How to get around without a car

Getting around in Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford and beyond isn’t as difficult as it may seem – even if you don’t have a car.

Kitchener and Waterloo

Public transit

Grand River Transit (GRT) runs through Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Elmira and Wilmot. GRT’s EasyGO trip planner helps you find out how to get to where you’re going and when your bus or train is arriving. There is also an EasyGO mobile app, available for iOS and Android. The stop outside Laurier’s Waterloo campus main entrance at University Avenue and Hazel Street services routes 12, 29 and iXpress routes 202.

The Laurier OneCard works as an unlimited bus pass for full-time students. 

If you’re not a full-time student, you can pay for a single bus or train ticket at the fare vending machines at all ION stations or at the customer service centres, which are now located at 105 King St. E. (at King and Benton streets) in Kitchener and 35 Ainslie St. S. in Cambridge. You can also pay with exact change ($3.25) on buses.

If you plan to take more than a few trips, you can purchase a reusable EasyGo fare card from the customer service centres or fare vending machines. The cards are $5 and you can load a monthly pass or set value (minimum of $10 and maximum of $100) onto the card, either in person or online. Disposable multi-ride fare cards can also be purchased. They can be loaded with five to 15 rides. 

The new ION light rail system (Route 301) is now running between Kitchener and Waterloo. The train travels between stations at Conestoga Mall and Fairview Park Mall. There are stations around Laurier’s Waterloo campus including Waterloo Public Square, on Seagram Drive near University Stadium, as well as at the University of Waterloo. These rail stations are also near bus routes.

To get on the ION, tap your OneCard, EasyGo or multi-ride card on the card reader on the station platform. You can also purchase individual tickets from fare vending machines and scan them at the machine or on the platform card reader. Bus transfers are also scanned by the readers. You can’t pay with coins, although you can purchase an individual ticket with coins from the vending machine.

Recent changes:

• Grand River Transit buses no longer use the Charles Street Terminal in Kitchener, although out-of-town buses, including Greyhound and Go Transit, continue to run out of the terminal.  
• Paper tickets, which were purchased in strips, are no longer accepted.

Bicycle

Laurier also offers secure bike storage. The facility is located behind the MacDonald House residence on Laurier’s Waterloo campus. You can register each term to gain access.  

Kitchener-Waterloo has many great resources that make cycling an affordable and easy travel option. There are places for secure bike parking and even local businesses that will fill your water bottle for free. There are also maps available online for both Waterloo and Kitchener that show biking routes. 

Carpool

You may want to form a carpool group as you make friends around campus. You can register for a carpool parking pass and park in lot 32 (Lazaridis Hall).

Laurier also has a private network on TravelWise to organize carpools. Once registered, you can connect with other commuters as either a driver or passenger. The TravelWise dashboard is a useful tool to consider other travel options as well, with tabs to view walking, biking, busing and driving routes.

Cab

In addition to using Uber or Lyft, there are a number of cab services available in Kitchener-Waterloo:

• Golden Triangle Inc: 519.740.2222
• Kitchener City Cabs: 519.747.7777
• United Taxi: 519.888.9999
• Waterloo Taxi: 519.888.7777 

For Evening Classes

Laurier Foot Patrol 

If you’re close enough to campus, walking is probably your go-to travel option for class. Laurier Foot Patrol makes walking home from late-night classes or events safer. It’s simple: a team of two student volunteers walk you home.

They operate from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m., seven days a week, during the fall and winter semesters.

Foot Patrol can be reached at the bottom of the stairs in the Fred Nichols building or at 519.886.3668 (FOOT).

Laurier Foot Patrol Van

Laurier Foot Patrol also offers a van service for those not within walking distance. You just need to register once for the program. The van leaves the Waterloo campus every hour from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Alternative Car Options

Carshare

If you need a car every once in a while, but don’t have access to one in town, a carshare might be a good option. VRTUCAR has a vehicle located next to Alumni Field. There are also Zipcar locations in the area.

Car Rental

If you just need a car for a day, or for a quick trip out of town, a car rental may be a good choice. The two closest to campus are Enterprise and Hertz, both located on Weber Street in Waterloo.

Going Out of Town

Bus

There are a few bus lines running through Kitchener and Waterloo that can take you to out-of-town destinations. The GO Bus has a stop (next to the GRT bus stops) just outside Laurier’s Waterloo campus main entrance on University Avenue for route 25 and another stop at the Charles Street Transit Terminal in Kitchener.

