Easily accessible public transportation is provided by Mason and the City of Fairfax. To get around Fairfax, hop on the CUE Bus, which is free with your Mason ID.

The CUE Bus provides transportation from Mason to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station continuously throughout each day. There are four routes that run in different areas around town.

Another free option to get from Mason to the Vienno/Fairfax-GMU Metro station is the Mason-to-Metro shuttle which runs every half hour Monday through Friday and goes directly to the Metro.

Gunston Go-Bus, a new edition to Mason’s transportation, takes students to particular areas around Fairfax that might not necessarily have easily accesible CUE Bus stops, such as Fair Lakes Shopping Center and Fair Oaks Mall.

Whether riding public transportation around town or driving and dealing with parking, it is important to keep safety in mind. Make sure you know the best bus route to your destination and the schedule of buses to avoid missing the last one home.

<strong>Check out <a href=”http://orientation.onmason.com/2009/06/18/notable-dc-metro-stops/” target=”_blank”><em>Notable D.C. Metro Stops</em></a> and <a href=”http://orientation.onmason.com/2009/06/18/getting-around-dc-on-the-metro/” target=”_blank”>Getting Around DC on the Metro</em></a>.

By Christian Smith, Connect2Mason Director

For years, students at George Mason University have found issue with the parking options on campus, citing the prices of fines, the cost of permits and not enough parking availability. 

But, in a recent interview with Connect2Mason, Josh Cantor, director of Parking and Transportation, said in response to the complaint about the fines levied by Parking Services, “It’s actually a minor source of our revenue. It’s probably 8 to 10 percent of our revenue stream.” 

“There has never been a day . . . where we have had less than 700, 800 spaces available,” said Cantor speaking about the cost of permits and parking accessibility. 

“For what you pay here compared to what you pay at the University of Maryland, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, 90 percent of our students are parking closer than what those students would.” 

If you are a residential freshman, though, your parking permit will not allow you use of most of the parking locations usually open to the general student population, a practice not uncommon in the Virginia higher education system. 

The residential freshman parking permit allows access to the West Campus Parking Lot and costs $90. According to a Parking Services representative, the lot has a capacity of 800 vehicles and is located approximately a mile from the main campus. A shuttle runs every 15 minutes between the lot and campus.

Other Commonwealth schools prohibiting freshmen from parking on their main campus include the University of Virginia, James Madison University and the University of Mary Washington where freshmen are not allowed to have permits unless approved by the chief of police. 

Like Mason, Madison allows freshmen with disabilities to park on the main campus, but Madison makes a further exception by allowing freshmen with off-campus jobs to also obtain on-campus parking.

For commuter students, Mason does not make a distinction in parking accessibility based on class standing. All freshmen commuters have access to general lots J, K, L C, O, P, M and the back of A. These permits cost $125 per semester and $225 per year. 

Motorcycle parking permits, including mopeds, scooters and bicycles that use parking spaces are $70 per year or $35 for the spring semester. A $15 secondary permit may be purchased if the motorcycle is the student’s second vehicle with a campus permit. 

All residential and commuter students are allowed motorcycle permits, however, according to a Parking Services representative, motorcycles left in a parking spot for more than a few days will be ticketed. 

Purchasing permits is as easy as going online. Permits can be obtained beginning in July through the Parking Services website. 

Students who do not purchase their permits online may participate in the August Ballroom Sale, the exact date of which is not yet determined. After that sale, permits will be available at the Parking Services office located next to the Sandy Creek parking deck.

Smithsonian

Lines: Orange and blue

Travel Time from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station: 32 minutes

The Smithsonian stop, with an exit on the center of the Mall, between the Washington Monument and the Capitol, is an excellent place to begin a tour of downtown D.C. It is located near the museums of African Art, American History, Natural History, the Smithsonian Castle, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Tidal Basin.

Adams Morgan/Woodley Park-Zoo

Line: Red

Travel Time from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station: 51 minutes

Adams Morgan is known for its nightlife, its diverse selection of bars and restaurants, and establishments featuring live music. In September, Adams Morgan hosts a street festival with food and live music. This year, the festival will be on Sept. 13.  Adams Morgan has a farmer’s market on Saturdays, weather-permitting. The Metro stop is also named for its close proximity to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Getting to Adams Morgan involves a transfer from the orange line to the red at Metro Center.

Eastern Market

Lines: Orange and blue

Travel Time from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station: 39 minutes

Eastern Market is a historic, public marketplace on Capitol Hill. It is open during the week, though more vendors are open on weekends. The marketplace offers fresh produce as well as pottery, jewelry, crafts and more.  Visit their website for more information. 

Capitol South 

Lines: Orange and blue

Travel Time from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station: 37 minutes

The Capitol South station offers many attractions besides its namesake. Just across the street is the Library of Congress, which is the largest library in the world, housing millions of books, documents, films and the like. Also nearby is the Supreme Court, which is open daily for tours as well as for sitting in on cases, should you arrive early. It is also located next to the Cannon House Office Building, which houses Congressional offices.

Navy Yard

Line: Green

Travel Time from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station: 48 minutes

The main attraction at the Navy Yard station is Nationals Park, home to the Washington Nationals baseball team. The Nationals play regularly April through September, so going to a Nationals game is a great way to begin or end the school year. Getting to the Navy Yard stop involves a transfer from the orange line to the green at L’Enfant Plaza.

Pentagon City 

Lines: Blue and yellow

Travel Time from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station: 37 minutes

The Pentagon City station has a tunnel that leads directly into Pentagon City Mall in Arlington. This mall houses nearly 200 stores on its four floors. Getting to Pentagon City involves a transfer from the orange line to the blue at Rosslyn.

The Metro is an incredibly efficient form of transportation you can use to get around Northern Virginia, downtown Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

The Metro system has five lines—red, orange, yellow, green and blue—and each line serves different parts of the metropolitan area. 

Mason is located about fifteen minutes from the Vienna/Fairfax station on the orange line. In order to get to the metro, you can either drive (though parking is only free on the weekends), take the Mason to Metro shuttle (which leaves from the Sandy Creek Parking Deck every half hour Monday through Friday), or take the CUE bus (which has a stop near the Chesapeake housing area and is free to Mason students with your ID).

In order to ride the Metro, you will need to purchase one of three things: a pass, a farecard or a SmarTrip card. Passes are available in daily or weekly forms. If you plan to get on and off at various stops during the day, an all-day pass is right for you. Farecards are available in any dollar amount. 

If you are going to one stop and back, it is easy to figure out how much it will cost you round-trip and purchase a farecard for that exact amount. Fares are posted on all farecard machines at Metro stations. 

If you are parking at a Metro station or plan to use the Metro frequently and do not want to purchase multiple farecards, you can purchase a SmarTrip card, which is like a debit card. It is mandatory if you are parking at a Metro station, as that is the form of payment accepted for parking. 

If you are a frequent Metro rider, you can use it and re-load it with money as opposed to purchasing farecards every time you use the Metro. The other upside is that SmarTrip cards cannot be demagnetized or get too crumpled up to use like single farecards you save in your wallet or purse.

Click here for metro-riding tips and the “unwritten rules” of the Metro.