Transportation

Getting Around

When it comes to sustainable transportation and safety, the goal is to reduce single occupancy car trips, to make sure people have a variety of ways to commute to work and school safely, and ultimately to reduce our commuter carbon footprint.

New No Wheel Zone on the Quad

Please note that while CWRU supports bike commuting as of the Fall of 2023 there are no wheeled devices like bikes and scooters permitted to operate on the Quad. CWRU asks bike and scooter riders to please walk their wheels to the bike rack of their choice. See image below or click here to download a pdf of the Quad dismount zones and bike rack locations map.

A map of where bike racks are located on the Case Quad

CWRU students, staff and faculty can log almost 37 million commuting miles annually traveling to and from campus. But there are many sustainable options for travel, whether it’s for commuting to and from campus, or across campus or town for a meeting.  The content below can help you consider shifting your mode of travel, check out our smart commuting page.

The University has been honored with many Commuter Choice Awards from 2014-2023 for efforts to promote alternative transportation options, including bicycling infrastructure and alternative work opportunities. Find more info about the awards on our Recognition and Awards page.

Find the greenest, cheapest, fastest ways to move around Ohio with the Gohio Portal. You can connect with people to carpool, vanpool or bikepool with on the portal as well as find RTA routes and safe walking routes. We've created a tutorial for using the Gohio Portal to help get you started.

uGO is a collaborative effort of public and private partners in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood that is leading the implementation of the district’s Transportation Action Plan and to support University Circle’s economic viability, visitor experience, environmental health, and quality of life of by increasing the use of sustainable transportation options among all travelers in University Circle and by providing safe, comfortable, affordable, reliable access, and circulation by all modes.

Find bike share locations, bike racks locations, car share stations, traffic alerts, commuting contests, parking information, tips for getting around University Circle and all the information visitors and commuters need to know to navigate this community. 

Cleveland is home to an extensive public transportation system, the RTA, Regional Transit Authority. All undergraduate students of CWRU receive a year-round bus pass. Full-time graduate students can opt-in to an annual bus pass for $75, a significant cost reduction. CWRU participates in the Commuter Advantage program that allows eligible faculty and staff to buy RTA passes via payroll deduction and with pre-tax dollars through Access Services. RTA helps you plan your trip to or from campus.

For trips around campus and University Circle, Access Services manages an extensive network of shuttle busses, lovingly referred to as “Greenies” around campus. The Circle Link Bus services campus and stops at a number of University Circle locations including the Art Museum, Cleveland Natural History Museum, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Hospital, and the Uptown Shopping and Entertainment District.  The Heights AM Loop and Evening South shuttles head into Cleveland Heights, through Coventry to help both students and staff get to and from campus. Check the shuttle map for full details.

Additionally, the Squire Valleevue Farm has a 32-passenger shuttle bus that makes at transports students, staff, faculty and community members to and from the farm for class, research, and recreation.

Staff earning less than $50,000 per year are eligible to purchase monthly RTA passes at a 55% reduced rate. This program is subsidized by the University. Learn more on the Access Services website.

Carpooling to work is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint (and the University’s!) while saving money, wear and tear on your car, and making your commute more productive or social. CWRU is a member of GoOhio, which offers carpool, bike buddy, and walking buddy matching options for employees and students commuting to campus.  The University-specific ORS portal will match employees and students with other University community members and provides data feedback on the positive effects of mode shift.   

Additionally, a new commuting portal has opened: Gohio commute. This is a great way to track your commuting carbon footprint, find carpool buddies and more.

Users just click and drag their commutes to a “Commute Calendar” to immediately see resulting fuel savings, reductions in CO2 emissions and even calories burned. Go to Gohio commute to register and to start logging your commutes today!

* CWRU's Access Services offers an extra access card for the lot you use for no fee - perfect for your carpooling buddy.

The City of Cleveland has pledged to become a bike friendly community. Biking in Cleveland is gaining in popularity and CWRU students, staff and faculty members have more options than ever to and from campus, and around the city.

CWRU has over 150 bike racks on campus, adjacent to almost every building.  Students living in Residence Halls are encouraged to use their building’s Bike Room to store their bicycles indoors. Students are encouraged to register their bike with Campus Police, and undergrads are rewarded for doing so with a free u-lock.  

Employees and Students who live or travel frequently to Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, or University Heights are welcome to request a Bicycle Map, produced by the Heights Bicycle Coalition and sponsored by The Office of Energy & Sustainability.

The GoOhio Rideshare portal has a program called Bike Buddies, that will match interested riders with neighbors and colleagues who would like a friend with whom to ride to work.  All current CWRU students and employees may use the shower and locker facilities at Veale Center on the Case Quad, and Wyant Field House, in the North Residential Village.

Bike Cleveland, a local bicycle advocacy and support organization, has produced a guide to Biking in Cleveland.  CWRU works with other local organizations to celebrate National Bike to Work day each year in May, National Bike to Work Month.  The League of American Bicyclists have tracked the prevalence of bike commuting around the country, and show that it’s on the rise!  Cyclists can register with the National Bike Challenge and log their miles. Each year Cleveland and Pittsburgh battle it out in the Rust Belt Battle.  Riders can affiliate their miles with CWRU.  Will you join the movement? Also check out this resource: The Ultimate Bicycle Safety Guide.

Biking or walking to work can earn a cash Wellness incentive for faculty or staff member with Benelect medical plan coverage. Learn more at the Wellness webpage.