Carpooling
Ride-sharing, or carpooling, provides you with an easy way to save money, lessen your environmental impact and reduce the stress of commuting. Sharing rides helps to reduce traffic congestion and can even help you get to where you need to go faster by using HOV lanes.
Parking lots G and H on campus have reserved carpooling spaces, administered by UBC Parking Services.
Find a carpool friend or colleague (Liftango)
If you are interested in carpooling, but don’t have anyone to carpool, try Liftango. Building off of the partnership the UBC Vancouver campus, UBCO has partnered with Liftango, a leader in on-demand shared mobility technology.
The free, easy-to-use carpool-matching app allows UBC Okanagan commuters to access a network of people exclusively made up of UBC staff, faculty and students.
- Download the app on the App Store or Google Play
- Sign up with your UBC email address (see below for more information).
- If you want to try and be matched in a carpool using Liftango, download the Liftango app that is available for free from the App Store or Google Play Store. You will need to register with your UBC affiliated address.
- In the Liftango app, load a picture of yourself in your profile to let your fellow carpoolers know who to look for. This is a required field and is easy to do in the app.
- To express an interest in a carpool, open the Liftango app and on the bottom of the screen click Driver or Rider depending on whether you plan to be a driver of a carpool or be a rider in one.
- Enter information about where you are heading to and where you are coming from, along with date and time information.
- If you as a driver or a rider have another confirmed person with you, you can add another passenger in the app. You can Add Passengers in Passenger Settings.
- Once your trip details have been entered, you will be matched with another carpooler if there is a ride available. You’ll be notified with information about who you’ve been matched with and passengers will be able to see the driver’s location in the app to know when to be ready at the pick-up point.
- Ensure you communicate with your matched rider/driver to confirm the details of your ride. If you’ve been matched but can’t make the trip, let the other person know as soon as possible so they can make other arrangements for their trip.
- Drivers, be sure to Start and End Trip in the app so that the app can confirm a carpool trip was completed.
Q1. I already am commuting to campus in a carpool. Can I use the Liftango app still?
Yes. This is a good idea. You can create a private carpool ride using the Liftango app. It is easy to do: as a driver select Private Ride on the booking request summary page. This will give you the opportunity to search for your carpool passengers by name in the UBC carpool network. Once you’ve selected your passenger, click the Start and End trip buttons in the Liftango app so that it can record your trip with your passenger.
By carpooling, you will increase the likelihood that you will find a parking space on campus. However, the biggest incentive is contributing to the fight against climate change. You’ll be contributing by reducing the amount of daily single occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips to and from campus. SOV trips are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and by adopting shared transport through carpooling, you are doing your part to help the UBC community reduce our carbon footprint.
There is no requirement for passengers to pay drivers when they are matched using Liftango. However, if you find a group that you want to create an ongoing carpool with, you are free to discuss compensation that works for all of you. For example, a toonie each way per passenger can go a long way to support the costs of the trip.
The Liftango app is free to download and use. Download the app and sign up using your UBC affiliated e-mail address.
Customer support is available 24/7 through the app or you can e-mail support@liftango.com.
If you are unhappy with your carpool match, you can cancel your trip and re-request it.
The app currently does not support multiple matches in the app. This is something Liftango is working on though. For now, you can arrange for multiple pick-ups on your own if you already know of people you want to carpool with and if you like you can capture the size of your carpool by adding “Passengers” when you create your trip. Also, see Q1 for information about how to set up a pre-arranged carpool.For drop-off on campus, type 3333 University Way—then speak with the driver about your drop off point once you’re in the carpool. As a rider, if you have time and no issues with walking to work or class from the driver’s parking lot, then that’d be quickest for the two of you. For pick-up on campus, there are not many designated pick-up spots on campus. The best first step is to type in an address into the app—such as 3211 Athletics Court—and then move the pin around to one of the following good pick-up locations:
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- Leave the pin at 3211 Athletics Court in front of the gym
- Move to F-Lot just east of University Centre
- Move to H-Lot at the base of the pedestrian pathway to the parking lot
Alternatively, if you are riding home with the same driver, you can meet them at their car.
Q8: Why do I have to provide my cell phone number?
