• UH’s annual zone parking rates range from $500 to $550, which is below the national urban university peer median of $648.
• UH annual garage rates range from $700 to $850, which is below the national urban university peer median $893.

With more than 23,000 parking spots on campus, there is plenty of parking to meet demand. Not all students and employees are on campus at the same time, so permits sold may exceed spots available.

UH’s oversell rate is 1.3 permits per parking spot, which is lower than the national urban university peer median of 1.8 permits per spot. Without oversell, permit prices would rise and spaces would sit empty.

UH Parking and Transportation Services operates as an auxiliary unit and does not receive funding from the university, tuition, or fees. UH Parking must generate revenue through permits and citations to fund operational expenses, including debt service (bond payments on parking garages), construction of new garages, maintenance of parking lots, shuttle operations, and safety and security measures.

Despite increases in debt service payments and an increase in other expenses, such as contracting buses and contracting drivers, UH Parking has successfully reduced its budget by 40% since 2019. They’ve managed to accomplish this by creating efficiencies, streamlining staff and investing in technology, such as guidance systems for drivers to know which spots are open. Only 5% of parking revenue is used to support salaries.

Cougar Line shuttles provide students, faculty and staff a comfortable ride across campus via the North Route, Student Center/Zone D Route and PGH/Zone E Route. The circulator shuttles operate Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7p.m. No permit is required. A live tracking map is available to help users monitor shuttle status, accessible through the UH Go app or RideSystems.net. For more information and live shuttle tracking maps. Visit the Cougar Line webpage.

A shuttle permit is required to ride the Sugar Land shuttle and permits are free to students who are taking face-to-face classes at UH and UH at Sugar Land. The Sugar Land shuttle is also available to students who live on the UH campus and take face-to-face classes at UH at Sugar Land.  Shuttle permit holders must have their digital Cougar Card readily available for scanning prior to boarding. 

• The Sugar Land shuttles operate Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m.- 7 p.m.

Fort Bend County Transit has partnered with UH to add a shuttle route from the AMC Park and Ride in Sugar land to the University of Houston.

This service launched Sept. 3, 2024.

• Three new shuttles operated by Fort Bend County leave the AMC Park and Ride in Sugar Land Monday-Friday
• Morning shuttles from Sugar Land depart at 6:58, 7:10 and 7:30 a.m. Morning shuttles arrive at UH at 8:11, 8:23 and 8:43 a.m.
• Afternoon shuttles from UH to Sugar Land will depart UH at 3:48, 4:13 and 4:31 p.m. Afternoon shuttles arrive at AMC in Sugar land at 4:54, 5:19 and 5:37 p.m.
• This shuttle is available to anyone for a $4 fee each way.

Visit the Fort Bend County shuttle page for more details.

In 2023-24, total bus ridership was 147,400.

• 87,000 Cougar Line boardings
• 54,300 UH Sugar Land Shuttle boardings
• 6,100 Cougar Ride boardings

Cougar Ride is an after-hours shuttle providing rides to and from all on-campus shuttle stops, as well as MD Anderson Library, Cougar Village/Moody Towers and the UH Technology Bridge.