City to pay ACE $415K for on-demand shuttles for Balboa Park workers, volunteers
Back in the day — OK, before Jan. 4, 2026 — volunteers and workers at Balboa Park had one “sort of” perk: Since they got there early, they could park in those choice lots near the heart of the park.
Well, come Jan. 5, those days are over, since, if they want to park for free when they work, they will be relegated to Tier 2 and 3 lots, as well as metered spots on roads within the park’s West Mesa (see red box in map below), which are the spots in the park south of Upas, west of SR-163 and north of I-5. So, basically, Balboa Drive, 8th Avenue and all the side streets and lots that are inside the park’s border.
Softening the blow somewhat, though, is a new city plan to pay ACE parking to operate “on demand” shuttles to pick up “verified employees and volunteers of Balboa Park organizations with leaseholds and special use permits” and drop them off — between 7-9 a.m. and from 6-11 p.m. — to and from their veicles.
City spokeswoman Leslie Wolf Branscomb told NBC 7 that the city is budgeting about $415,000 to operate two free on-demand shuttles for the early and later hours, and that, of course, the workers and volunteers could also avail themselves of the green trams as well, which operate between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Here’s how the Tier 2 and 3 locations break down:
- Tier 2: Pepper Grove (behind the Fleet Science Center), Federal (the lot south of the Comic-Con Museum), Upper Inspiration Point (across Park Boulevard near the Naval hospital), Marston Point (West Mesa)
- Level 3: Lower Inspiration Point
How Much?
The fiscal year 2026 budget that was passed this summer anticipated $15.5 million in parking revenue from Balboa Park — a free attraction for well over 100 years. That revenue number assumed $12.5 million in fee parking in Balboa Park and at least $3 million from zoo parking.
At a council meeting, last month, though, it was announced that non-zoo parking might bring in just $2.9 million, or a decrease of $9.6 million from initial estimates. Originally, the city had planned to begin charging for parking in October, but delays prevented that and three months of revenue from happening. Expected parking rates have dropped as well.
Balboa Park Parking
The Office of the Independent Budget Analyst estimated revenues in this fiscal year from the non-zoo parking would be close to $4 million, still well short of plans.
On Tuesday, city spokeswoman Wolf Branscomb told NBC 7 that the $415,000 is an annual cost and does not include start-up costs. Asked how many people would be driving the shuttles and managing the drivers, Wolf Branscomb said she was unsure since “ACE parking will be managing the drivers and operations per their contract with the city.”
