Increased parking fees at Caltrain station lots that were approved late last year will come into effect next month, the agency announced Wednesday.
Starting July 1, the price of parking at Caltrain station lots will increase 10 percent, adding 50 cents to the usual $5 for daily parking fees and rising from $50 to $55 for monthly parking permits.
On top of that increase, which was approved by Caltrain’s board in December 2015, the agency will begin paid parking enforcement at the Caltrain station in Belmont after it had previously been free.
Caltrain offers paid all-day parking at most stations.
Although rates are the typically the same across the station lots, higher rates are sometimes charged at Caltrain’s San Jose Diridon Station.
By Bay City News Service
By Bay City News Service
By Bay City News Service
Caltrain’s parking rates are too cheap. A lot of people who don’t ride Caltrain park there because their prices are cheaper than city permits or private lots, thus reducing the parking available for actual train riders. Caltrain should charge market rates for parking and use the profits to improve their train system or lower the train fares.
Senior round trip fare to SF from Palo Alto is $7.20. Parking at $5.50 increases the cost by 76% which is quite significant. The alternate of bike riding and parking at the station is even more expensive if you include the cost of replacing a stolen bike. Taking the bus to the station is cheap, but adds significantly to the time since buses run so infrequently.
Parking at the Millbrae station is only $5.00. Why is it more expensive in Palo Alto?
Correction to the above comment. Parking at Millbrae is $3.00 NOT $5.00
“Why is it more expensive in Palo Alto?”
Likely because Palo Alto has the 2nd busiest station on the line and a major destination.
The big parking garage at Millbrae is shared with BART, and BART parking has always been very low-priced, so that probably has something to do with the rate there. As far as I know, all of the ‘dedicated’ Caltrain lots have the same parking rates.
The cost of parking has to be taken into account if people are expected to use Caltrain to commute. Not everybody is in walking distance or has a ride or wants/is able to bike. If Caltrain was really trying to get additional riders, it would make sense for the rates to be zero after 3.00 pm. This would enable those using Caltrain for Giants/Sharks/theatre users to be attracted to the advantages of alternative modes of getting there.
The Caltrain parking lots are small and fill up during the day. Cheaper parking is not going to work. The city should expand the shuttle bus system to make it easier for people to catch the shuttle to the Caltrain station during off-hours. Also expand the shuttle routes into more neighborhoods.
@Resident
That would make sense perhaps if Caltrain was struggling, but I don’t think they would want to reduce a revenue stream in order to attract more riders when most current issues being faced are related to train overcrowding.
I am happy that they have repaved and now I can see what the stall numbers are before I put money. Some times it used to be hard when then parking location paint chipped away.
They could be nice to not charge for parking on the weekends.
Regardless, it is a great location.
respectfully
Some fuzzy math here. Yes, simple math provides an answer of a 10% increase. But how long has it been since the last increase? 10 years? (I’m guessing but it seems about that). But for the sake of argument, let’s say it’s been 10 years. Then that’s the same as increasing the daily parking price by $0.05 per year. Which is only a 1% the first year and then goes down from their on an annual basis … well-below any inflation rate you can come up with. In other words, more than a reasonable price increase.