Guest Column: DOTS’ lack of transparency
How parking brings in millions a year and why a commuter parking pass is needed
By THE STUDENT COMMUTER ORGANIZATION & ALL4YOLO — aggiecommuters@gmail.com
Everyone comes to UC Davis with high hopes of a better future, making new friends and gaining a prestigious education. But for commuters, that education becomes more and more difficult as economic barriers continue to rise.
While UC Davis offers exceptional support for food assistance, tutors and many other benefits that make a better future possible, parking on campus remains a critical barrier for many commuters.
Last year, commuters alone in the Student Commuter Organization, paid $150 to $250 a quarter in parking fees, with many reporting that they paid hundreds in parking citations. Additionally, commuters reported receiving tickets within 10 to 15 minutes of parking, before they had even arrived at their classes.
This led to worsened mental health, added financial issues and increased anxiety among commuters. As parking rates continue to increase, these experiences increase the need to help commuters as quickly as possible, who have no alternatives to driving to campus.
To address these negative effects, the Commuter Organization and All4Yolo proposed the “Commuter Parking Pass” to UC Davis Transportation Services (DOTS), formerly known as TAPS. Proposed in May 2026, this pass would be funded by a local nonprofit, paying for six to 10 financially vulnerable commuters to park on campus, allowing their fees to be paid monthly on their behalf.
While students can pay only daily for parking, the Commuter Parking Pass is based on the employee monthly permit, which DOTS boasts is a “cheaper alternative to paying daily rates for those who need to park on campus most days.”
After this Commuter Parking Pass was presented to DOTS management, based on the need expressed by commuting students and modeled on the existing employee pass, DOTS did not follow up for weeks. Following this, DOTS continued to ignore every email and inquiry, which amounted to the Commuter Pass being rejected by DOTS.
This rejection is baffling, with no transparency or reasoning provided. Why would DOTS reject a fully paid-for parking pass for students who need it?
Following this rejection, All4Yolo sought records related to DOTS revenue and parking citations, to see if there was a possible financial cause to reject the Commuter Pass.
This research into DOTS revealed the department has had similar projects like accepting grant funding for “Parking Revenue” before, already having a monthly pass option for employees, and even having a Zipcar agreement for students and staff, leading to more questions of why the Commuter Pass would be rejected. DOTS has continued to fail to respond or explain the rejection of the Commuter Pass for more than four months now, ignoring all follow-ups.
Further research into possible reasons for DOTS to reject the Commuter Pass continued to reveal a lack of transparency from the department and their practices.
Public record requests were made about how much revenue is collected by the department and how much revenue comes from parking citations, which DOTS management continued to ignore for weeks.
After additional requests were made directly to the UC Davis Office of Campus Counsel, it was revealed that DOTS issued nearly $5 million in parking citations alone in 2024 and 2025. Additional public records showed that DOTS possibly collected more than $20 million in total revenue in 2024 and 2025, with roughly $15 million possibly collected from parking passes.
Most notably, further research and interviews revealed that DOTS Parking Enforcement employees are monitored through a database which tracks the employees’ “tickets-per-hour.” This “tickets-per-hour” system for parking citations calls into question how enforcement performance is measured and raises concerns how the department balances revenue with affordability for students.
Faced with this lack of transparency, students deserve to know how the parking revenue of UC Davis is used and why the Commuter Pass, a proposal designed to aid financially vulnerable students, has still not received any response. The Student Commuter Organization and All4Yolo’s stance remains that we are ready to support these financially vulnerable students and urge DOTS to reconsider the Commuter Pass.
Written by: Student Commuter Organization & All4Yolo — aggiecommuters@gmail.com
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