U-PASS, parking hikes subject of hearing

The rising costs of providing transit and parking facilities to the Seattle campus have prompted the University Transportation Committee (UTC) to propose parking and U-PASS fee increases over a three-year period. A public hearing to discuss the proposed fee changes will be from
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 24 in 200AB HUB.

Monthly parking is proposed to increase from the current $48.50 per month to $53.58 in September 2000, with subsequent increases in September 2001 and 2002.

U-PASS fees will increase less sharply over the three years. Rates for faculty and staff, currently $14 per month, would increase to $14.74 per month in September 2000. U-PASS rates for students, currently $31 per quarter, would increase to $32 per quarter in September. Click here for a summary of selected parking and U-PASS fee changes.

After the public hearing, the UTC will forward the proposals to the Board of Regents, which will make the final decisions.

The UTC determined that keeping up with the increasing costs of transit contracts was less expensive and more desirable than increasing the parking supply on campus. With an estimated cost of $25,000-40,000 per stall, financing the debt service on only 400 new stalls would be about $1 million annually. Meanwhile, providing transit service for one staff member costs about $1,400 less per year than paying for an additional parking stall while also helping the University meet trip reduction requirements by the City of Seattle.

Although providing transit service is cheaper overall, costs are climbing. Through its U-PASS contracts with both Metro and Community Transit, the University has already absorbed increased transit fees and those fees are expected to rise even further. Between 1998 and 2001, providing Metro service to the University District will cost an extra $1.5 million and providing Community Transit service will cost an extra $700,000. In the future costs are expected to increase by 8 percent annually to pay for rising per-trip costs and the additional service necessary to accommodate campus growth. Depending upon the actual impacts of reduced transit funding from the passage of Initiative 695, Metro transit costs per trip could rise by 50 percent; Community Transit has already increased its costs by 35 percent.

The UTC’s recommendations increase parking fees at a higher rate than U-PASS fees over the three-year period. This stems partly from the desire to reward those who don’t drive alone to campus every day. In addition, parking revenues fund a substantial piece of the U-PASS budget - about
38 percent of the $9 million annual cost of the program.

Since the U-PASS program began in September 1991, it has reduced vehicle trips to campus, decreased crowding in parking lots and provided significant increases in transit service to campus. In doing so, it has helped the University to allocate tight funding and scarce land to the construction of classrooms and research facilities rather than additional parking structures and lots. The program also has enabled the University to exceed goals mandated under the state Commute Trip Reduction Law.

The U-PASS program’s annual report is available online at http://www.washington.edu/upass/report99 to provide additional information about its role in campus transportation management.

Written comments about the fee increase proposals should be sent by Friday, April 28 to Rebecca Goodwin Deardorff of the Administrative Procedures Office at adminpro@u.washington.edu or Box 355509. ¶