FAQs

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa welcomes nearly 25,000 faculty, staff, students, and visitors to the campus everyday. With a very limited inventory of 5,000 parking stalls across the campus, parking is at a premium. Typically only graduate students and seniors are able to secure parking reservations based on their class standing. UH Mānoa encourages alternative transportation options to commute to the Mānoa campus. Alternative transportation options not only offer opportunities to save on fuel costs and parking fees, it also helps UH Mānoa to mālama ʻāina or take care of our limited resources and minimize the impact to our environment and neighboring communities.


(click on questions to view answers)

General

Student permit reservations coincide with class registration. Students will have to register as a full-time Mānoa student through their STAR account first, then go to our home page and click on the reservation button to select a zone for their parking permit. Zone 8 and 21 are strictly for housing students. If a student reserves the wrong zone, it may not be possible to switch it and thus they lose their reservation. Students who have early registration will have to wait until their regularly designated registration time (per admission’s posted timetable) to reserve a permit. The reservation button is not on their parking portal account and once a specific zone is reserved out, it will no longer be available.
Typically, graduate students and most seniors who register properly as a full-time student at their designated registration date/time (per admission’s posted timetable) will be able to reserve a permit. Other permit options that do not require a reservation are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. These permits include: carpool and moped/motorcycle.
UH Commuter Services does not have a matching system, students are encouraged to find their own a carpool buddies. The Hawaiʻi State Department of transportation has a Ride share connection system, HiRideShare.
Vehicles must have a valid parking permit for Zone 8 (Dorms) or Zone 21 (Hale Wainani). If these zones are unavailable, students may apply for Zone 22, the Dole Street parking structure. All permits are permitted to park in Zone 20 unless specified otherwise by Commuter Services.
You may submit a permit exemption form by requesting the electronic form on the first day of instruction by emailing parking@hawaii.edu. Requests will not be reviewed until the first week of school and may take a few weeks to process. Requests are not guaranteed. If you are granted approval, it is a one-time exemption for a parking pass switch.
Zone 20 will have different sections closed depending on the Special Event taking place. All signage will be posted at least 2 days prior to the event or an announcement will be made via email. You will be subject to citation if you park in a reserved/closed area or fail to move your vehicle from the section reserved for the event by the time required.
Request for a parking exemption will be accepted during the first week of each semester only via email (parking@hawaii.edu). It is not a guarantee and if you are granted approval, it is a one-time exemption for a parking pass. Exemptions can be applied for all semester, but approvals will be granted as permits become available. It is best to apply at the start of the semester.
Reserved spaces for accessible parking are located throughout the Mānoa campus. Signs displaying the International Symbol of Access identify these spaces. The display of a valid Disability Parking Permit is required when parking in any space reserved for accessible parking. And the use of any parking space on the Mānoa campus requires the display of the appropriate university parking permit, pass, daily parking ticket, or the display of a federal, state, or city government license plate. For accessible parking spaces, BOTH a DP permit and the University permit/pass must be displayed while the vehicle is parked. Students may request a student medical permit in person at our business office. Students must provide their UH ID, driver’s license and their DP blue card (not the placard)

The Rainbow Shuttle is a free shuttle service funded solely by Commuter Services. This free service provides UH faculty, staff, students and affiliates to frequently access the UH Mānoa campus through routes that are not serviced through similar means of public transportation.

For more information on shuttle capacity and routes, please visit our Rainbow Shuttle page.