Commuting to Campus
It’s never too early to think about transportation options for the upcoming school year. While there are many parking permit options to meet one’s needs, there are also many environmentally friendly and affordable modes like biking and taking public transit to commute to and from campus.
Alternative Transportation at Mason
Mason strives to provide students with lots of transportation options. The University is committed to decreasing single occupancy vehicle (SOV) travel by 10% by 2020 and you can help us achieve that goal. Consider one or more of the following alternative transportation options that Mason has to offer.
Mason Shuttles: Mason has six different shuttle routes to on-campus and off-campus locations, including to local shopping malls, the Vienna Metro, our Prince William Campus, and various facilities on the Fairfax campus. The CUE Bus is a City of Fairfax bus service and it is free with Mason ID.
NEW Route with FREE GARAGE PARKING– Burke Centre VRE: The shuttle runs between Burke Centre VRE train station and Sandy Creek shuttle stop on the Fairfax Campus. The shuttle only runs when the VRE train is in service. Free garage parking is available at the train station.
NEW Route – I-95 Commuter Shuttle: The shuttle runs between Sandy Creek, Fredericksburg, Stafford, PRTC Transit Center, and Woodbridge/Occoquan. Free parking is available at each pick-up location. A Mason ID is required to board the shuttle.
Zimride: Zimride is a free rideshare network for students, staff and faculty. Your student can sign up with his or her Mason email address and password to find others in their area to carpool with or to post/get a one-time ride. Zimride members also get to purchase their parking permits two days ahead of everyone else.
Zipcar: Zipcar is an affordable carshare service with low hourly rates that include gas, insurance, and maintenance. Students can sign up for $15 (a special offer for our students) per year and rent cars by the hour or day. Mason has two Zipcar vehicles on campus.
Parking for the 2014-15 School Year
Parking permits for fall 2014 go on sale on Monday, July 21 for Zimride members (free to join!) and Wednesday, July 23 for the rest of the Mason community. All permits are purchased online from http://parking.gmu.edu by logging in using the same NetID and password as your student’s Patriot Web and Mason email, and can be paid for with an electronic check, Visa, or MasterCard. The permit will be sent to the address that your student provides and normally takes about 3-5 business days to arrive. Upon completing the transaction, your student will be able to print a temporary permit that will allow him or her to begin parking immediately. The temporary permit is valid for up to 10 days from the date of purchase.
Follow Us
Keep up with parking and transportation news on social media.
Twitter: @MasonShuttles and @MasonParking
Facebook: MasonParkingTransportation
If you have any questions or need assistance with determining the best commute option for next fall, please email us at transpo@gmu.edu or call 703.993.2828 and ask for Marina.
Thank you,
Marina Budimir
Transportation Coordinator
Parking and Transportation Services