The University of Wisconsin’s parking rates and bus pass prices will not rise for the 2015-16 permit year due to cost savings over the past six years.
Currently three different rate levels separate the parking lots and structures on campus, Michelle Bacon, UW Transportation Services spokesperson, said. There is no geographic reason for the separation; she said it has to do with the pricing levels.
UW is currently in the third year of a six year plan to restructure campus parking and consolidate rates through a slow shift from three levels to two levels, Bacon said.
“In essence, the plan will become a seven year plan,” Bacon said. “Next year, the approved increase won’t double. We’re not going to try to do this year’s increase and next’s years increase, we’re just going to push it out a year.”
Parking garages, ramps and high demand lots at the core of campus are going to be in the higher priced level and the rest of the surface lots are going to be in the lower price level. Garage and ramps are in the highest price tier because there is a higher price tag for maintenance upkeep, Bacon said.
Last fall UW Transportation Services was supposed to start an expansion project on the hospital garage but the construction was delayed, Bacon said. UW Transportation Services built up cost savings because they went an entire year without having to spend money for the project to start, she said.
The hospital construction bids and yearly maintenance project bids come in under UW Transportation Services projections, which added to cost savings, Bacon said.
“Cost savings along the way and other maintenance projects, services we provide to the university, helped make possible for us to hold [parking rates] flat for one year,” Bacon said.
