Faculty/Staff Eco Pass

The Eco Pass provides CU faculty, staff, and eligible retirees bus and light rail service (including Local, Regional and Express service). While most services are free, some are offered at low costs. For route information, visit our Bus Routes page.

In addition to bus and light rail rides, your CU Eco Pass can save you money at local businesses through the new Eco Pass Extra Program. 

Eligibility for Faculty/Staff

All CU-Boulder faculty and staff who are full and part-time continuing employees working with a 20% or greater full-time percentage appointment are eligible. Continuing employees include classified staff, professional exempt employees, and faculty with permanent appointments.

Only CU employees with Boulder campus appointments or home departments and system employees are eligible to participate at this time. 

Eligibility for Retirees

Employees who have retired from and come back to work on the CU-Boulder campus are eligible for the Eco Pass Program. To get an Eco Pass you must have an active work appointment on the Boulder campus or as a system employee in the Peoplesoft record system. 

Who is not Eligible

Student and temporary employees are not included in the Eco Pass program. Volunteers, contractors, spouses and other family members, and CU retirees who do not have an active work appointment on the Boulder Campus or for the CU system are not eligible for Eco Pass benefits. Employees of other CU campuses are not eligible. 

Check your Eligibility

For additional help with eligibility concerns, please e-mail our Transportation Outreach Coordinator. 

Obtaining an Eco Pass

• New employees who are eligible for an Eco Pass will receive their passes when receiving their Buff One Cards (university ID card).  The Eco Pass is a Buff OneCard (university ID card) with an affixed RTD sticker.
• Buff OneCards may be obtained at the Buff OneCard Office located in the Center for Community (C4C) room N180. For more information, call the office at 303-492-0355.
• Eco Passes are renewed annually. New RTD stickers will be mailed to eligible employees in December.
• If you are listed as less than 20% of full-time in PeopleSoft, but work at least 416 hours in a calendar year, then you may be eligible for an Eco Pass. Have your supervisor fill out the Eco Pass Eligibility Request form to request an eligibility check.

CHIP Permits

If you cancel your CU faculty/staff parking permit in favor of using your Eco Pass to ride the bus, or to use another alternate mode of transportation, you become eligible to buy CHIP permits. If you drive to work less than twice per week, the CHIP permit will give you a less expensive alternative than the monthly permit. If you need to drive two or more times per week, we suggest retaining your monthly permit.

CHIP permits are temporary permits sold at a rate discounted from the one-day permit rate. Please call our office (303-492-7384) for the current CHIP permit rate. CHIP permits are sold only for lots 169, 256, 308, 436, and 560. They are not refundable. Permits for lots managed by the RBS, Alumni, Continuing Education, and Athletic departments are not eligible for replacement with CHIP permits.

You are eligible for CHIP permits when:

• you are eligible for the faculty/staff Eco Pass;
• you cancel your faculty/staff or buffalo permit;
• you have held a PTS permit for a lot managed by PTS continually for a year.