Relax Parking Services: We Can Pay For Parking Now

For students, professors, and community members, on-campus parking may seem like a never-ending battle. Recently, Virginia Tech made changes in their options for on-campus parking, and they will hopefully make the lives of students a little easier.

Students living on-campus and off-campus have the option of purchasing a parking pass, but the pricing is far from being budget-friendly. If you reside on campus, a yearlong parking pass costs $450, and for commuter students, passes cost $315. Even with a parking pass, it can be hard to find an open space and if you are looking to park near a dining hall or academic building, the options are even slimmer.

“I bought the yearlong commuter pass and the closest that I can park to the academic side of campus is in the Squires parking lot,” said Caroline Bowling, sophomore at Virginia Tech. “There are only three rows of parking spaces for students in that lot and the rest are for Faculty.”

Virginia Tech Parking Services are always on top of their game and any time that is spent on-campus can be a challenge. In previous years, free parking offered on campus after 5 P.M. but unfortunately, this option is no longer available. Many community members have voiced their concerns and it seems that Virginia Tech is only beginning to take notice of these claims.

After many years of receiving complaints, Virginia Tech Parking Services has finally made a step in the right direction. For less than $2, students now have the option of parking in a ParkMobile spot to pick up their food from campus. Virginia Tech recently partnered with ParkMobile and is offering parking spots that are available for purchase.

When Virginia Tech first announced the "Grab & Go" parking spaces, there were only four locations where ParkMobile was offered: Turner Place, Owens Hall, West End Market, and the Drillfield. These locations offered a limited number of parking spaces that were open to students for a small fee in 15-minute increments.

The ParkMobile spots were a great addition to Virginia Tech’s campus but came with a slight issue; there were only 19 spaces available to thousands of off-campus students.

Shortly after these spots were introduced, students began to notice that the ParkMobile signs spread to various locations on campus. Virginia Tech parking services recognized that there was a need for these paid parking spots and further expanded the options on campus.

ParkMobile is now offered in most of the campus lots that contain Faculty/Staff, Commuter/Graduate, or Resident parking spaces, as well as the original “Grab & Go” parking areas. If you are looking to park on campus, simply look for an area with a green ParkMobile sign.

Once you have parked, you can access ParkMobile on their website or by downloading the app. After you have accessed the ParkMobile app or website, enter the code that is provided on the sign. Students have the option to create an account or checkout as a guest and register their vehicle. Once registration is complete, students can enter a payment method and checkout.