La Trobe University > Transport Central > Car Parking > Melbourne parking > Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General

Yes. Anyone parking on the campus between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday is required to pay for parking. However outside of these hours, including public holidays and University shutdown days, parking at the Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus is free.

At La Trobe, we have a range of permit and payment options no matter how frequent you park. All options are ticketless which means you don’t need to display a ticket.

Permit Parking - recommended for full-time and part-time staff and students parking regularly.

Casual Parking - for hourly or daily, pay-as-you-go parking. These options are suited to staff, students or visitors parking casually:

For more information on parking permit types, visit Parking at the Melbourne Campus.

Visit Fees and Permits for more information on fees for permit and casual parking options.

The best parking option for each individual will vary from person to person. For example, for Alex who drives to Uni 5 days a week, the best option would be an annual or 6 monthly vPermit - either white or red. For Ali, who drives to Uni 3 days a week for classes, the best option would be an annual or 6 monthly vPermit.

Please visit Parking at Melbourne to review the parking options available. You can also contact one of our traffic and parking staff if you would like more assistance at traffic@latrobe.edu.au or 03 9479 8888 > Option 1.

All car parks have a limited number of accessibility bays. To use an accessibility bay reserved for people with disabilities, a valid accessibility parking permit administered by your local council is required. Parking is free in these bays as long as your permit is valid and clearly displayed.

However if you opt to park in a White or Red Bay, you will need to pay for parking. Please refer to the Accessible Parking Permit (APP) Scheme for more details on APP-specific conditions.

Motorcycle parking is free in areas reserved for motorcycles in Car Park 3 and the Visitor's Car Park. Motorcycles may also park in any general (white) car parking bays however will need to pay the same fee as a vehicle.

Melbourne permits can be used at the Melbourne Campus. They are also valid for parking at the Bendigo Campus in the white general parking bays only.

Bendigo permits can only be used at the Bendigo Campus. Bendigo permit holders that are required to travel to the Melbourne Campus in a personal vehicle (in line with the Travel Management Policy) will need to have a valid Melbourne Campus vPermit or use the casual parking options at this campus (CellOPark Pay-As-You-Go or Pay-by-Plate parking meters). Visit Parking at the Melbourne Campus for more information on permit and casual parking options.

There are over 7,000 car parks spaces available at the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus. Please refer to this map for parking locations.

No.

There are a number of options available to get to uni including public transport such as  trams buses, carpooling and cycling. Please visit Transport Central for more information.

In addition, the University has contributed significant funds to improving public transport and will continue to work in partnership with government to improve public transport options to our campuses.

Whilst we are continually in discussions with government, our local members and other members of parliament, we also encourage staff and students to contact their local member requesting improved PT services to La Trobe University.

vPermit

  1. Register online at vPermit
  2. Select your role - STUDENT / STAFF / OTHER (Other - for La Trobe Melbourne staff/students, Contractors and anyone who does not have a @latrobe.edu.au email address)
  3. Create a password to register. Do not use your La Trobe password
  4. Once registered, log in to purchase a permit and complete payment details
  5. You can log back in to vPermit at any time to update your details

Important: a common mistake when entering your registration plate is mistaking O (letter) for 0 (number) and I (letter) for 1 (number). The standard Vic plate format is: LETTER, LETTER, LETTER, NUMBER, NUMBER, NUMBER (Eg. ABC123) OR NUMBER, LETTER, LETTER, NUMBER, LETTER, LETTER (Eg. 1AB2CD). To check your plate, you can run it through the VicRoads Registration check tool.

For more information on using vPermit, read this step-by-step guide.

It can take up to fifteen minutes for the registration email to arrive and it may go to your junk/clutter mailbox. Be sure to check these folders first. Please do not try to register repeatedly.

There are different permit types available:

  • White Permits – Valid in all white bays around campus and has reciprocal rights at the Bendigo campus (white bays only). Available as the following options:
    • *6 month permit – Jan to Jun OR Jul to Dec
    • *12 month permit – Jan to Dec
    • 90 Day permit (staff only) – 90 days from date of purchase
  • Red Permits – Valid in all non-reserved red bays around campus
  • Reserved Red & Black Permits - For staff that have been assigned a specific parking space. Eligibility criteria applies. See Fees and Permits for terms and conditions

*Note: 6 & 12 month permit validity is not related to the date of purchase. Check start/end dates carefully before purchasing.

If the permit lengths listed above are not suitable, alternate permit options are available via CellOPark (pay-as-you-go) or Pay-by-Plate Meters (hourly/daily tickets).

  • LTU Students can pay online by credit or Visa debit card
  • Non-LTU Students (College students or Students living on-campus but attending another University) can pay by credit or Visa debit card in person at the I&O Service Desk, Building CS1 near Carpark 6 - click to find us CS1 VPermit Pay-in-Person
    • Students must present student identification as proof of eligibility for the student permit rate
  • Staff can pay online by credit or Visa debit card or salary deduction (part time and full time staff only).
    • When selecting your permit ensure you choose the option with “salary deduction” in the description.
    • Permits purchased via salary deduction will be automatically activated.
    • Salary deduction will be ongoing with no need for renewal and will discontinue when you cancel them.
    • When purchasing a permit through salary deduction, the first deduction will be for a full fortnight i.e. the first deduction will not be pro-rated even if the permit is purchased towards the end of the current pay period. If the permit is cancelled at a later stage, the pay period in which the permit is cancelled will not be charged.
    • Annual fee increases to permits will automatically be applied to the fortnightly amount deducted.

