Transportation solutions help employees and patients

While the rate of UCSF employees driving alone is low, the demand for on-campus parking continues to grow. Employees compete for limited parking spots, particularly in high-demand locations like Mission Bay and Parnassus Heights. For employees and especially clinicians, the daily grind of traffic and parking can contribute to professional stress and burnout.

“Improving commute options for our employees goes way beyond convenience,” says Sundstrom. “Reducing employee driving, improving parking access for patients, and making the commuting experience better overall,” she adds, is good for the UCSF community, “not to mention that the program supports UCSF’s broader sustainability goals of reducing emissions to improve climate and health.”

Uber Shuttle offers employees convenience, simplicity, and cost savings

To help address these issues, UCSF is working with Uber for Business to offer its Bay Area employees access to Uber’s local commute shuttles (a unique shared shuttle model), starting with its Mission Bay campus. This ride option gives employees who work at Mission Bay a convenient, stress-free way to commute to and from work on comfortable, commuter-style buses that operate along key regional and local routes.

“Getting this program up and running has been really easy,” says Sundstrom. “Each month, we add approved employee names into the Uber system, triggering automatic email invites that allow them to activate Uber Shuttle access within their personal Uber app with a few clicks.” Once activated, they can “view shuttle stops, check real-time availability, track the vehicle, and book rides for the week ahead, all from their phone.”

Compared with the cost of commuting by car, the savings for employees are substantial. A UCSF Mission Bay campus parking permit alone costs $332 per month. In contrast, a UCSF Uber Shuttle subscription costs employees just $160 per month for unlimited rides. “Factoring in the cost of gas, bridge tolls, and vehicle maintenance,” says Sundstrom, “we estimate employees can cut their commuting costs by more than 60%.”

Clinicians say the shuttle is improving their quality of life

Some of the highest praise for the program comes directly from physicians, who are among its most enthusiastic riders. “We didn’t expect doctors to love the program this much,” Sundstrom says. “On Uber Shuttle, our clinicians can use their laptops, close out patient notes, or simply take a moment to rest and reset. That’s a big difference from sitting in traffic behind the wheel after a long shift.” Feedback from UCSF employees has been enthusiastic. One employee shared about the Uber Shuttle experience on social media: “I love sitting back, looking out the window, and watching all the cars on the bridge while I cruise by on the shuttle.” And another shared “Now I can actually decompress from stressful hospital shifts or catch up on work while commuting.”

Uber’s reach and reliability are key to the program’s success

UCSF actively explores commute solutions that respond to long travel distances, varied work hours, and persistent traffic congestion—prioritizing options that are easy to implement, reliable to operate, and valued by employees. “The way Uber set up the app is amazing,” Sundstrom notes, pointing to the “intuitive reservation system and clear visibility into shuttle stops and schedules.” Reliability was another advantage. “If an Uber Shuttle is ever delayed or canceled, Uber automatically dispatches a backup ride so employees aren’t left without options,” says Sundstrom. This has been critical in building trust with UCSF riders, for whom every minute counts as schedules are tight. Adds Sundstrom, “Uber offered us a turnkey solution, one that employees love and that our transportation team can grow over time.”

A scalable model for employee commutes

From the June 2025 launch through the end of October 2025, UCSF more than doubled shuttle capacity on its most popular routes to and from Mission Bay. The program now serves 90+ employees per week, and new interest continues to grow. The flexible model allows the transportation team to scale it thoughtfully. One expansion target is already on the horizon: the Parnassus Heights campus, where parking pressures are especially acute.