Transit & Parking Benefits

Staff Benefits

Staff scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week and who are commuting to campus have a choice of one of the following parking & transit benefits if they will be commuting to campus for work.

  • Subsidized public transit benefit through WageWorks – subsidized up to $90 per month. Please review the WageWorks/Health Equity Transit Benefits page for more information.
  • Subsidized parking (for non-union staff scheduled 26+ hours per week and salary grades 8 and above; and for ACOPs union police staff) - commuting to the Boston campus 4 to 5 days per week. The parking, at the Boston Common Garage - costs eligible staff $160 per month.  Submit a ticket to HR at least 7 days before the first day of the month you wish to start the monthly parking if interested.
  • Special Reimbursement option – reimbursement of up to $90 per month for public transit or parking when commuting to campus. Please note that there are discounted daily parking programs at the Boston Common ($18/day) and Ritz/VPNE ($17/day) garages (see info at the bottom of this page). Please note that ridesharing is not eligible for reimbursement under this benefit. Please review the Instructions for Submitting Staff Parking & Transit Reimbursement Requests. (Note especially the deadline for submissions).
    • Important Submission Notes:
      • Submissions must be made on a monthly basis
      • Each submission should include one month (of parking/transit) only, do not combine multiple months in one submission
      • Submissions must be made prior to the end of the month following when parking/transit expenses were incurred (ex: submissions for April parking/transit must by made by May 31) *Reimbursement will not be accepted for submissions made after the stated deadline.
  • Full Subsidy of annual Blue Bikes subscription - Submit a ticket to HR if interested.  Note that to receive this benefit you must place your Blue Bikes order through Human Resources - we don't reimburse your own Blue Bikes orders. Also, this benefit is for those employees who commute to campus via bike.

FT Faculty Benefits

Full-time Faculty teaching on campus have a choice of one of the following parking & transit benefits. 

  • Subsidized public transit benefit through WageWorks – subsidized up to $42.25 per month. Please review the WageWorks/Health Equity Transit Benefits page for more information.
  • Subsidized Monthly Parking at Boston Common Garage - Rates are determined once a count for monthly parkers has been established, based on calculation from the contract.
  • Daily Parking Reimbursement – reimbursed at 70%, for parking at the Boston Common and Ritz/VPNE garages only. We encourage you to use the discounted daily parking program at the Boston Common ($18) or Ritz/VPNE ($17) garages. Please review Instructions for Submitting FT Faculty Parking Reimbursement Requests.  (Note especially the deadline for submissions)
    • Important Submission Notes:
      • Submissions must be made on a monthly basis
      • Each submission should include one month of parking only, do not combine multiple months in one submission
      • Submissions must be made prior to the end of the month following when parking expenses were incurred (ex: submissions for April parking/transit must by made by May 31) *Reimbursement will not be accepted for submissions made after the stated deadline.
  • Full subsidy of annual Blue Bikes subscription - (Submit a ticket to HR if interested).  Note that to receive this benefit you must place your Blue Bikes order through Human Resources - we don't reimburse your own Blue Bikes orders. Also, this benefit is for those faculty who commute to campus via bike. Review the Blue Bikes webpage for more information.

Affiliated Faculty Benefits (for members of AFEC)

Affiliated faculty who are teaching on campus are eligible for a reimbursement of up to $42.25 per month towards public transit expenses.

In addition, reimbursement may also be used towards parking when coming to campus.

Parking will be reimbursed up to a maximum $18 per day. See information below about discounted parking at the Boston Common ($18 per day) and Ritz/VPNE ($17 per day) garages. Note that the $42.25 is the total that can be reimbursed per month for public transit and parking combined. Please note that ridesharing is not eligible for reimbursement under this benefit.

Reimbursements are for the academic year only (September through May).  Please review the Instructions for Submitting Affiliated Faculty Transit/Parking Reimbursement Requests. (Note especially the deadline for submissions)

  • Important Submission Notes:
    • Submissions must be made on a monthly basis
    • Each submission should include one month (of parking/transit) only, do not combine multiple months in one submission
    • Submissions must be made prior to the end of the month following when parking/transit expenses were incurred (ex: submissions for April parking/transit must by made by May 31) *Reimbursement will not be accepted for submissions made after the stated deadline.

Affiliated faculty can also receive a full subsidy of an annual Blue Bikes subscription (Submit a ticket to HR if interested), in lieu of a transit/parking reimbursement for the academic year. Note that to receive this benefit you must place your Blue Bikes order through Human Resources - we don't reimburse your own Blue Bikes orders. Also, this benefit is for those faculty who commute to campus via bike.

Discount Parking at Boston Common & VPNE Garages

See below for links to flyers about the discounted parking programs at the Boston Common and VPNE garages. If you have questions about these programs, please call the garages directly.

There are two methods to take advantage of the $18 per day parking at the Boston Common garage. Note that neither option guarantees that a space will be available on any given day as the garage can fill up:

  • Access Card Program: This option involves signing up at the garage office (in the garage) where you will be provided with a daily parking card, which allows you access in and out of the garage (your credit card is charged for each day of parking).  (Make sure you identify yourself is with Emerson). - Note this card program is not currently available for new parkers (as of July 2023) but may return later this year. See online option below.
  • Online Reservations: (at www.bostoncommongarage.com) where you can reserve ahead for specific days. You'll see the "College Student & Faculty Discount" on the home page (that includes staff as well). Before your first order, you'll need to register on the site.  - Note that the "reservation" does not guarantee parking will be available; if you get to the garage and no spaces are available - contact or stop by the garage office to find out their reimbursement process.

The VPNE/Ritz garage also offers a garage pass card which you can sign up for at the garage office (in the garage), as well as an online program. See the flyer below for more information.

Boston Common Garage: 617-954-2098

VPNE/Ritz Garage: 617-574-7252

Discount Parking at Boston Common Garage (Zero Charles Street)

Discount Parking at VPNE/Ritz Garage (10 Avery Street)

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