Transportation Services Wins IPMI Award of Merit

Transportation Services (TS) was recently recognized by the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) with an Award of Merit because of its operational pivot during the pandemic from monthly to daily parking rates, allowing for flexible commute planning. The IPMI awards, given by a panel of expert judges, showcase outstanding parking and transportation facilities and innovative programs to further the parking, transportation, and mobility industry. The awards criteria range from Architectural Design, Marketing and Communications, and Sustainable Management.

Transportation Services of UC Davis was selected as an Awards of Merit winner for Innovation in a Parking, Transportation, and Mobility Program, placing it among the industry’s top programs, which also include UCLA for Marketing and Communications (Public Sector), and Calgary Parking Authority in Architectural Design; Mixed-Use Parking & Mobility Facility Design. 

“This year’s awards winners showcase creativity, innovation, sustainability, and a commitment to the future of transportation and mobility,” said IPMI CEO Shawn D. Conrad, CAE. “Their attention to excellence benefits both their operations and their local communities, and it’s an honor to recognize and celebrate these projects and organizations.”

The lead-up to the recognition started in 2019 with TS completing an in-depth planning project, Transportation Tomorrow, that laid out a long-term plan to reduce drive-alone campus commuters by 10% (below the 2015 levels) by 2025. Then, in March 2020, we all began to shelter in place for months on end and the UC Davis campus suspended operations, reduced research, and moved classes online. As a result, campus parking revenue all but dried up by the Fall of that year. 

With commuting habits changing, TS used the opportunity to transition to daily parking, allowing UC Davis affiliates the option to pay for parking by the day and as needed, rather than asking drivers to pay and lock into a flat monthly parking fee. 

“The tragedy of the pandemic opened a door for us, and we decided to enact a years-long sustainable commuter plan in a matter of months,” recalls Perry Eggleston, who took the helm as the Executive Director of Transportation Services in January 2020. “Paying for parking in bulk as opposed to a la carte presents issues for most of today’s commuters who need flexibility now–especially in the face of flexible work modes or public health crises. We knew campus parking was going to be flipped on its head.” This meant onboarding ParkMobile, transitioning to license plate recognition technology, developing a new daily pricing structure, and communicating the change to the entire campus. 

This isn’t the first industry nod garnered by TS in recent months – the department also was awarded the 2021 Public Parking Program of the Year from the California Public Parking Association and given a Platinum rating as a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists.

More details on this year’s award winners can be found in the June Issue of Parking & Mobility magazine. They will be honored in person at the 2022 IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo, July 24-27 in New Orleans, LA.