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Next Week's Tip
Getting Connected & Getting Involved at UMD |
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Hopefully by now you have registered for orientation (if not, please do so today. Instructions are
here; session sign-up is at your iTerp account
).
Today, we want to give you the tools to navigate the area.
Directions to Orientation are at the bottom.
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Today's Tip: Local Transportation
Owning a car is not necessary
to get around in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. There is a good public transportation system covering the area, including buses, subway, and trains. Below are descriptions of some of the public transportation systems commonly used by University of Maryland students.
 SHUTTLE-UM
The University of Maryland, College Park operates a free commuter shuttle service for students, faculty, and staff of the campus. You must show a valid UMCP ID to ride. Please visit
their website
for more information about Shuttle-UM.
 METRO BUS/RAIL
The Washington, DC metro area has an extensive bus and subway system run by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The Metrobus and the Metrorail (the subway) extend well into Montgomery and Prince George's counties as well as the greater DC area. You are not allowed to eat or drink on the bus or metro or in the stations, and the law is strictly enforced. Rides start at $1.75 for Metrorail and increase in price the farther you go and during rush hour or late weekend hours. Metrobus costs $1.75 (with SmarTrip card). Visit
www.wmata.com
for information about Metrobus and Metrorail services, maps, a Next Bus and Next Train app, and general information.
APPS:
It will be VERY useful to download apps like iNext Bus to plan your travel, because buses in the United States may be less frequent than in your home country.
 PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY: The BUS
Prince George's County's bus system operates Monday through Friday, 6:30am to 7:00pm. More information is available on
their website
.
 MONTGOMERY COUNTY: RIDE ON
Montgomery County operates a bus system called Ride On. For more information, please visit
their website
.
 DRIVING IN THE UNITED STATES To get a Maryland driver's license, please visit the
MVA website and view the section on exchanging an out-of-country license for a Maryland license. For information about registering a car in the state of Maryland, please click
here.
A workshop about how to obtain a driver's license will be presented in early September- look out for details in a future Tip-of-the-week
.
 TAXIS
Taxis are not the cheapest mode of transportation in the United States, but are convenient and fast. Taxis are metered, which means you will pay for each mile driven. Tipping taxi drivers (10-20%) is expected.
Taxi companies in the College Park area:
Greenbelt Taxi Service: (301) 441-8400
Ontime Transportation Incorporated: (301) 474-6111
Langley Park Taxi: (301) 559-0000
Silver Cab: (301) 341-5140
 RIDESHARE Especially in cities, ridesharing programs have gained popularity in the last year. App services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar allow you to call a car from your smartphone and pay directly with your registered credit card. Zipcar is also a popular way to rent cars or trucks for a short-term basis.
 AMTRAK
Amtrak operates limited service throughout the US and Canada. Locally, it goes to and from BWI Airport from Washington, DC's Union Station, but MARC is much cheaper.
Amtrak's website
has lots of information about schedules, routes, and fares throughout the country. It is likely more expensive than trains you may have in your home country! Most students find that train travel is in general a less popular and less convenient mode of travel in the US.
 MARC TRAINS
These trains are operated by the Maryland Transit Authority, and are mostly used by commuters in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. MARC is a cheap option to get to downtown Baltimore, but it doesn't run on the weekend yet. MARC trains also run to BWI Airport, but it might be cheaper to take the Metrobus from the Greenbelt metro station. Check out the
MARC website
for fares and schedules.
INTERCITY BUSES
New York and Philadelphia, even Boston, can often be reached from Maryland/DC by affordable buses such as Bolt, Mega, and Vamoose.
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GETTING TO ORIENTATION
Shuttle / Bus
If you take the 104 shuttle or another bus to campus, Susquehanna Hall is approximately a 15-minute walk from central campus locations. Please plan accordingly.
Parking
During the semester, you will need a permit to park on campus or you will need to pay parking meters.
You may also pay hourly ($3/hour) or daily ($15/day) to park in the Mowatt Lane Garage (near Susquehanna Hall) or Regents Garage (near shuttle 104 stop).
Download maps and transportation apps here. See how you can pay for parking digitally here.
We at ISSS really look forward to meeting you at Orientation soon!
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If you do not intend to enroll at UMD and would like to stop receiving these emails, please inform the admissions office (undergraduate students) or the Graduate School and your academic department (graduate students).
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Sincerely,
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
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