Full-time Laurier students are eligible for GO Transit student fares. ID cards can be obtained online by visiting GO Transit’s student ID page and submitting a student ID request. This card allows for travel at a discounted rate for the period of full-time study and must be renewed each academic year.

Greyhound offers trips to Union Station in Toronto, Pearson International Airport, London and Guelph, among other locations. Buses stop at the University of Waterloo, the Charles Street terminal and on Sportsworld Drive in Kitchener. Megabus offers trips to Hamilton, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. It has stops at the Charles Street terminal, at Hazel Street and University Avenue West, and at Columbia Street West and Hagey Boulevard.

Tickets for the GO Transit and Greyhound are available for purchase on the Waterloo campus at International News (between Wilf’s and the Bookstore) in the Fred Nichols Campus Centre or online. There is also a Go Bus ticketing machine on University Avenue in front of Clara Conrad Residence.

Train 

VIA Rail and the GO Train both operate out of the same station at the corner of Victoria Street and Weber Street in downtown Kitchener.

Brantford

Bus

The Brantford Transit bus system features 15 routes that travel to different sections of the city. The Laurier OneCard works as an unlimited bus pass for full-time students during the fall and winter semesters. If you’re staying over the summer, you’ll need to purchase a summer student pass for $64. The pass is valid from July to August.

If you’re not a full-time student, you can pay with exact change ($3 a ride) or purchase a B-Card at the kiosk in the Brantford Transit Terminal. Value can be added to the card by either Brantford Transit staff or at the kiosk in the downtown terminal. Disposable B-Cards can be loaded with two to 10 rides; refillable B-Cards can be loaded with 10 to 40 rides; and 31-Day B-Cards give the cardholder unlimited rides for 31 days from the date of purchase. There are also weekday, weekend and summer passes available.

Laurier’s Brantford campus is located near the bus terminal on Darling Street, which makes it easy to access all routes. Route schedules and the prediction portal trip planner can help you coordinate trips and transfers.

Bicycle

If you have your own bike, Laurier offers secure bike storage on the Brantford campus. The facility is located in the Expositor Place parking garage. You must register each term to gain access.  

Brantford has resources that make cycling an affordable and easy travel option. There are bike racks around the city and local businesses that will fill your water bottle for free.

There is also an online map that shows biking routes throughout the city.

Carpool

Laurier has a private carpool network on TravelWise. Once registered, you can connect with other commuters as either a driver or passenger. The TravelWise dashboard is a useful tool to consider other travel options as well, with tabs to view walking, biking, busing and driving routes.

You may also form carpools as you make friends around campus, and Brantford campus students have the convenience of organizing carpools through Travel Buddies, a private Facebook group organized by Laurier alumnus Jimmy Liao.

You can register for a carpool parking pass and parking space in the Research and Academic Centre lot.

Cab

In addition to using Uber or Lyft, there are a number of cab services available in Brantford:

• Brant Taxi: 519.752.1010
• City Taxi: 519.759.7800
• Bell City Cabs: 519.759.1300
• O-Town Taxi and Delivery: 519.445.0827

For Evening Classes

Laurier Foot Patrol

If you’re close enough to campus, walking is probably your go-to travel option for class. Laurier Foot Patrol makes walking home from late night classes or events safer. It’s simple: a team of two student volunteers walk you home.

Foot Patrol operates Monday to Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Friday to Sunday from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., during the fall and winter semesters. They are located in the basement of the Student Centre and can be reached at 519.751.7875 (PTRL).

Foot Patrol Van

Foot Patrol also offers a van service during its operating hours for those not within walking distance.

Car Rental

If you need a car for a day or for a quick trip out of town, a car rental may be a good choice. Brantford has a few rental places in town, including Enterprise and Pencar.

Going Out of Town

Bus

There are a couple of bus lines running through Brantford that can take you to out-of-town destinations. Greyhound buses stop at the bus terminal on Darling Street, only a couple of blocks away from Laurier’s Brantford campus.

The GO Bus (route 15) also stops at Darling Street and at the corner of Wayne Gretzky Parkway and Henry Street. The bus travels to McMaster University in Hamilton and Aldershot station in Burlington.

Train

VIA Rail operates out of the train station located on Wadsworth Street near the junction of Market Street, Grey Street and West Street.