Starting in the spring 2024 semester, a shuttle permit will be required to ride the Cougar Line shuttle buses that run between campus and the University of Houston at Sugar Land.

But first, a little history behind the shuttles.

  1. The service to the Sugar Land instructional site dates back to the spring of 2014. That is when a pilot program was launched to take students between the two locations. At that time, the shuttle was not overseen by Parking and Transportation Services.
  2. For most of the past decade, it was a requirement for students taking classes at both locations to be issued a sticker that would identify them as being eligible to use the shuttle service. This document from fall 2018 outlines the policies of the shuttle, including who could ride it and how to get the eligibility sticker.
  3. As late as 2020, it was still a requirement to have classes at both locations and to get a sticker in order to ride the shuttle.
  4. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, there were no in-person classes for a time and staff worked remotely. As a result, there was no shuttle service offered.
  5. When service resumed, eligibility requirements were not enforced and stickers were not issued.

For the first few semesters after the pandemic ended and campus returned to normal, ridership numbers were at the same level as they were before the pandemic, despite not enforcing the eligibility requirements.

But then, with each passing semester, ridership numbers continued to climb:

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Students who are registered for classes at both the main campus and UH at Sugar Land will be given the opportunity to get a shuttle permit before they become available to the general student body. These students will be contacted separately with instructions.

Then, starting Monday, Dec. 4, at noon, shuttle permits will be made available for any UH student. There will be a limited number of shuttle permits offered. If you do not get a shuttle permit, you will not be allowed to ride the Sugar Land shuttle buses.

To get a shuttle permit:

  • Log in to your myParking account through AccessUH after 12 p.m. (noon) Monday, Dec. 4.
  • Click "Purchase Parking Permit"
  • Read the Important Info page and click "Next"
  • Click "Next" on the EZ Access page
  • Select the shuttle permit

If you already have a valid UH parking permit for the spring, then the shuttle permit will be at no cost to you. Otherwise, the cost will be $239.

 

 

posted: Monday, Nov. 13, 2023