How UCR saved 93% on permits for campus tours and improved event parking

University of California Riverside (UCR) adopted digital permits and license plate recognition (LPR) in 2021. Their goal was cost savings and efficiency gains; however, managing complimentary guest permits for events, like campus tours, proved costly and complicated.

Each complimentary permit cost UCR ~$1.35 on the issued 5,500+ guest permits every semester. Offstreet helped UCR eliminate transaction fees on complimentary guest permits, realizing 93% savings on permit administration costs for campus tours alone.

Up to 93%

Savings administering
guest permits

< 10 sec

To create a guest
permit

Up to 90%

Time saved for all
stakeholders

Andy Stewart

Associate Director
Transportation & Parking Services, UCR

"Having a parking session go smoothly is extremely valuable to us. We trust Offstreet to create that seamless experience for our campus guests. I'm not typically someone who like using different vendors for different use cases, but in Offstreet's case, nobody is doing what they are doing, let alone with the level of service and care that they're doing it with."

Challenges

Transaction fees on complimentary permits

UCR's previous system involved guests obtaining parking permits through their mobile payment vendor. Despite these permits being complimentary to guests, the university incurred a transaction fee of approximately $1.35 for each of the 5,500+ permits issued every semester.

Poor guest experience

Mobile payment vendor required guests to download an app, create a user account, and enter their payment information (all for a $0 parking charge!)
Parking instructions were difficult to communicate - especially between third-party organizations and their guests

Dissatisfaction among key stakeholders

The inefficiencies associated with guest parking negatively impacted the reputation of Transportation and Parking Services.

With campus tours playing a critical role in attracting prospective students, the department was under pressure to deliver a seamless experience. The existing issues threatened relationships with key stakeholders.

Solution

Affordable pricing model

Transaction fees are replaced by Offstreet's monthly Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) fee model
UCR benefits from greater predictability and control over guest parking and the associated costs
Results in significant savings for the 5,500+ guests coming to campus each semester

Designed for guests

Using Offstreet greatly improves the guest experience, creating a more welcoming first impression of campus.

Guests receive a link from the school and register for parking from their mobile device/PC in advance
In under 10 seconds, guests create their permit and receive parking instructions, including navigation support
A pin can be dropped to any place on campus, providing guests with real-time GPS directions

Stakeholder satisfaction

Offstreet's user-friendly solution allows Undergraduate Admissions and other departments to efficiently distribute parking permits for their guests.

Easily communicate parking instructions
Improved data collection and forecasting for traffic demand management
Simple and easy-to-use interface

Bree Illum

Events Coordinator from Undergraduate Admissions,
University of California, Riverside

"I have been using Offstreet for around 10 months now for our event parking. In my experience, Offstreet has been user-friendly and has worked well for what we need. Attendees like that they can reserve multiple event days for a program with minimal steps. Offstreet has been reliable and easy to use for events."

Julie Salgado

CHASS Events Director from CHASS Office of the Dean,
University of California, Riverside

"My name is Julie Salgado, the Director of Events for the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. I have used Offstreet for several of my events. Under Sharlene’s direction, Offstreet has been extremely easy and convenient to use."

Kerensa Peterson

Director of Operations from the Standardized Patient Program,
University of California, Riverside

"We have reduced the number of hours our team and the finance team spent on securing kiosk parking by about 90% due to the transition to Offstreet. The Transportation Services team provides us with monthly reports which has helped us educate our users on how to best use the system and reduce errors (of which we had very few, even initially). Our users have reported only positive comments on the ease of use of the system and how quickly they are able to secure daily parking when needed. Thank you!"

Wendy Simmons

Conference & Events Manager from Hospitality Services,
University of California, Riverside

"The Hospitality Services Department regularly assists clients booking events with us to organize parking for their attendees. If the host if the event is paying for parking for their guests, we always request Offstreet because of the ease of use for the individual quests. The link is easy to follow and with just a few clicks the guest’s vehicle is registered. We do hope that you continue to offer the Offstreet option at UCR."

Outcome

Streamlined event parking while reducing costs and improving the guest experience

Eliminated transaction fees, reducing TAPS costs by up to 93%
A seamless parking experience for over 11,000 guests
Buy-In from key stakeholders and champions on campus
‍

UCR's successful transition to Offstreet demonstrates how digital transformation can lead to significant cost savings and improved customer experiences. We are proud to be part of UCR's journey and look forward to continuing and expanding our partnership.

Andy Stewart

Associate Director
Transportation & Parking Services, UCR

"Offstreet has opened up doors we didn't know existed, allowing us to do things for our customers very easily, things we couldn't offer before. Offstreet has delivered on every promise, and then some. We appreciate that they continue to develop the product alongside our team, taking our feedback and suggestions seriously."

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