As occupancy rates for the campus-area Rideshare scheme climb to 70%, councillors have asked staff to look at the feasibility of extending the scheme to other parts of the city.
Transportation planning manager Sarah Connolly said a report on the logistics and potential benefits of expanding the "ground-breaking" scheme was likely to go to the planning and environment committee by the end of July.
Planning and environment chairwoman Kate Wilson said a city-wide scheme could help address deficiencies in the public transport system, create room for more cycleways, and prepare people for an oil-poor world.
A scheme has been in place in the tertiary precinct since 2000, but this year a $50-a-year parking token fee was introduced.
Commuters wanting to use one of the 153 free, rideshare parking spaces have to leave two tokens on the dashboard of their vehicle, indicating at least two people travelled in the vehicle.
Changes made to the scheme last month had lifted occupancy to within 10 points of the 80% target, Ms Connolly said.
The scheme's objectives included improved options for commuters, fewer single-occupant vehicles, lower emissions and reduced parking pressure.
The Rideshare scheme was globally unique, Ms Connolly said.
Local government elsewhere facilitated car-pooling through tools such as websites to connect drivers and other commuters.
But the public provision of priority parking for car-pooling commuters was unheard of elsewhere.
"It's ground-breaking, and we want to expand it if it works," Ms Connolly said.
The report will look at options for extending the scheme, costs and benefits, and how it could operate.
Cr Wilson said the scheme could offer benefits in several parts of the city and address a variety of needs.
"It's about saying there are benefits to the city through working together," Cr Wilson said.
"We can be doing things a lot smarter."
Congested parking around Dunedin Hospital, a lack of space for cycleways along streets on the harbour side of the railway line, and limited access to public transport in settlements such as Waitati could all benefit from an expanded Rideshare scheme, she said.
"Getting rid of 20% of parking spaces in some areas could mean much better provision of cycleways," Cr Wilson said.
"We can't do good planning for cycleways without reducing traffic."
Cr Wilson said she would like to hear from people about what benefits they would like to see from an expanded scheme.
