Grand River Transit (GRT) is Waterloo's local transit authority and provides service in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, St. Jacobs, Breslau, and New Hamburg. GRT operates conventional buses, ION light rail trains, an express bus network, community and flexible transit routes, and door-to-door transit service for riders with disabilities using specialized vehicles. To make your trip more flexible, you can bring your bike on the bus or ION light rail train. Main campus has direct access to the Laurel Trail (part of the Trans Canada Trail) and Kitchener campus is adjacent to a network of bike lanes and trails for active transportation connections.
Waterloo’s main campus is served by 10 bus routes and the ION at three stations, making it highly accessible by transit. GRT information, fare cards, and tickets are available at the Turnkey Desk or east campus ION station fare vending machines.
The Kitchener campus benefits from its downtown location, with direct access to the ION and 8 bus routes that are steps away.
The Cambridge campus is conveniently located near a bus route and less than 500 metres from the GRT Ainslie Street bus terminal, offering connections to 8 bus routes.
City of Stratford Transit can help to get you to our Stratford campus and around the City of Stratford. Stratford campus students can also obtain a Stratford School Term Bus pass which offers connections to main campus.
Employees
Waterloo is a member of TravelWise, a workplace program which offers support to its members as they make sustainable choices when travelling to and from work. As part of its membership, Waterloo employees receive access to the GRT Corporate Fare Rate, which is 15% lower than the regular Adult Fare. This applies to both Monthly Passes and Stored Value.
The Corporate Monthly Pass is a great option for employees who commute to work almost every day or use local transit outside of work. You can choose to auto-renew this pass each month or load the pass only when you need it.
Corporate Stored Value is best for employees who occasionally commute to work or occasionally use local transit outside of work.
TravelWise also offers an Emergency Ride Home program for employees who commute using a sustainable mode of transportation. Find out more about the program.
Retired faculty members who still regularly have ongoing academic activities or collaborations on campus may be eligible for the Corporate Fare Rate. Please email Sustainable Transportation to inquire.
Students
Undergraduate and graduate students have access to a universal transit pass (U-Pass) program. Full-time students enrolled in campuses in Waterloo Region can use their WatCard for unlimited rides on Grand River Transit. The fee for the U-Pass program is assessed through Waterloo’s billing process and the U-Pass is valid for each school term: September to December, January to April, and May to August. Find out more about the student U-Pass.
Finding transit routes
Visit the Grand River Transit website for all route maps and schedules, or Google Maps or Apple Maps for transit routes. The Transit app is also a helpful tool and works in many cities worldwide.
Inter-city travel
Main campus is directly served at the east campus terminal by GO Transit buses to take you to destinations out of town, with a discount available for students. GO Transit and UP Express tickets, plus PRESTO card purchase and management are available at the ticket vending machine located on platform 6. The University offers the FedBus for weekend travel to the GTA and London; tickets can be purchased at the Turnkey Desk. The Kitchener campus has convenient and close-by inter-city connections through GO Transit buses and trains, VIA Rail trains, and Perth County Connect buses.