Sustainable practices continue to be implemented across the university, including investments in transportation alternatives, such as mass transit, shuttles, car sharing, pedestrian pathways, and bicycle/personal wheeled vehicle lanes and storage. Several of our parking garages also offer charging stations for electric vehicles.

Read more about the commitment to sustainability in CMU’s 2022 Institutional Master Plan, the university’s Sustainability Initiative, and our Green Practices program.

Carnegie Mellon has an agreement with Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to allow our faculty, staff and students to ride PRT buses, light rail and inclines using their CMU ID card. View www.rideprt.org for transit details and schedules. Those living in Oakland, Squirrel Hill and Shadyside can also use CMU's shuttles and evening escort service, as well as the University of Pittsburgh's shuttle services – just show your CMU ID upon boarding. Those close to campus can also consider walking or using a bicycle or personal wheeled vehicle.

Those living in Oakland, Squirrel Hill and Shadyside can use CMU's shuttles and evening escort service, as well the University of Pittsburgh's shuttle services, to get around campus and neighboring areas – just show your CMU ID upon boarding. Carnegie Mellon also has an agreement with Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to allow our faculty, staff and students to ride PRT buses, light rail and inclines using their CMU ID card. View www.rideprt.org for transit details and schedules.

If you board the bus or light rail train (the “T”) and your CMU ID does not register as a valid CMU ID card holder, you must pay to ride that day or exit the vehicle. You will then need to visit ID Card Services for a replacement CMU ID.

Yes! Learn more about using and parking bicycles and other personal wheeled vehicles – including skateboards, in-line skates, scooters, electric bicycles, Segways and other similar vehicles – on CMU's campus.

CMU offers a variety of parking locations and types across campus. Faculty, staff and students can take advantage of free parking times and locations, pay by the hour in parking locations open to visitors or apply for a parking permit in one of our garages or lots. In addition to the standard five-days-per-week permits, some parking locations also offer three-day and two-day options to provide additional flexibility for those whose commutes may vary throughout the week. View our parking permits webpage for additional details and current permit rates. 

CMU offers free night/weekend parking in the East Campus Garage from 6-10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all day (until 11 p.m.) on weekends. Individuals with active CMU parking permits already have access to the free parking through their CMU ID card. Beginning Sept. 1, 2024, those without a CMU parking permit who wish to use the East Campus Garage night/weekend free parking option must opt into it for the parking year. To opt in, log into the CMU Parking Portal and purchase a $0 Nights/Weekends permit. Patrons can then use their CMU ID card to enter/exit during the free hours. 

The Morewood Lot also offers free parking after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.

Please visit our parking permit page for further information. You may request a parking permit at any time. Students can also apply for parking at any time throughout the year.

Some parking email notices are sent to all campus Andrew ID users. Please disregard if it doesn’t apply to you.

Yes. Send an email stating your authorization to the person who will be picking up the tag, and they can present the email as proof of consent.

Only one hang tag is issued per permit.

Log into your online parking account or email us your updated vehicle information.

Please retain your separate proxy cards for the following locations if you have elected to remain in your current parking location: Fifth & Craig (RAND Building Garage), Bakery Square, Collaborative Innovation Center (CIC), Morewood, Second Avenue (PTC), South of Forbes (Carnegie Museum) and the Tepper Garage. If you misplace your proxy card or it becomes damaged, please visit our office in the East Campus Garage for a replacement card. The replacement fee is $20.

To retain your parking while on a leave of absence, you must pay the monthly fee associated with the permit. You have the ability to cancel at any time. If you cancel your permit, parking in your preferred location may not be available upon your return.

If you are retaining your parking permit, but wish to pay directly and cancel your payroll deduction, a one-time payment for the remainder of the year can be made via cash, check or credit card. If you are canceling your parking permit, you will need to surrender your active hang tag and parking cards at the Transportation Services office for the payroll deduction to be removed.

You may cancel your parking permit at any time by visiting the Transportation Services office during regular business hours to return your gate card and hang tag. If you've already paid for the entire year, you must provide your permit receipt in order to be refunded for the remaining unused months. Refunds are prorated at one-half a month for permits cancelled before the 15th of the month (unless your permit is returned on the first day of the month – in that case, you will not be charged for that month). You are responsible for the full-month charge for permits cancelled any time after the 15^th of the month.