Note: You must register and apply for your vPermit before making payment.

This usually means the payment has not processed correctly.  Check the card is valid or has sufficient funds available. If you close the browser before the payment has processed, this might also cause the 'Pending' status.

Contact the Traffic & Parking Office on 03 9479 8888 > Option 1 or traffic@latrobe.edu.au who will fix the Pending status and enable you to purchase the permit again.

Non LTU Students (College students or Students living on-campus but attending another University) - please pay at the I&O Service Desk, Building CS1 near Carpark 6 - click to find us CS1 VPermit Pay-in-Person. Remember to bring your student ID.

You can register up to 3 vehicles but can only have 1 vehicle as your "active" vehicle at any one time. The active vehicle is the vehicle you are driving and parking that day - if you change vehicles, you need to activate the other licence plate.

To add another vehicle, or update your registration:

  • Log into vPermit (via the website or download the app on Apple or Android devices)
  • Select “Manage Vehicles”
  • Select “Edit Vehicles”
  • Update details as required. Click "Save Vehicle(s)"
  • Make sure the correct registration is highlighted green as “active” before exiting

For more information on how to update your vehicle registration details, read this step-by-step guide.

No.  Ensure you check the details of your permit carefully before completing the payment process. Please refer to the Terms & Conditions.

Cancelling a permit:

  • Log in to vPermit
  • Select “Cancel Permit”

For more information on how to cancel your vPermit, read this step-by-step guide.

Renewing or extending a permit:

Permits purchased by salary deduction will be ongoing with no need for renewal and will discontinue when you cancel them.

All other permits may be renewed after your current permit expires by logging in to vPermit and purchasing a new permit.

No - please refer to the Terms & Conditions.. Extenuating circumstances may be considered. Submit your request to traffic@latrobe.edu.au for review and provide any supporting information that may assist.

CellOPark

  1. Download the CellOPark app from iTunes or Google Play.
  2. Register
  3. Once you're registered, you can start parking straight away.

It’s free to register. CellOPark will only charge you for your parking session, there are no additional charges unless you opt for the premium service, which includes an SMS reminder when your parking is about to finish.

You can pay for parking by app, phone or online using your credit/debit card or CellOPark pre-paid cards available from the La Trobe University Student Union located in Agora West.

Once registered you can start a parking session and then let CellOPark know when you are leaving. There are three easy ways you can do this:

  1. Via the CellOPark app: open the app, select your location, car park zone number, your active vehicle and then slide to START. Slide to STOP when you leave.
  2. From your mobile phone: call CellOPark on 03 9111 1799 and follow the prompts to start your session. Call again to stop your parking. Note that Caller ID must be enabled when you call CellOPark.
  3. Online: log in to your account via the CellOPark website and follow the prompts to start your session. Log in again to stop your parking session.

You can START and STOP your parking session with any one of the above methods or a mix of them.

Standard call and data charges apply. Please contact your mobile phone provider for further details.

Refer to the Terms and Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions on the CellOPark website.

In car parks 2A, 2B and 2C a daily flat rate will apply so you won't need to end your session each day and won't be charged any extra. If you park in any of the other car parks and forget to end your session, you won't be charged more than the daily capped rate.

If you select the wrong zone you may be fined, so if you park in different areas make sure you double check you've picked the right one.

If you park in car parks 2A, 2B and 2C where a daily flat rate applies, you won't need to end your session and can return to these car parks on the same day.

If you park in the other car parks where the hourly rate is charged by the minute, you should end your parking session before leaving the campus. You will need to start a new session when you return.

Yes, visitors can register with CellOPark and pay by app, phone or web.

Visit the CellOPark website for more information on CellOPark Pay-As-You-Go parking. If you are having trouble with the CellOPark app, contact CellOPark directly.

No – La Trobe University does not issue refunds for payments made in the CellOPark app.

Pay-by-Plate Meters (Ticket Machines)

Pay-by-Plate parking meters are a ticketless system with no need to return to your car to affix a paper ticket. Hourly and daily car parking is available from Pay-by-Plate meters for parking in general (white) car parking bays.

Pay-by-Plate meters are located in Car Parks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9 and Visitors Car Park

  1. Enter your registration and select the period of parking time required
  2. Pay by cash (coins only) or credit card
  3. A receipt will be printed but you do not need to display it

Note: There are no Pay-by-Plate meters in car parks 2A, 2B, 2C, 10 and 14. These car parks are CellOPark Pay-As-You-Go and vPermit parking only.

Coins and credit/debit cards only.

If the machine is out of order you can use a machine in one of the other car parks or CellOPark.

We strongly advise you download the CellOPark app as a back-up as you still may risk getting a parking fine.

  1. Download the CellOPark app from iTunes or Google Play.
  2. Register
  3. Once you're registered, you can start parking straight away.

It’s free to register. CellOPark will only charge you for your parking session, there are no additional charges unless you opt for the premium service, which includes an SMS reminder when your parking is about to finish.

Parking Infringements