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Alternative Transportation
Did you know that transportation is one of the main contributors to growing greenhouse gas emissions around the world? In 2017, it accounted for 40% of total carbon dioxide emissions in the Waterloo Region.
You’ve got places to go and people to see. We get that.
Whether you are travelling to get a late-night snack or to see all the city has to offer you, we have worked hard to partner with the Regions (Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford) to ensure that you have options that work for you. For more information about how you can sign up for these alternative transportation methods, visit the Parking and Transportation Services page.
Depending on what you are doing there are a variety of benefits of using one of the many programs we offer:
- Public Transportation: Vehicles can cost so much money (the average cost of a new vehicle in Canada is $33,464 plus insurance and gas), we partner with the Region to provide you a discounted transit pass so you can get anywhere you need at an affordable price.
- Active Transportation: Public Health Ontario has reported that there is a lack of physical activity within the province. Choosing to use a bicycle to get around the city is a perfect way to get your daily exercise in and have fun while you are doing it. Starting in the Summer of 2019, Drop Mobility is now available on campus!
- Vehicle Use: Sometimes you have farther to go and that is understandable. Consider the social benefit of choosing to carpool to your destination. Travel to where you've got to go, make a new friend and reduce your carbon footprint! We offer great opportunities to carpool through different organizations.
Public Transit
Public Transit (or public transportation) is an opportunity for large groups of people to travel to different locations using a set route. Transit passes are automatically loaded onto students accounts for upcoming school years and are ready to go to help students enjoy all the city has to offer them!
Riding the bus can be a lot of fun and easy to do if you plan it out right. It is important to note as of Summer 2019 your GRT bus pass also includes ION light rail service. Here are some simple steps to make sure that you are as successful as you can be:
- Plan your trip ahead of time
- The GRT has wonderful trip planning tools that can help you optimize your travel experience depending on when and where you are going.
- Find your stop
- Now that you have your trip planned out it is important that you make sure to get to your bus stop 3-5 minutes before the bus is set to arrive (this helps to make sure you don’t miss it should you be early or a little late).
- “Pay your fare”
- Your OneCard automatically is loaded with your bus pass so paying your fare is easy to do! Just step on the bus platform with your card in hand and tap it against the platform card reader and you are good to go!
- Ride the bus
- There are just a couple of rules that you need to keep in mind while you are on the bus. Make sure you stay behind the yellow line, don’t block the doorways and keep all belongings on your lap to seats are free for others. For your safety, it is also important to hold the poles, handrails and/or overhead straps when standing.
- Get off at your stop
- Each GRT bus should have automated stop announcements, be sure to listen in and signal when your stop approaches. The two ways you can signal to stop are: pulling the yellow cord, pressing the red stop button on the isle. When getting off of the bus there are two different versions of the rear doors: push bars and motion sensors. Push bars have vertical bars you need to press against to open the doors. Motion sensor doors require you to hold your hand in front of the “hand” sticker to open the door.
If you are a person who has disabilities, or you would like additional training on how to use the GRT, the GRT offers a travel training program that can help to further educate you on the ins and outs of travelling on the GRT.
Riding the bus can be a lot of fun and easy to do if you plan it out. Here are some simple steps to make sure that you are as successful as you can be:
- Plan your trip ahead of time
- Brantford Transit has a wonderful trip planning tool that can help you optimize your travel experience depending on when and where you are going.
- Find your stop
- Now that you have your trip planned out it is important that you make sure to get to your bus stop 3-5 minutes before the bus is set to arrive (this helps to make sure you don’t miss it should you be early or a little late).
- “Pay your fare”
- Your OneCard automatically is loaded with your bus pass so paying your fare is easy to do! Just step on the bus platform with your card in hand and pass it over the B-Card tag zone area where it says “touch here” and you are good to go!
- Ride the bus
- There are just a couple of rules that you need to keep in mind while you are on the bus. Make sure you stay behind the yellow line, don’t block the doorways and keep all belongings on your lap to seats are free for others. For your safety, it is also important to hold the poles, handrails and/or overhead straps when standing.
- Get off at your stop
- Each Brantford Transit bus should have automated stop announcements, be sure to listen in and signal when your stop approaches. The two ways you can signal to stop are: pulling the yellow cord, pressing the red stop button on the isle. When getting off of the bus there are two different versions of the rear doors: push bars and motion sensors. Push bars have vertical bars you need to press against to open the doors. Motion sensor doors require you to hold your hand in front of the “hand” sticker to open the door.
If you are a person that has disabilities and are not able to access the planned routes Brantford Lift has been specially designed to accommodate!
