How we Commute
Sustainable transportation at SFSU
We recognize that SFSU is a commuter school and most of our students do not live on campus. This is why we want to provide the best possible transit experience for our students, while being mindful of our greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate action goals
- Reduce student drive-alone rate to under 30% by 2030 (currently at 41%) by getting the Clipper BayPass for all students
- Reduce employee drive-alone rate to under 50% by 2030 (currently at 63%) creating incentives for staff and faculty
- Increase overall bike and walk to campus to 15% by 2025 (currently at 13%) due to an increase of on campus housing (adding 750 beds) starting in August 2024 and the building of the Lake Merced bike line by the City of San Francisco
- Transition fleet and grounds equipment to zero emissions, excluding public safety patrol vehicles if necessary, by having no new addition of gas-powered light duty vehicles to the fleet (CSU Sustainability Policy)
- Accomplished and in progress
SFSU sustainable commuting stats
Free Public Transit
Free rides for transit operators that accept Clipper Cards with your Gator Pass
Support for Sustainable Transportation
STARS gave SFSU a perfect score for its Support for Sustainable Transportation.
Biking to Campus
We encourage you to bike to campus! View our biking and parking routes map.
Also check out this scenic biking route from SFSU! We are located in a great area for biking. This 15-mile scenic biking route starts and ends at SFSU.
Don't have a bike? No worries, use bike sharing through Bay Wheels! There are four Bay Wheels bike stations near campus (with both regular bikes and e-bikes) and you can pickup/drop-off the bikes at any Bay Wheels station in the city.
Sustainable commuting with your Gator Pass
Your Gator Pass clipper card transit benefits makes it easy—and free—to choose sustainable travel. Ride Muni or SamTrans with unlimited access to routes across San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, with several stops right on campus.
Take BART to the Daly City station for half off with your Gator Pass then take the 28R Muni bus to campus for free with your Gator Pass.
Electric vehicle charging
We have charging at a fantastic rate! SFSU offers a reduced charging rate of only $1.00 per hour with no hourly limit for the SFSU community.
Free emergency ride home
SFSU Environment will pay you back for a taxi ride home in case of an emergency, even if you live outside of San Francisco.
- Pay for your taxi rides (see list of Official Taxis) and save your receipts
- Uber or Lyft rides will NOT be paid back
- Submit your taxi ride receipts within 30 days of your trip to get your money back up to $150 (tips not included)
- You may get paid back up to $150 four times per year
Reduce GHG emissions!
Help us reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by taking public transportation with GatorPass or biking to school with our scenic biking route.
Progress in sustainable transportation at SFSU
Started in fall 2017, the Gator Pass is a transit program available to all students through their OneCard. As of fall 2024, Gator Pass integrated with the Clipper BayPass and now provides unlimited rides on all Clipper transits - including Muni, BART, Caltrain, SamTrans, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit, ferries, and more - during the fall and spring semesters.
Gator Pass is funded by student fees, each student pays $130/semester (decreased from $180 in fall 2024). Gator Pass is valid every day of the fall and spring semesters but not during winter or summer break.
- We conduct detailed Campus Transportation Surveys every 3 years. Our latest survey was conducted in May 2023. From our May 2023 survey results, 64% of students, faculty and staff take public transit, bike, walk or carpool to campus! Our next survey is planned to occur in May 2025 to measure the impact of the Gator Pass updates.
- Our Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan guides our efforts to shift towards sustainable transportation. Click here to read the latest TDM Plan. The newest TDM plan was published in January 2025.
SFSU's facilities fleet was transitioned to primarily electric vehicles in 2018.
AASHE STARS Score 2023
| Credit | Status | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Campus Fleet (OP 15) | Complete | 0.59 / 1.00 |
| Commute Modal Split (OP 16) | Complete | 3.62 / 5.00 |
| Support for Sustainable Transportation (OP 17) | Complete | 1.00 / 1.00 |