As Grand Valley State University students, faculty and staff get deeper into the fall semester, many are realizing they need to travel for their classes or other commitments on the Pew Campus, located in downtown Grand Rapids. The Rapid has made many changes to its three most popular routes among college students. Below are some helpful hints for novices and reminders for pros at riding the bus.

Route 50

– This route will take students to Meijer, the downtown campus and anywhere in between. The 50 comes every six minutes during the weekday.

Route 37 and 48

– These routes go to the off-campus apartments. The 37 cruises along Lake Michigan Drive toward Allendale, letting students off at their North Campus apartments, before swinging past 48 West and Campus West on 48th Avenue. The 37 comes every six minutes.

– The 48 travels along the rest of 48th Avenue, hitting the South Campus apartments on Pierce Street before looping back to the Kirkhof Center. The 48 comes every four minutes.

Specific Changes:

• Route 50 will now extend to the Center for Health Science (CHS) building on Michigan Street in Grand Rapids. The bus stop will be located on Lafayette Ave just north of CHS.
• Route 51 (Hill Dash) will no longer stop at CHS.
• Route 50 will no longer stop at Rapid Central Station. The new alignment will have multiple direct connections to Central Station via the Silver Line, Route 12 and Route 7.
• Route 50 will no longer pull into the Park and Ride behind the Walker Fire Station. It will stop on Lake Michigan Drive at Kinney Ave (just east of the fire station).
• The primary Route 50 stop in Grand Rapids (near the Richard M. DeVos Center) will move from Front Street (under US-131) to Fulton Street (under US-131).
• Routes 37 and 48 will combine to form Route 85 on the weekends to provide increased apartment service. Route 50 will continue to operate on weekends to connect Allendale and Grand Rapids.

Other tips:

• – The Rapid buses in Grand Rapids are available for free to GVSU students who bring their ID.
• – Don’t be afraid to ask the bus driver any questions about stops. They are willing to help. It’s part of their job.
• – Learn which stops to pull the cord for and which the bus automatically stops at. For instance, the bus will always stop at the Kirkhof Center and at W Fulton & Mt Vernon on the Pew Campus.
• – Remember to hold on tightly if the bus is crowded and there are no seats available. Also, move to the back of the bus so more people can get on.

How to spend time on the bus

Rather than sit on the bus idly, staring at a cell phone, students can make use of the half hour trip downtown to study class notes, read textbooks or brainstorm paper ideas or otherwise review materials for their classes.

How to get to Rivertown Crossings Mall

1. Get on the Eastbound GVSU Campus Connector (Route 50) at either Mackinac Hall or Kirkhof Center on Allendale Campus or at the Pew Campus (stop on Fulton at Mt Vernon, under US-131).
2. Transfer to West Fulton bus (Route 12) at Pew Campus stop or connect to Silver Line bus (Route 90) along Monroe. Either bus will take you to Rapid Central Station.
3. Get off at Rapid Central Station.
4. At Rapid Central Station, transfer to the Grandville/Rivertown Crossings (Route 8) bus.
3. Exit the bus at the stop located at Rivertown Crossings.

To get back to GVSU Campuses from the mall:
1. Board the Grandville/Rivertown Crossings (Route 8) bus at Rivertown Crossings.
2. Exit the bus at Central Station and transfer to either the West Fulton bus (Route 12) or Silver Line bus (Route 90).
2. Connect to Westbound GVSU Campus Connector (Route 50) via West Fulton bus (Route 12) at Pew Campus stop on Fulton, or Silver Line bus (Route 90) along Monroe, and ride to GVSU Allendale Campus Kirkhof Center or Mackinac Hall.

Mobile Apps

The Rapid Connect shows where all Grand Rapids buses are in their route so students don’t have to wonder where the next bus is and when it’s coming. This app is available on a web browser, accessible either via mobile device or computer.

The MyStop application by Avail is free for iPhone users. Students can add the GVSU Rapid buses to track their arrival on a real-time map.

For more information about specific bus schedules and routes, visit www.gvsu.edu/bus or www.ridetherapid.org/.

Quick facts and stats about the Rapid

• On average, 9,866 students per day ride the GVSU Route 50
• GVSU accounted for 3,142,440 rides in fiscal year 2014.
• – Route 37: 525,435 riders, an increase from 2013
• – Route 48: 753,234 riders, a decrease from 2013
• – Route 50: 1,416,188 riders, a decrease from 2013
• – Route 51: 222,085 riders, which has steadily decreased since 2011
• Riding the Rapid saves consumers money. The more trips students make a week, the more they will save in gas and other automobile expenses.
• – A trip downtown and back on the 50 saves about $15 a week
• – A round trip on the 37 saves about $1.50 a week
• – A round trip on the 48 saves about $2 a week
• In 2013, almost 80 percent of riders were undergraduates, while 14 percent were faculty members.
• In 2013, more than half of riders reported the quality of the GVSU transportation system as good, saying that the bus schedule met their needs.