For Tufts University employees and students alike, finding parking on campus has become a daily struggle. Many employees face increased fines, restricted spaces, and the removal of key parking areas and are left struggling to find reliable options. Tufts maintenance and facilities staff, in particular, grapple with long commutes and costly permits—only to arrive on campus and be left circling the lot in search of an elusive spot.
Tufts University launched a new parking system on Jan. 2, 2025, intended to be a more user-friendly and flexible platform for managing parking passes with monthly permits costing $38. While $38 may seem reasonable to some, for many maintenance and facilities staff, it is still a significant reduction in their salary. “They pay us, and then they take $400 away from us,” facilities mechanic Mike Demeule said, referring to the amount he spends annually on parking.
According to the Tufts administration, they structured the parking payment system to sustain its management costs. “Revenues from parking are intended to cover the operational cost of parking,” Senior Director of Auxiliary Services Nicholas Piscitello wrote. “The university reviews the parking rate each year, looking at market rates, inflation, and operational cost increases to determine if increases are needed.”
The new system utilizes scannable QR codes that direct users to a mobile-friendly web portal instead of a separate application. This portal provides a streamlined platform for students, employees, and vendors to select from various permit length options. One key change in the new system is the transition from a discounted monthly rate for part-time employees to a standard monthly fee.
A Commons Marketplace worker, who preferred to remain anonymous, questioned this shift. “Why don’t we pay part-time prices anymore? When the app came along, they made us pay full price,” he said, regarding the flat monthly fee. “Tufts should offer free parking for their employees.”
Alexandros Armand, an employee at Carmichael Dining Center, expressed frustration at the newly implemented system. Even though he currently pays for the parking permit, he has had technological complications with the system and has been unable to log in. Armand still needs to find a place to park for work every day, but his malfunctioning app leaves him with no choice but to park illegally. As a result, Tufts Parking Services has repeatedly fined him, with the most exorbitant penalties reaching $250. Though Armand has been able to contest some of the fines, it remains a persistent challenge, adding frustration and stress to his daily commute. “They aren’t giving enough spaces, so you are parking in a spot you aren’t supposed to and getting fined while still paying for a parking permit,” Armand said. “I’m coming to work and not even finding a spot, and I end up being late to my shift; it sets back my entire day.”
In September, the university announced plans to build a new dormitory next to Dowling Hall, threatening to reduce the already limited on-campus parking. Piscitello responded to these plans in an email to the Tribune: “Often, construction can take parking offline.” He continued, “In an effort to be more sustainable, cities like Cambridge are restricting parking to encourage the use of public transportation (TDM measures). The university is also looking at ways to help reduce the need for parking, including promoting use of public transportation.” The Tufts campus is accessible by several public transportation options, including commuter rail lines into Boston and Porter Square, the Red and Green lines, and multiple bus routes. Tufts offers various incentives for employees who commute using public transportation, carpool, or even Zipcar. “Tufts provides employees with commuter benefits, including using a portion of your pay on a pre-tax basis to pay for eligible transportation and parking expenses and a transit subsidy to help offset the cost of commuting,” Piscitello stated.
This institutional push for sustainability, however, does not account for the many facilities workers who commute from communities without direct access to Medford or Somerville’s public transportation or the commuter rail. For employees like Demeule, relying solely on public transportation is not viable. “If you live in Brookline, you can just hop on the train over. I live in Peabody, and it takes me 20 minutes to drive to a train, so it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever,” Demeule said.
Other employees have echoed similar frustrations with Tufts’ parking system, citing high costs and confusion surrounding the permit process. Some forgo purchasing a permit altogether, instead relying on a handful of unreliable street parking spots. Raina Estrada, a cleaner who has worked at Tufts for 28 years, was repeatedly overcharged for her permit, ultimately leading her to cancel it. She plans to take her chances with street parking as she prepares for retirement.
Photo by Hayes Stewart