Commute Club
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What is the Commute Club?
Find out why thousands of Stanford commuters are Commute Club members. Read their stories in our "Tell Us Your Story" promotion.
Join the Stanford Commute Club, and you'll join thousands of Stanford individuals who care about the environment, who benefit financially by not driving alone, and who help the university reduce peak-hour commute trips, a critical goal in the university's growth plan. By not purchasing a Stanford parking permit, and joining the Stanford Commute Club, you can help reduce emissions, minimize the number of vehicles traveling to and from campus, and benefit financially by not driving alone. We'll reward you with up to $300 a year in Clean Air Cash or Carpool Credit.
Daily parking permits for days you need to drive
Not sure you can commit to commute full-time using alternative transportation? Don’t worry. As a Commute Club member, you can purchase up to eight daily parking scratchers per month for days you need to drive. Check out how much you could save when you join the Commute Club and use Clean Air Cash to purchase daily parking scratchers for days you need to drive. You’ll actually save even more if you consider gas, maintenance and insurance cost reductions.
Membership rewards
- Clean Air Cash* or Carpool Credit pays you up to $300 per year
- Carpools and Vanpools receive reserved parking spaces
- Complimentary daily parking passes for carpoolers
- Vanpool subsidies of $300 per month
- Stanford Ridematching Services online
- Rewards for participation in our Commute Buddy program
- Refer-A-Friend program pays you $50
- Emergency Ride Home program
- Zipcar driving credit – receive up to $102 a year
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car vouchers - up to 12 free hourly car rental vouchers a year
- Daily parking permits for days you need to drive (purchase up to eight daily permits per month, and have them mailed to your home)
- Exclusive member gift: bistro mug.
- Automatic entry into Commute Club promotion prize drawings
Join us by returning your parking permit and commuting to Stanford by carpool, vanpool, bicycle, walking, or public transit. If you are eligible, you could save on transit passes, Caltrain parking, and commuter checks by using pre-tax payroll deduction. For more information, contact us today at commuteclub@stanford.edu, or (650) 723-9362.
*Clean Air Cash is considered taxable income per the Internal Revenue Service.
Exclusive member gift
Receive this free gift as a "thank you" for your commitment to sustainable transportation and for being a Commute Club member.
Bistro mug
The mug is reusable, dishwasher safe, and Proposition 65 compliant. It has a custom imprint on both sides that says, “Stanford Commute Club * every trip counts.” Available in red (14 oz.) or black (16 oz.). View both colors. Limit one. Request this item at the P&TS office.Eligibility
You are eligible for the Commute Club if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You do not drive and park near campus as part of your alternative commute, nor do you park at the VA Hospital or at off-campus Stanford parking lots and property.
- You do not live in on-campus student housing, Kingscote Gardens, or Olmsted Staff Rental Housing.
- You are actively employed at Stanford's main campus, or you are a postdoc or registered student (students only qualify for registered quarters: minimum of 8 units for undergraduates and 6 units for graduate students).
- You will be commuting to Stanford for the duration of your Commute Club membership.
- You would be required to display a Stanford parking permit if you were to park at your place of work or study.
- You are not an evening- or night-shift employee.
- You agree not to use any Stanford parking permit (except daily scratchers, a carpool permit, vanpool permit, SH permit, or service vehicle permit, if applicable) during the time you are registered as a Commute Club member.
- Your primary commute is to Stanford's main campus.
- You are required to be at Stanford's main campus at least 20 hours per week during normal weekday business hours.
Please note that anyone whose principal place of work is at the VA Hospital, SLAC, or any other worksite that does not participate in Stanford's parking permit system or that does not have an arrangement with P&TS, is not eligible for the Commute Club. Selected departments in office buildings on Welch Road are eligible for the Commute Club through a pilot program if they meet all other eligibility requirements. For questions about eligibility, send an email to commuteclub@stanford.edu.
Residents of the faculty/staff leaseholder areas, Stanford West, and Oak Creek are eligible for the Commute Club, assuming they meet all other eligibility requirements.
If you're not employed directly by Stanford, we must have written verification of your eligibility from your department. See "How to join" below.
Anyone found to be in violation of the Commute Club and/or parking permit policies set forth by Parking & Transportation Services (P&TS) is subject to revocation of transportation incentives and/or parking privileges. Instances of egregious misconduct may result in further administrative, disciplinary, and/or legal action, up to and including termination of employment or expulsion.
How to join
You can join the Commute Club either by applying for Clean Air Cash or by applying for Carpool Credit.
