PTS recommends farther lots
By Tiffany Sauceda, September 29, 2026
During the start of the semester, students and faculty members spend extended periods of time searching for open spaces across campus, with some students arriving late to class. Some have also experienced problems receiving parking permits and citations.
Jeffrey Robbins, a lecturer for the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, said he drove around multiple parking lots and two parking structures on campus with no luck in finding a parking spot, even when trying to find people who were leaving.
“Tuesday took me an hour and a half to find parking,” Robbins said. “The entire campus was full.”
Robbins said the lack of parking is common at the beginning of the semester, especially since not many students have dropped courses yet.
According to Parking and Transportation Services’ Instagram, students can use the JAPA app to help find parking around campus.
The app shows parking availability options for Lot M, Lot J and Parking Structure 1, as well as employee lots J1, J2 and M.
According to Mike Yu, executive director of parking, transportation and administrative services, the app helps students find the closest available spaces in real time.
“JAPA is not available for every lot,” Yu said. “One day, I hope to make it in every lot. It does cost money for those lots. M, J, Parking Structure 1, those are our busiest lots.”
There are over 14,000 spaces provided to everyone on campus, according to a previous Poly Post article.
According to Yu, parking gets harder to find in certain areas after 10 a.m., but Parking Structure 2 and Lot B have guaranteed parking spaces.
Amy Kim, an animal health science student, said she purchased her parking permit the day after its release and experienced delays receiving her permit.
However, she got a ticket prior to receiving her temporary permit.
“It’s just been a bit of a struggle,” Kim said.
Communicating with PTS has been a challenge due to a lack of response, according to Kim, and she said her busy school schedule would not allow her to go back and forth with PTS.
According to PTS, it aims to respond within 24 hours, adding that there are a lot of students, faculty and staff it oversees, with only one inbox.
Industrial engineering student Adrian Marquez said the parking permit is not worth it.
“If you don’t find parking, then you waste your time and money,” Marquez said.
According to Yu, 100% of the parking permit revenue goes back to serving the students, noting how transportation should not be a barrier to receiving the best education at CPP.
“You can buy a semester permit, 30-day permit, you can buy a daily permit, or hourly permit,” Yu said. “If you don’t have a car or ride a train we got you covered.”
