Commuter parking permits at OU cost students a little more than 2 1/2 times more than Oklahoma State University permits and are two times higher than the price of permits at the University of Central Oklahoma.

A housing or commuter parking permit costs $195 at OU.

OU received about $2.2 million in parking-permit fees for the 2010 fiscal year, said Vicky Holland, OU Parking and Transportation Services spokeswoman.

The university hopes parking-permit prices will remain unchanged — as they have for the last eight years — while gas prices continue to rise, Holland said.

University of Central Oklahoma students will receive a financial break this fall when UCO begins offering free parking to commuter students who agree to park in one of three designated north parking lots, according to the UCO Safety and Transportation website.

UCO students with a North Parking decal are eligible to receive a $50 rebate per semester, according to the UCO Safety and Transportation website. Students are bused free of charge from the north lots.

OU has offered free commuter parking for the last 15 years along with a free ride to the South Oval via Cleveland Area Rapid Transit, Holland said.

CART offers three OU campus routes, according to CART’s website.

While CART has enjoyed some breaks in fuel costs through the use of natural gas, more than half of CART buses still run on biodiesel, Holland said.

The number of passengers transported by CART has risen with the cost of gas and provides an alternative to high permit costs, Holland said.

Last year, CART provided service to more than 1.3 million passengers, Holland said.

OU parking-permit fees overshadow fees at comparable universities.

“OU Parking and Transportation Services is a self-supporting department that does not receive any state monies,” Holland said.

UCO and OSU also do not receive any state appropriations, a UCO Parking and Transportation spokesperson said.

Revenue from permit sales goes toward maintenance, lights, security and paying bonds for the parking structures on campus, Holland said.

There are several options when paying for an OU parking permit as well as several ways to receive it.

Parking permits can be purchased online through the link provided at OUDaily.com, mailed to your address or picked up in Robertson Hall, said Richard Adamo, OU Parking and Transportation spokesman.

Students can pay by credit card or the cost can be placed on students’ bursar account, Adamo said.