase or reactivate your U-PASS.
Safety measures on public transit
Even though some operations are returning to the way things were pre-pandemic, safety precautions will remain in place on regional transit.
- Safety partitions for drivers and upgraded air filters were added to vehicles during the pandemic and will continue to be included in transit vehicles.
- Passengers will still be required to wear masks and mask dispensers are being installed on transit vehicles to ensure all passengers have one available to them.
- Daily vehicle disinfections will continue to be standard practice.
To help keep everyone safe, please continue to wear a mask on transit, stay home when sick, and pay with an ORCA Card or U-PASS.
Additional resources: King County Metro’s safety page, COVID-19 Prevention for Transit from UW EH&S.
Transportation Services has developed a poster that highlights these safety recommendations. Please share and post where relevant.
How to find and pick a transit route
The transit page has a full list of resources for transit planning in the Puget Sound region. With so many resources and transit options available, it can be overwhelming to figure out which option is right for you. We recommend starting with Google Maps to see what routes are available from your starting point. Here are some factors to consider when comparing available options:
- Total transit time
- Number of transfers
- Walking distance
- Transit costs (if using a service not covered by the U-PASS)
Where to start your trip
Unless there is a bus stop conveniently located within a few blocks of your home, you may be having trouble figuring out the best place to start your commute. If you look up your commute in Google Maps and see no transit options available or no options within your comfortable walking distance, it may be time to find a Park & Ride. Once you find a suitable option, you can use Google Maps with that location as the starting point to review route options for your start time.
Once you choose a Park & Ride, take some time to plan how you will get there and whether you need to consider peak traffic times. Some locations require parking permits and many have secure bike parking available if you would like to bike there instead. Doing a little extra research can make your commute smoother when you’re ready to get started.
How to pay for transit
The safest way to pay for transit is with an ORCA card or U-PASS. The U-PASS is a great option for anyone using transit for more than two round-trip rides per week and can be used for payment on most regional transit services. Visit the U-PASS page to learn more about the program, including eligibility for the U-PASS and what the U-PASS covers.
What if there’s an emergency and I need to leave work suddenly?
Transportation Services offers a comprehensive Emergency Ride Home program for current UW faculty or staff members with an active U-PASS membership or a permit for one of Transportation Services’ secure bike facilities (house or locker) on campus. Visit the U-PASS page for more information on how to utilize this program.
If you choose to carpool to UW, there are a variety of parking options available including quarterly permits for employees and carpool club for Pay-per-use-parking permit holders in E12 or Portage Bay Garage.
Safety measures in carpool
UW Transportation Services encourages carpools to operate in a manner that makes participants feel the most comfortable, whether that is two people per vehicle or four. However you decide to carpool, take the following actions to keep everyone safe.
- Stagger seating in the vehicle to allow for distancing between participants where possible.
- Ventilate the vehicle.
- Keep windows slightly cracked or open. Opening all windows (when possible) provides greater air circulation than turning on the car’s ventilation system.
- If you prefer not to open all windows, consider opening the window on the opposite side of where you are sitting. For example, if you are sitting on the left side of a vehicle, open the right side window of the same row in which you are sitting. This may allow for better cross ventilation within the vehicle. Opening all windows will provide the greatest air circulation.
- If using heat or air conditioning, pull the air from outside the vehicle instead of cycling the air inside.
- Take preventative measures to limit COVID-19 transmission and travel with people who are also following preventative measures, including self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms.
- Take steps to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces on a daily basis.
Transportation Services has developed a poster that highlights these safety recommendations. Please share and post where relevant.
How do I find Carpool partners?
Transportation Services does not have ride matching resources available but there are regional options for finding carpool partners.
- RideshareOnline is the regional ridematching service which allows you to find a carpool partner either at the University of Washington or at a nearby organization.
- Waze and Scoop are private companies that organize carpools for individuals using the platform.
- Ask around and see if any of your colleagues live near you and are interested in splitting the ride.
UW Transportation Services supports vanpool programs run by regional transit agencies in a variety of ways including free parking on campus, a full-fare subsidy for participants who have an active U-PASS, and two gratis U-PASSes per vanpool for participants who need a U-PASS. Vanpool participants must have an active U-PASS to receive the full-fare subsidy and all vehicles must have a permit to park on campus.
Safety measures in vanpool
UW Transportation Services supports vanpools operating at whatever capacity participants are comfortable. In partnership with regional transit agencies, we will continue to support vehicles operating with as few as two participants if that is what individuals are comfortable with. In addition, here are some actions individuals can take to keep their vanpool safe.
- Wear a mask at all times within the vehicle. This is a requirement for vanpools since they are run by transit agencies, which are subject to the federal mask mandate.
- Stagger seating in the vehicle to allow for distancing between participants where possible. For example, if there are three rows of seats and three participants in a vehicle, have each participant seated in a different row during the ride.
- Ventilate the vehicle.
- Keep windows slightly cracked or open. Opening all windows (when possible) provides greater air circulation than turning on the car’s ventilation system.
- If you prefer not to open all windows, consider opening the window on the opposite side of where you are sitting. For example, if you are sitting on the left side of a vehicle, open the right side window of the same row in which you are sitting. This may allow for better cross ventilation within the vehicle. Opening all windows will provide the greatest air circulation.
- If using heat or air conditioning, pull the air from outside the vehicle instead of cycling the air inside.
- Take preventative measures to limit COVID-19 transmission and travel with people who are also following preventative measures, including self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms.
- Take steps to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces on a daily basis.
Please also see COVID-19 Prevention for Transit from UW EH&S.
Transportation Services has developed a poster that highlights these safety recommendations. Please share and post where relevant.
How do I get started with vanpool?
If you are interested in vanpooling, visit the vanpool page for detailed information on how to get started. The page includes the following information:
- How to find a vanpool
- How to receive the full-fare U-PASS Vanpool Subsidy
- How to register for a free parking permit for the University of Washington in Seattle
Biking is one of the healthiest ways to commute to campus, especially if you are trying to stay physically distant from other commuters.
There are a lot of things to consider before you start biking to campus including parking, what route to take, how to protect your bike from bike theft, and more. Transportation Services has compiled a comprehensive set of resources on our biking page to help you get started.
Sometimes it’s necessary to drive your car to campus. To make it affordable for those occasional circumstances, Transportation Services offers Pay-Per-Use-Parking and Daily Permit options.