- Apply online for Clean Air Cash (recommended)
- Apply with a paper application (for carpools or those unable to apply online)
Paper applications can be submitted in one of the following ways:
- Fax: 650.724.8676
- Email (scanned application): commuteclub@stanford.edu
- Mail or in person: 340 Bonair Siding (Mail Code 7255), Stanford, CA 94305-7255
Parking & Transportation Services is located at 340 Bonair Siding and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday (except university holidays). For more information, call 650.736.9923 or send an email to commuteclub@stanford.edu.
Permit-Return Promotion offers $100, $75, $50, or $25
Those who have a long-term "A," "C," "Z," or “MC” parking permit have four options to participate in the 2015-16 permit-return promotion. In addition to up to $300 per year in Clean Air Cash or Carpool Credit, this promotion offers a "bonus" reward of $100, $75, $50 or $25 to eligible commuters for returning their long-term Stanford parking permit and switching to alternative transportation. A longer commitment provides a higher reward.
Visit the 2015-16 Permit-Return Promotion web page for details to participate.
Do I need to renew my membership?
Commute Club memberships must be renewed every September for the new academic year. Memberships do NOT automatically renew, so be sure to re-apply for this academic year if you want to continue your Commute Club membership.
The quickest and easiest way to renew your Commute Club membership is via online ordering.
However, online applications only allow you to apply for the current month going forward. If you are requesting Commute Club membership for previous months within the current academic year, you need to complete an application form and submit it by fax (650.724.8676), email (scan the completed form and email to commuteclub@stanford.edu), mail (Mail Code 7255) or in person (340 Bonair Siding, Stanford, CA 94305-7255, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Note that P&TS does not accept applications for retroactive Clean Air Cash from previous academic years.
Not sure if you are a Commute Club member?
Visit the My Commute Club page to find out whether you are currently enrolled in the Commute Club either as a member of our Clean Air Cash or Carpool Credit program.
Already a member? Refer a friend to Commute Club and get $50
Current Commute Club members who refer other eligible friends to the program may receive $50 for each additional member referred. The following eligibility requirements apply:
- The current member and the new member must both stay in the Commute Club at least three months from the date the application is processed.
- The current member must be enrolled in the Commute Club for at least one month prior to submitting a Refer-A-Friend application.
- The new member must not have been in the Commute Club (receiving Clean Air Cash or Carpool Credit) any time during the past two years.
- The new member must meet the criteria for Commute Club membership (as defined on the Commute Club application) and must submit a separate Commute Club application.
- The new member's Commute Club application must be received by P&TS at the same time or within two weeks of the Refer-A-Friend form submission.
New members must:
- Meet the eligibility criteria for Commute Club membership.
- Not have received Clean Air Cash or been in a carpool any time during the past two years.
- Submit the Commute Club application together with the Refer-A-Friend application. In the instance that the Commute Club application does not accompany the Refer-A-Friend application, the Commute Club application must be received by P&TS within two weeks after submitting the Refer-A-Friend application.
Simply complete and sign the "Refer-A-Friend" form and return it with the new Commute Club member's application. Payments are made approximately three months after applications are submitted. Comments or questions? Send them to commuteclub@stanford.edu.
Alternative transportation options
There are many ways to commute to campus using alternative transportation:
- Bicycle
- Bus
- Carpool
- Train
- Vanpool
- Walk
It's easier and more convenient to commute using alternative transportation, using the many programs Parking & Transportation Services has to offer, including:
- Emergency Ride Home: getting you home by taxi or rental car in emergencies
- Marguerite Shuttle: connecting the campus to local transit, Caltrain, shopping, and dining options with a free, comprehensive campus shuttle system (schedules available real-time)
- Charter Bus services: offering low-cost, flexible, group transportation service options
- Go Pass: offering free use of Caltrain to eligible university employees anytime and anywhere
- Eco Pass: offering free use of VTA buses, light rail, Dumbarton Express, Highway 17 Express, and Monterey-San Jose Express anytime and anywhere
- Line U: offering free express bus service from the East Bay with valid Stanford ID
- Altamont Commuter Express (ACE): offering a 50-percent discount on ACE train monthly passes or 20-trip tickets to Stanford faculty, staff, students, and hospital employees.
- Bicycle Program: assisting you in getting started as a bike commuter, commute planning, clothes and bike locker rentals/shower information, bicycle facilities development, safety education, and more
- Daily parking permits for days you need to drive (Commute Club members can purchase up to eight daily permits per month and have them mailed to their home)
- Zipcar and Enterprise Rent-A-Car on campus provide rental cars when you need them, making it easier to live without a car at Stanford
- Carpool or vanpool with others at Stanford to save money, reduce emissions, and, if eligible, receive commute incentives. Use our free ridematching services to find others at Stanford with whom to carpool or vanpool.
- Pre-tax payroll deduction for transit passes and commuter checks for eligible employees
Need help in planning your commute or finding a rideshare partner? Contact us at commuteclub@stanford.edu.
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