The best ways to get to UW Tacoma
Which ways do UW Tacoma students recommend getting to campus every day.
By Blake Latta
The new school year has begun and, while it is an exciting time of year, it can be a stressful one. For a campus like UW Tacoma, in the middle of downtown Tacoma, simply getting to campus can be a challenge for many. There are many questions that factor into how people choose to get to campus everyday. Which method is the cheapest, the simplest, the fastest, the safest? Should I drive myself? Take the bus? The T-Link? A combination of all three? Luckily, there are many different options to choose from for all manner of wants and needs.
One of my first questions when first applying to UW Tacoma was “what is the parking situation like?” This campus isn’t like the others I have been to. I was planning on driving myself to school and had asked a few students how they got to campus everyday. I got so many different answers, I felt like I didn’t get any. I wanted a clear-cut set of options, but neither the school website nor the people I talked to gave me any. This article will simplify the information I received and help you make an informed decision that best fits your personal needs.
When discussing commute options, there are two main factors that matter the most to students: free options, whether that be truly “free” or included with your tuition, and paid options.
For paid options, UW Tacoma offers several quarterly parking permit options for different lots, and for different times of day. The Court 17 garage permit costs $250 for daily parking, $146 for half a week, and $90 for evenings. Additionally, you must have your Husky card to access the garage, so it’s a bit more secure than other options. The Whitney lot permit costs $168 for daily use, $112 for half-week, and $70 for evenings. Whitney is the most cost-effective permit option for students that need to be on campus multiple days per week and want to secure a more guaranteed spot. Whitney lot also offers paid hourly parking from 3:30pm to 11pm.
The Tioga Lot, Pinkerton Turnaround, and TPS lot evening permits last from 3:30pm until 11pm. While Pinkerton Turnaround does not offer hourly parking, Tioga and TPS both do. Both lots are open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. but have 12-hour limits for hourly parking. All UW Tacoma uses PayByPhone.com, which is also a mobile app.
For free options, there are quite a few. Your Husky card gives you the “U-Pass”, which pays for many public transit options. According to the UW Tacoma Transportation Services website, the U-Pass covers fares for Metro Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, Everett Transit and Sound Transit buses. It also covers your fare for the Sound Commuter train and paratransit services. Lastly, the U-Pass covers both the Tacoma light rail, also known as the T-Line, and the Seattle light rail systems. The only thing it does not cover is ferry services and Thurston County transit services.
I went around campus again, asking students how they got to campus and if anyone had any recommendations. Grace, who is entering her second year at UW Tacoma, lives very close to campus and walks everyday, but she recommends students park at the Tacoma Dome station and ride the T-line to campus. Elisabeth, a senior accounting major, commutes and parks at the Court 17 garage. She recommends students get a parking pass if you can afford it, as it saves a lot of potential headache and stress over trying to rely on the free street parking. Mustafa, a 2nd year computer science major, also drives to campus everyday. He recommends students do research into what parking options are available, and to know when parking permits go on sale, as they typically sell out within the day they do go on sale.
Personally, I’ve found driving to and parking at the Tacoma Dome station, then taking the T-Line to campus to be the most cost and time effective for my commute. I aim to get to the garage about 25 to 30 minutes before classes start, so I have plenty of time to find a spot and potentially wait for the T-Line to come around again.
While finding a parking spot can take a minute during the mornings, I’ve only had real trouble finding a spot when there is an event happening at the Tacoma Dome. On days I’m running late or know when there will be an event happening, I prefer to use the Tioga lot as it’s only $6 for 3-4 hours and is the biggest hourly lot on campus. I’ve yet to have trouble finding a spot there. Those of you that don’t have a car, public transit will likely be your best option. Whether that be the T-line or the bus, you won’t have to pay anything extra to use it.