Active Transportation
It is important to take in the beautiful weather while it lasts! Exploring a city on a nice day is one of the best ways to make yourself feel comfortable in your new space.
Consider taking a bike trip or hike on one of the wonderful trails the next time you have a bit of free time!
If you're looking for a usefull bicycle repair and maintenance guide, then check out BikeRide. It's an online cycling community that serves as a hub for cyclists to promote and join cycling events, as well as offering how-to repair guides, discussion forums and bike reviews with price comparisons.
- Waterloo WAT Click this tab to view content pertaining to Waterloo
- Brantford BRANT Click this tab to view content pertaining to Brantford
Here are some resources for location-specific routes:
In partnership with Parking and Transportation Resources, we are pleased to offer a number of resources for cycling commuters on campus. Laurier provides a number of bike rack stations across the Waterloo and Brantford campuses (Laurier's size makes it easy for you to check up on your bike). As a safety precaution, make sure you lock it with a high-grade U-Lock or equal alternative. Note: Bikes that are left unattended for a significant amount of time will be removed and recycled by Laurier's Special Constable Service.
Secure Bike Storage
Similar to Laurier parking permits, a fob may be purchased on a per-term basis with prices being pro-rated as needed.
For more information about secure bike storage and costs, visit Parking and Transportation Services. To apply, read and complete the Waterloo Secure Bike Storage Rental Application Form or the Brantford Secure Bike Storage Rental Application Form.
Waterloo
In June 2012, through a partnership with Facilities and Asset Management and Sustainability, Parking and Transportation Services introduced a secure bike storage facilities located on the south side of MacDonald House (beside lot 16) for up to 25 bikes. This is a gated facility allowing users entry using a key fob system.
Brantford
In June 2012, through a partnership with Sustainability and Residence Life, Service Laurier Brantford introduced a secure bike storage facility located in the Expositor Place parking garage. This is a gated facility allowing users entry using a key fob system.
Staring the summer of 2019, Drop Mobility officially joined Laurier Waterloo’s campus. This micro-mobility provider has started a bike-share pilot program across the region that gives users an accessible and affordable option for sustainable transportation.
You have the option to pay $1 per hour or $15 a month to rent out a bike instead of purchasing a bike to use throughout the school year.
Using the app is easy, here are six simple steps to help you give it a go!
- Download the “Drop Mobility” app from your mobile app store (unfortunately, Drop Mobility is only offered on the App Store and Google Play right now).
- Open up the app and look for bikes in the area
- Find the QR code on the bike and scan it
- Remove the lock from the bike
- To finish your ride, find a bike rack and attach the lock to the bike rack
- Click “end trip” on the app and take a picture of the entire bike with the lock and bike number
Did you know we are a proud organizational member of the Region of Waterloo's TravelWise program? As such, all Laurier students (such as you!) are able to access the private Laurier Student Carpool Network.
Carpooling is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to reduce your carbon footprint - and TravelWise makes this even easier! Using the online TravelWise Carpool tool, you can search for a carpool partner who's daily commute matches your own, and then connect with them online to see if it's a good fit before you decide to carpool. You can also log commuting trips to see their environmental impact and cost savings, and win prizes through regular competitions and challenges.
Do you not have a need for a car full time but do have the occasional long trip you have to make? Laurier has a CarShare vehicle located directly on campus (near Alumni Field) and a number of vehicles located nearby provided by VRTUCAR and Enterprise Carshare.
VRTUCAR
VRTUCAR provides you with car access without the burden of car ownership! They cover the cost of gas, insurance and maintenance at a super low cost to you! You can rent a car for a few minutes, an hour, a day or even longer!
They offer a variety of different plans and rates so there is bound to be something that works for everyone!
Enterprise Carshare
Enterprise CarShare is an automated way to rent a vehicle by the hour, the day, or overnight. A variety of makes and models are parked in your community – where you live, and where you work – and are accessible 24/7.
Enterprise offers exclusive deals specifically for Laurier students to help make sure you are able to get the best deal possible.
We are now proud to offer Electric Vehicle Charging stations on both our Waterloo and our Brantford Campus.
At Waterloo, we currently have four level-two charging stations located in the Lazaridis Hall parking lot which can be accessed from Balsam Street.
At Brantford, we currently have three level-two charging stations that are located in the Charlotte Street parking lot.
These charging stations are powered with solar photovoltaics (PVs), which amount to 12 kW/h of power and are connected to the university’s growing smart grid through our energy management system and future microgrid. For more information, visit Parking and Transportation Services.