By Sijourney Porter

This previous blog post broke down where Parking and Transportation Services gets the funds to cover its expenses. Now let's take a look at how those funds are distributed.

Parking and Transportation Services still owes millions of dollars on the six parking garages that have been built on campus over the past 18 years. When Assistant Vice President Neil Hart joined the department in June 2017, he faced the challenge of finding a way to face this financial burden without putting a huge dent in students’ pockets.

Before 2017, only a few campus events were charged for parking, and most parking after hours and on weekends was generally free. Hart developed a plan to outsource employees and implement charges for visitors and event parking to keep expenses low. It's important also to note that as an auxiliary service, the department is obligated to generate its revenue to cover operational costs.

Debt Services

Approximately 61% of projected expenses for the current fiscal year will go toward debt reduction. Debt services include payments on all parking garages and a few surface lots across campus. The department makes payments just as a homeowner manages mortgage payments.

Maintenance and Operations

Currently, the campus operates six campus Cougar Line shuttle buses, three Cougar Ride shuttles, and three shuttle buses to serve the UH at Sugar Land route. The department has a contract with Groome Transportation, a nationwide transportation company that has several contracts with major airports and universities, to oversee shuttle operations and expenses.

About 32% of projected expenses for the 2024 fiscal year will go toward maintenance and operations. This not only includes shuttle buses, but also all the department’s major, contracted expenses and parking management systems.

Parking Personnel

Another 5% of projected expenses for the 2024 fiscal year is for employee salary and benefits. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the financial impact it had on the department, Parking and Transportation reduced its staffing level by 20 employees. Currently, the department employs 12 full-time staff members, much lower than pre-Covid levels.

The last 2% of the total projected FY24 expenses will go toward miscellaneous non-maintenance and operational items.

Subsidized Operations

Subsidized operations refer to services funded by the purchase of parking permits.  The department does not receive the total amount of money, if any, to run these operations. The list below shows the estimated costs it takes to manage each operation successfully.

Students, faculty and staff who qualify for COAST -- Coogs On Alternative and Sustainable Transportation -- receive parking and transportation services at a discounted rate.

All disabled veterans with proper ADA credentials have an opportunity to receive a zone permit free of charge.

“The DV permit was in place prior to my arrival,” Hart said. “I certainly believe disabled veterans are entitled to the benefit for their service.”

Currently, the department has issued approximately 100 DV permits, 600 student COAST METRO cards, and 100 carpool permits.

During football and basketball seasons, the university’s athletics department takes over nearly 10,000 parking spaces for donor parking. The parking department gets a small portion of this revenue.

There are approximately 25,000 parking spaces across the university including UH at Katy, UH at Sugar Land and UH Technology Bridge, and it is imperative to ensure each space is properly maintained. All revenue that the department receives goes back into funding parking operations. The department continues to uphold its commitment to providing safe and proximal parking to the UH community.