Parking and Transportation During Nights and Weekends

UCSD doesn't shut down after dark. Stick around and study, attend an event, or just hang out with friends. Staying after school is no bother, thanks to a number of free and low-cost options, whether you're driving or taking a bus or shuttle.

For evening parking on campus, follow these guidelines (late night and weekend parking is free):

• If you have a valid student S permit ($61 per month), you can park in the following spaces all evening and overnight:
  • S (yellow): 24 hours daily
  • B (green): 4:30 p.m. – 7:45 a.m.
  • A (red): 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 a.m.
  • Meters (with no fee): 4:30 p.m. – 7:45 a.m.
• If you have a Night/ Weekend Quarterly permit ($43 per quarter), you can park in the following spaces all evening and overnight (except where overnight parking is prohibited):
  • S (yellow): 3 p.m. – 7:45 a.m.
  • B (green): 4:30 p.m. – 7:45 a.m.
  • A (red): 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 a.m.
  • Meters (with no fee): 4:30 p.m. – 7:45 a.m.

  Note: The Night/ Weekend Quarterly permit also allows you to park at Scripps Institution of Oceanography or the Hillcrest and La Jolla medical centers, where weekend parking is not normally free.

• Don't have a parking permit? Pay at a parking meter or buy a short-term permit, sold in pay stations in most lots.
  • Parking meters, $1 per 45 minutes in nickels, dimes, or quarters, up to a 1–2 hour max, depending on the meter. Meters are free on weekends and from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., weekdays.
  • Short-term permits:
    • Visitor permit, $1 per 45 minutes up to $8 max per day
    • A 1 Day ($8) or 1 Night ($4) permit lets you park during specified hours. Clearly mark an X with black ink on both the month and date of use when you park. A properly marked permit allows you to park in these spaces:
      • S (yellow): 24 hours daily (1 Day permit), or 4:30 p.m. – 7:45 a.m. (1 Night permit)
      • B (green): 24 hours daily (1 Day permit), or 4:30 p.m. – 7:45 a.m. (1 Night permit)
      • A (red): 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 a.m. (1 Day or 1 Night permit)
      • Meters (with no fee): 4:30 p.m. – 7:45 a.m.

Parking is free weekends and after 11 p.m. nightly. On the main UCSD campus on Saturdays and Sundays, and between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. weekdays, park without charge in any A, B, S, or metered space except in spots that post any of these parking limitations:

• A permit required 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
• Disabled
• U.C. vehicles only
• Service yard
• Loading zone
• Reserved
• Special event reserved
• No parking 2 - 5 a.m.

Want to attend an evening event on campus, but don't want to drive? Many UCSD shuttles and public transit buses that serve campus run late. The following routes operate past 7 p.m. during academic quarters (ride free with a Free Bus Zone sticker on your campus ID). Click to see when the last shuttle or bus departs:

• East/ Regents shuttle
• Hillcrest/ Campus shuttle
• Mesa Housing shuttle
• SIO shuttle
• Campus Loop shuttle
• Cityshuttles
• MTS bus route 30A
• MTS bus route 41
• NCTD bus route 101 (PDF)

Tell us how we're doing. If you have ideas for improving Transportation Services, please e-mail them to TellTPS@ucsd.edu.

If you have questions, see Transportation Services Contacts.