Campus leaders are taking all appropriate measures to protect our community and closely following the guidance of our state and nation’s top health leaders to ensure we continue to support the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff. As it relates to transportation and parking, the following are guidelines in response to the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation. For additional campus-specific information and latest news on the campus closure, please review the UC Merced Emergency Preparedness website.
In light of the Shelter-in-Place order, we are announcing the following parking updates:
PARKING:
In response to California Governor’s Stay at Home Order (SHO) on March 19th, 2020, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) closed beginning Friday, March 20th and will remain closed pending further notifications from both state and university leadership. During this temporary closure, please e-mail TAPS at taps@ucmerced.edu, as staff will continue working remotely to resolve customer service inquiries.
Staff who have been explicitly instructed to work at the campus in person may park at no charge in any non-reserved space at any designated parking areas for the duration of the "shelter in place" order, or until further notice.
- Overnight parking restriction is still in place.
- TAPS has suspended on-campus paid parking policies and payroll deductions effective April 1. Customers will see payroll deductions on their April paychecks for March parking services. Faculty and staff who need to be on campus can park in designated lots best suited to their business needs.
- Student parking is allowed in the Bellevue Lot.
- Parking Enforcement will remain in effect for reserved parking spaces as well as accessible parking, fire lanes and other regulations.
- TAPS anticipates resuming enforcement for paid parking when California’s stay at home order is lifted and faculty, staff and students begin returning to campus in larger numbers. Parking permit enforcement may resume as soon as June 1. TAPS will inform the campus community at least 48 hours before enforcement resumes.
- TAPS has completed the process of issuing credits to those students who purchased parking for the spring semester valid through May 15.
CITATIONS:
Effective March 20, 2020 until further notice, due to the state school closure order, TAPS remains closed, and all citation review requests filed by the due date indicated on the Notice of Violation will be honored, including US postal and electronic postmarks. When UC Merced reopens, you will be notified by email and or US mail of the citation review decision and will be granted 21 calendar days to file the next level appeal request if you are not satisfied with the administrative review decision.
TRANSIT:
CatTracks & Route UC Fixed Route Service
- CatTracks and Route UC service levels have been significantly reduced effective Monday, April 27. TAPS, in response to COVID-19, has developed the BobCat Express. This route provides access to essential services for those who require alternative transportation.
- We understand students may need to access essential goods, such as toiletries, and UC Merced will make these products available for free. More information will be shared as we develop the procedures.
- If students need transportation, UC Merced will continue to support Route UC operated by the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) and a modified downtown loop route. Route UC continues to serve riders from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the modified downtown loop, operated by CatTracks, runs between 11 a.m. and 7:35 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- All other fixed routes operated by MCAG continue to run within the city and county limits and are now free to the public. Track the bus live at MCAG’s website. Information about the BobCat Express route is on the TAPS website.