When you sign up for Liftango you will be matched with other drivers and riders. Providing your cell phone number will allow you to communicate with who you’ve been matched with. For example, if you can’t find one another at your pick-up point you can call or text one another.
Q9: I do not want to put my home address in as my pick-up point, what do I do?
That’s absolutely fine. To make it easier on your driver too, put in the address of a nearby corner that is easy to get to instead.
Set up your own carpool
Alternatively, if you’d like to try and set up a carpool with people in your office or class, you can see the tips below for setting up your own carpool.
- Download the sample carpool sign-up template (doc) for people to fill in. Once complete people will be able to identify matches based on the information people provide.
- Print out a regional map and put it up in your workplace and ask people who are interested in carpooling to place sticky notes where they live (approximately to avoid privacy concerns) and their contact information. Carpoolers can then self-organize with others who live in their area.
- Compensation is going to be different for everyone, but a minimum suggestion is a toonie each way, which could go a long way for a driver with a full car.
Ride-Hailing
UBC is dedicated to promoting sustainable transportation options for the campus community and the availability of ride-hailing services makes it easier for commuters and residents to get around without relying on a personal vehicle. Ride-hailing is especially handy during weekends and evenings when transit may be less convenient and when access to reliable door-to-door service has important personal safety benefits.
About UBC’s Ride-hailing Permit Requirements
To ensure safe and successful operations on the UBC Okanagan campus, ride-hailing operators are required to secure a Transportation Network Services Permit under UBC’s Traffic and Parking Rules and agree to a set of Standard Terms and Conditions.
Apply for a Transportation Network Services (“Ride-hailing”) Permit from UBC Okanagan.
At this time, ride-hailing companies will not be charged additional program fees to operate on the Okanagan campus, only an annual Licensing and Administration Fee. As the program evolves, UBC may implement fees to support programs and infrastructure that encourage sustainable transportation on the Okanagan campus, and these fees may or may not be passed on to customers.
This differs from the UBC Vancouver campus, where UBC charges fees to support sustainable transportation policy objectives and manage traffic congestion on campus while balancing affordability considerations.
UBC is dedicated to promoting sustainable transportation options and ride-hailing is a welcome option for the campus community that may make it easier for people to meet their transportation needs without owning a personal vehicle. UBC’s approach to ride-hailing is to balance convenient, affordable service to the community while also supporting sustainable transportation programs and infrastructure investments.
Any company that has secured approval from the Passenger Transportation Board and has secured a Transportation Network Services (TNS) Permit from the University can operate at UBC Okanagan.
Currently, Uber Canada Inc. is the only company that has secured a TNS Permit to operate at UBC Okanagan.
Any traffic violations on campus can be reported to Parking Services at 250-807-8554 or okanagan.parking@ubc.ca. If you have safety concerns please contact Campus Security at 250-807-8111 or, in the case of an emergency, dial 911.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
UBC Okanagan has fourteen (14) electric vehicle charging stations on campus with the J Plug (J1772 connector) and can be identified by the blue or white charging station, signage and painted EV markings:
- Six Charging Stations in Parking Lot E by the Transit Exchange;
- Two Charging Stations in Parking Lot F along the eastern edge; and
- Six Charging Stations in Parking Lot G near the west campus access off John Hindle Drive.
Parking in the EV Stations is only permitted while charging with a a day pass for the lot or a valid long-term parking permit. Use the Interactive Campus Map to view the charging station locations in the Parking category.
Please contact Parking Services for additional information and to obtain day-use access or a long-term parking permit.
Pick-up / Drop Off
Please avoid stopping in active travel lanes and bike lanes, which could create unsafe situations for people walking and biking, and instead use designated drop off spaces.
Parking
There are a range of on campus parking locations and rates for daily and hourly parking available through UBC Parking Services.
UBCO Parking Services oversees the operation of approximately 2,700 parking spaces on campus, including a number of accessible parking spaces for persons whose disability limits their mobility. Visitors to campus may park in either metered visitor stalls or day-pass dispenser lots, depending on the time of day. For full details, visit Find Parking.
If you’re bringing your car to British Columbia from another province or country, check out these tips for students.
Kelowna Road Closures and Reports
Visit the City of Kelowna’s Road Report webpage to learn about projects that will affect roads and traffic flow to plan your drive to/from Campus. You can also subscribe to Road Report Email-Updates.