News

Nov 08, 2024

Tufts to launch mobile-friendly parking permit system in 2025 - The Tufts Daily

Cars are parked in the Cousens Lot on Tuesday. Tufts will roll out a new parking permit system on Jan. 2, 2025, designed to streamline the permit-purchasing process across its Medford/Somerville,

Cars are parked in the Cousens Lot on Tuesday.

Tufts will roll out a new parking permit system on Jan. 2, 2025, designed to streamline the permit-purchasing process across its Medford/Somerville, Grafton and School of the Museum of Fine Arts campuses. This transition will replace the existing parking permit system, which will officially end on Dec. 23.

The new parking system will assist both regular permit holders and occasional visitors. It will now offer an easily accessible, mobile-friendly website in addition to the current dedicated app, enabling users to purchase, view and manage parking permits more easily.

The new website will retain the core functions of the current system while introducing improvements.

Jason Novsam, associate director of transportation, explained the main purpose of the new system.

“The primary enhancement is the software and a mobile friendly website, eliminating the need for a standalone app that folks will need to download,” Novsam wrote in an email to the Daily.

Novsam emphasized that extensive thought and research were dedicated to selecting the new platform.

“When selecting a new system, we also looked at other universities, and the system we selected is widely used within higher education at peer institutions,” Novsam explained.

Once this mobile website is launched, users will log in with their Tufts credentials, select the permit type they need and choose a payment method.

This website will also offer a simplified payroll deduction option, allowing faculty and staff to set up auto-renewing permits with greater ease, regardless of whether they are hourly or salaried employees.

For departments, the new system also simplifies the process of setting up guest and visitor parking.

Camille Clarke, a junior who utilizes the permit parking system, explained some of the challenges associated with guest parking.

“Currently my grandparents have challenges figuring out guest parking when visiting especially with scanning the QR [code] in the parking lot,” Clarke wrote.

The new improvements seek to benefit both administrators handling guest registrations and the visitors themselves.

In an effort to improve the notification process, parking violations will now be issued directly to vehicles, with electronic notifications sent to the associated permit holder. This change comes in response to student feedback, which highlighted the need for more efficient electronic notifications.

Novsam explained the reasoning behind this decision.

“The department received multiple complaints and feedback from users about several technical issues, especially with permits failing to register with the system. This created a situation in which folks were unaware they were in violation of not having a permit until they received tickets in the mail several days or sometimes over a week after they started parking,” Novsam wrote.

The current practice of mailing violation notices will be discontinued.

By providing these enhanced services, Tufts aims to make parking on campus a seamless part of daily life for students, faculty, staff and visitors alike.

Clarke explained how the new system might help her.

“I think the new website will be easier for me to access on my phone to renew a parking ticket if I need to refute/pay a ticket,” Clarke wrote.

Beginning next year, everyone who parks at Tufts will need to follow a few quick steps to register their vehicles. Before the changes take effect, the Transportation and Parking team will send detailed instructions through email to all current permit holders on transitioning to the new system. In early January, the new parking system will be accessible for selecting and purchasing parking permits — a process that should take only a few minutes.

Users are encouraged to utilize any remaining preloaded funds or request a refund of funds by Dec. 23. To prevent service interruptions, Tufts also advises users not to purchase permits in the existing system for any period extending beyond Dec. 31.

For Tufts, this transition marks an important modernization effort aimed at enhancing the community's parking experience.

“The new parking system will allow Tufts to offer more flexible permit types in the future. As the system grows and matures in the future, our team will continue to explore opportunities to use this software to make parking more convenient and flexible. We expect to leverage advanced features of the parking system over the next several years that will further enhance the parking experience at the University,” Novsam wrote.