This blog post was written by Marissa during her 4th year in the BES/BEd program.

 

 

 

YorkU is at the intersection of all major cities in the GTA and the majority of students commute into the campus as opposed to living in residence. Whether you are from North, South, East or West of York, you can get to class on time easily with the many commuting options available. Commuting allows you to stay home or close to family or work without compromising your education. Commuting is also a cheaper option than staying in residence. The many ways to commute to York allows for a close to residence experience without the hefty price tag.

Public Transit: TTC, YRT, ZUM, and GO

On campus, we have our very own York University Subway station, connecting us to downtown Toronto. This station is easily accessible and placed in the heart of our campus. A short walk away is the Pioneer Village station located on the north side of campus. Here you can connect with TTC buses as well as the YRT, for commuters coming from York Region. Commuters from Brampton can also catch the ZUM bus on campus.  All these commuting options are close by and easily accessible for all students. The subway is such an amazing feature on campus, allowing me to go from school to shopping at Yorkdale or down to the AGO to complete an assignment for class.  Taking a short trip north on the subway, you reach the GO transit station located at the 407 Station subway station. This is the hub for GO buses that can take commuters all over the GTA.

Personally, the subway station is my favourite feature on campus allowing me to go downtown in under an hour. You have some free time between classes why not stop off at your favourite restaurant downtown with your BFF. You can also use York as a hub to get to anywhere in the GTA. I have taken the GO Bus all the way to Guelph right after class to go see family. York is truly the hub for a lot of transit options that many people come from all around to access these commuting options.

Driving

If you prefer not to use public transit, there are also many options for those students who choose to drive. York has many parking lots and garages across campus for daily drivers and occasional ones. You can choose to pay a daily fee which varies across lots or pay for a parking pass for the year. I personally am a commuter that drives and prefers to pay daily. What I love about this option is I can pick which lot is closer to my class and if I would like to park in a covered garage or in the open. Students who choose to pay for the year can choose the package that best suits them and they can get a pass and spot for the year. All parking passes are purchased through Parking Services at the William Small Centre. York also has carpool and ride sharing services. This allows you to sign up using an online medium and find other students who are going the same route as you. Also, available on campus is car sharing like Zip Car, that can be easily accessed in and around both York campuses.

YorkU Shuttles

York also offers shuttle services across the Keele campus and to and from the Glendon campus. This makes commuting between campuses very easy and allows students to take courses at other campuses if they chose to. York also offers a shuttle through the Village (Townhouses near YorkU where many students live) as well as to the GO train station making commuting easy for all. The best part is that most of these shuttles start and end at Vari Hall, the centre of campus. All shuttles are free of charge for all students as long as you have a student ID upon entrance.

No matter where you live, commuting to York is a breeze. With so many options and resources on campus you can always find a solution.