The university maintains a balance of permit types by location to keep as many spaces in use as possible while also offering flexibility. When popular options reach capacity, waitlists are created to “hold your spot in line.” Lists are sorted by employment start date (oldest to newest) and are reviewed monthly. When a spot opens up, it is offered to the next person on the list.

Due to flexible work schedules and an individual leaseholder's chosen permit type, you may see empty leased spaces in campus garages or lots. The university must ensure that spaces remain available for leaseholders, who expect to find them when they arrive on campus.

New parking technology is coming in 2024 that will allow us to better monitor garage/lot usage and adjust parking pass availability accordingly. Keep an eye on our website for updates on this initiative. In the meantime, there are permits currently available. Faculty, staff and students can log into their parking account online to view available options.

Permit waitlists are sorted by employment start date (oldest to newest) and are reviewed monthly. Spaces are then allocated as they become available. When you are next on the list, you will be contacted via the email address provided on your permit application. Because waiting lists are dependent upon users cancelling their parking or leaving the university, there is no guarantee of receiving parking at CMU.

If you have forgotten your permit hang tag, please stop by our East Campus Garage office for a temporary tag. The tag is a one-time charge of $3. If you are driving a rental vehicle for more than one day, the $3 charge will cover the duration of your rental car use. Once a year, permit holders may request a waiver for a citation received for forgetting to display their hang tag. Simply appeal the citation and note that you forgot your tag or did not have it properly displayed. Subsequent incidents in the same calendar year will not be waived.

Your parking permit hang tag must be displayed while parked on campus at all times. To replace a lost or damaged hang tag, stop by our East Campus Garage office to receive a replacement tag for a one-time fee of $20.

Off-campus permit holders may request validated parking at one of two garages on the Pittsburgh campus:

• You may park in the East Campus Garage if you have a current parking permit for any of the following parking locations: 4700 Fifth Avenue, 6555 Penn Avenue, Bakery Square, Dithridge Street Garage, Fairfax Lot, Fifth and Craig Streets (RAND building), Fifth and Neville Streets, Henry Street, Second Avenue (PTC), Whitfield, Zebina Way lot, and all downtown locations.
• You may park in the Dithridge Street Garage if you have a current parking permit for any of the following parking locations: East Campus Garage, 6555 Penn Ave, PTC, Bakery Square and all downtown locations.

To enter the garage, take a ticket. Then stop by the East Campus Garage office to pick up your validated parking ticket for that day. 

Transportation Services works in conjunction with several areas across campus to help faculty, staff, students and visitors who may need additional assistance. Please contact us for details about how we can help.

Faculty and staff should email HR's Equal Opportunity Services Division. Students wanting to obtain a disabled parking space should contact the Office of Disability Resources. The Transportation Services office will receive the necessary paperwork from the appropriate sources. Once you are granted a disabled space, you should display both the state-issued placard and the CMU-issued disabled hang tag when parking at the university.

Yes! Learn more about charging electric vehicles on campus.

A subcompact car is the American classification for small cars and is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe) or supermini (Great Britain) classifications. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency car size class definition, the subcompact category sits between the mini-compact and compact categories.

Any high-clearance vehicles (vehicles exceeding a height of 5 feet, 2 inches), regardless of length, are not considered subcompact cars. If your vehicle is classified as a compact car, it is not necessarily a subcompact car.

Makes and models of classified subcompact cars include the Honda Fit, Chevrolet Sonic, Kia Rio, Ford Fiesta, Mini Cooper, Mazda 2 and Toyota Yaris. Makes and models of subcompact SUVs and crossover SUVs shorter that 5 feet, 2 inches in height include the Kia Niro, Hyundai Kona SE and Mini Cooper Countryman.

Learn more about how to purchase parking validation tickets.

Learn more about how to arrange event parking for university guests.

Parking tickets can be paid or appealed in person at our East Campus Garage office, online or by check/money order mailed to the address on the ticket envelope. All citations can be appealed, with the exception of handicap parking violations and safety/hazard lane violations. Please visit our enforcement and citations webpage for more information.