Wayne State’s students, faculty and staff are finding more transportation choices as they venture throughout the square-mile area of campus, ultimately landing at one of the 125 building locations.
Navigating from point A to point B — not to mention other destinations in Midtown and Downtown — is quite a challenge when you consider the mobility of more than 27,000 students and 6,600-plus full-time employees.
On a daily basis, students and employees travel to campus, many vying for one of the 10,000 parking spaces scattered across 34 structures and surface lots. After arriving on campus, pedestrians rely on various modes of transportation including walking, scooters and cycling. To reach farther points, a number of other options are available.
The university’s WayneRides program, offered through the Office of Economic Development, addresses campus mobility needs as a one-stop shop, making transportation simpler and accessible.
“WayneRides focuses on transit-centered initiatives that not only provide mobility options for the university community, but also stimulates engagement with the campus and neighborhood,” said Emily Thompson, place-based initiatives manager in the Office of Economic Development. “We offer transportation options that help to create a livable campus that is integrated into our surrounding neighborhood.”
A variety of transportation options are available for students and staff, including:
- WSU Shuttle
Two free campus shuttles, accessible by showing your OneCard. The medical campus route offers free transfers to the Henry Ford Hospital and Detroit Medical Center. - QLINE
Also known as M-1 Rail, the QLINE is a 6.6-mile circulating streetcar loop serving 12 locations on Woodward Avenue from Downtown Detroit through Midtown, New Center and the North End. - Detroit People Mover
A fully automated light rail system operating on an elevated, single-track loop in Detroit's central business district. - Zipcar and Maven
Zipcar and Maven both offer a campus car-sharing program available 24/7 to students, faculty and staff over age 18. - MoGo Bikeshare
MoGo is Detroit's first public bike sharing system, with 430 bikes at 43 stations across 10 Detroit neighborhoods, including WSU's campus. - DDOT Bus
The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) operates buses within the city of Detroit. - SMART Bus
SMART operates bus service in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, with local travel within and between suburban cities as well as service into downtown Detroit. - UMICH Connector
The University of Michigan's Detroit Connector provides transportation between Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Detroit.
For more detailed information regarding parking and Wayne State’s transportation services, visit the Parking and Transportation webpage.
WayneRides also recently announced transportation updates that include exclusive Wayne State discounts:
Dart
DDOT and SMART introduced a new unified fare system called DART. Passes are available in 4-hour, 24-hour, 7-day and 31-day increments and riders can use them interchangeably on DDOT (city) and SMART (suburban) buses, and the QLINE streetcar. All passes are available via the Dart app.
Wayne State and Lyft partner on pickup, drop-off zone
Wayne State partnered with Lyft to create a new pickup, drop-off zone on Hancock and activate the space between Hancock and Woodward | Warren Park.
MoGo added 50 e-bikes to help people go farther, faster
MoGo, Detroit’s nonprofit bike share system, recently added 50 electric bikes. Called MoGo Boost, the e-bikes are distributed across 44 stations in 10 Detroit neighborhoods. Save $10 on an annual MoGo Pass when you register with your wayne.edu email address and enter the code “Warriors.”
“Wayne State is committed to providing our students, faculty and staff with a range of transit options,” said Ned Staebler, vice president for economic development. “In addition to investing in the QLINE and MoGo, we’ve partnered with Zipcar, DDOT, SMART, Lyft and more on a number of initiatives. These partnerships are part of the university’s ongoing efforts to create a 24/7 campus that is active, safe and easy to navigate.”