In Town (GRT/ iXpress)
If you are taking a Greyhound bus, or are downtown, most GRT and iXpress buses leave from the Charles Street Bus terminal. You can generally get to campus under half an hour from there.
Highlighted in darker blue on the Campus Map are the GRT bus stops. Busses enter campus either off of Columbia or University, onto ring road, the road that loops around campus.
If you are coming from downtown, or uptown, from King Street take the Number 7D, which is the only bus that will drop you directly in front of the EV buildings.
7D, 7E, the number 9 AND the iXpress will bring you onto campus. If you get off the bus and you’re not in front of the EV(environment) buildings, but you’re at the university, follow ring road and eventually you will find the big green, newer EV 3 building.
The number 8 will drop you off on University, near the Seagram drive entrance. This entrance is very close to the EV buildings.
Buses announce their stops, and it’s also displayed at the front of the bus before the stop.
Leaving campus, take note of which number 7 bus you are taking:
7c goes towards Conestoga Mall, which is probably the opposite direction than what you’re going. All number 7s eventually take you to Charles Street Terminal, so if you happen to get lost, that’s your best bet.
Fares: 3 dollars. They don’t give change, so if you’re using cash, take note. We will have bus tickets available at the welcome table, just remember to ask!
There are no subways or in town trains. All in town buses are wheelchair accessible.
iXpress
There is an express bus route that makes fewer stops and gets to campus quicker. Most of the iXpress bus stops run the King Street Corridor. Main stops are at Ottawa Street at Charles, Charles Street Terminal, Victoria Street, Grand River Hospital, Uptown Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier, then University of Waterloo Davis centre. Fares are also 3 dollars, and the tickets are the same.
See www.grt.ca for more detailed maps and directions for navigating the bus system here. Maps will also be available at the conference.
Trail
If you are feeling ambitious, and don’t want to take transit, there is a trail that runs between the University of Waterloo through and past downtown (past the terminal, past the Pavillion) called the Iron Horse trail/ Laurel creek Trail. If you take it from the University:
1) Turn left on Ring Road (towards plazas)
2)Cross at the first cross walk.
3)Follow the main path through the park, and it will take you to Erb and Caroline.
4)Follow Bridgeport/Caroline a few blocks until you find the trail on your right (by a construction site).
5)Follow the trail to Victoria Street. The trail cuts off here, so either go left towards the lights and cross there until you see the trail across from Lai Lai’s, OR, cross towards the bus stop, through the parking lot behind City Cafe/ Lai Lai’s, and the trail will be across the street.
6)You’ll go over a bridge eventually, and then you’ll find the train tracks. The park is on your left, where you’ll find the Pavillion. If you go through the park, over the “lake”, there is a clock tower and the bus terminal is on the other side of the clock tower.
7) If that’s not where you’re heading, you can follow the trail until it ends at Ottawa Street.