Stanford University’s Transportation and Parking Program was presented with an “Excellence in Motion” merit award by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in Oakland, Calif., last week.

The program was one of 11 people, projects and organizations to be honored by the commission for improving mobility and creating transportation alternatives for motorists who drive alone.

The department is credited with helping to reduce the drive-alone rate from 72 percent to 52 percent in the past six years, using a combination of incentives and targeted marketing.

Cash incentives are offered to Stanford students and staff who turn in their parking permits and switch to alternative transportation. The department also encourages car-free commuting by offering free rides on 13 shuttle routes that link the Palo Alto-based campus to bus and rail hubs and the surrounding community.

In addition, the department has doubled the cost of a parking permit over the past six years, which has helped to discourage car commuting, and expanded the number of on-campus bike rack spaces to 12,000.

“We have significantly reduced single-occupancy vehicle driving on our campus, cut air pollution and congestion, and made Stanford’s one of the most comprehensive university programs in the country,” said Brodie Hamilton, director of Parking and Transportation Services.