If you are tired of waiting in long lines at the beginning of the semester to purchase a parking permit, University Transportation & Parking Services has come up with a solution.

UTAPS now offers services that allow students, faculty and staff the ability to purchase parking permits, pay parking citations and appeal parking citations online. The new system, known as T-2, is an internet-based system that allows users to view their parking citations online and update personal information, said Alfredo Orozco, assistant to the director for UTAPS.

UTAPS wanted to offer the Sacramento State community an easy way to communicate and do business with the office, Orozco said.

“Online services essentially keep the UTAPS office open for most transactions needed by students around the clock,” he said.

The new service was a response to long lines of people waiting to purchase parking permits at the beginning of each semester at the UTAPs office and the Student Financial Services Center in Lassen Hall, Orozco said. These lines would often be so long that they would wind outside of the offices.

“This semester we did notice a significant decrease in customers waiting in line to purchase a semester parking permit at UTAPS and Student Financial Services Center combined,” Orozco said.

Senior theater major Brittni Barger purchased her parking permit online. She said she used the service because it was easy and she did not have to stand in line.

“I give the online service two thumbs up,” Barger said.

Parking permits become available online at the same time students are able to begin paying university tuition and fees for upcoming semesters, Orozco said.

Parking permits purchased online more than two weeks prior to the start of the semester are mailed to students two weeks before the semester starts. Permits purchased within two weeks of the start of the semester or once the semester begins are mailed out the next business day.

It usually takes two to three days for the permit to arrive in the mail.

For students who do not wish to wait for permits to come in the mail, they have the option of picking up the permit at the UTAPS office, located at 7667 Folsom Blvd., after 10 a.m. one business day after the permit is purchased, Orozco said.

Nick Obereiner, freshman criminal justice major, said it was easy to buy his parking permit online and pick it up at the UTAPS office. He liked how he did not have to pay for daily parking permits while he waited for the semester permit to come in the mail.

Parking citations are downloaded into the T-2 system the next business day after they are issued. Once citations are in the system, people can pay or appeal citations using the online services.

Senior government major Jenice Martin used the online service to pay parking citations, a process she said was easy.

Martin said she was not able to purchase her parking permit online. Every time she tried, she said her computer would not let her complete the process.

UTAPS has not had any significant problems with the system, Orozco said.

Another student, senior accounting major David Santiago, said he did not know about the UTAPS online services. If he had known, Santiago would have used the services instead of waiting in line.

UTAPS has made a number of efforts to inform the campus community about the new online services.Students were notified by UTAPS through the university’s online MySacState system. Posters and fliers detailing the new services were posted and distributed throughout the campus.

UTAPS furthered its outreach by submitting an article to the Sacramento State Bulletin and having Student Activities include a small notice about the services in its newsletter, Orozco said.

Dominque Lupo, sophomore liberal studies major, knew she could buy a parking permit online, but was reluctant to use the service. Lupo said she prefers to pay for her parking permit with cash at the Student Financial Services Center. She does not like giving out her credit information over the internet.

UTAPS has been reviewing the online services for parking management systems available to the parking industry for several years. UTAPS ultimately chose the T-2 system, for which UTAPS pays an annual subscription service of approximately $21,600, Orozco said.

“While other systems were considered, the T-2 system offers better overall services which meet Sac State’s needs,” he said.

Although he does not have an exact number of people who have used the online services, Orozco said it is the general consensus within UTAPS that the T-2 system is an increasingly utilized and positive service for Sac State students, faculty, staff and visitors.

The new online services can be accessed at the UTAPS homepage at http://www.csus.edu/utaps/.

Todd Wilson can be reached at [email protected]