Transportation

GW is accessible via three nearby airports:

• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is located approximately five miles from the GW Foggy Bottom campus, roughly a 10 minute drive. The Metro Blue Line also directly connects the Foggy Bottom-GWU station to the DCA station, about a 15 minute ride.
• Dulles International Airport (IAD) is located approximately 24 miles from the GW Foggy Bottom campus, roughly a 30 minute drive. The Metro Silver Line now directly connects Dulles to GW, about a one hour ride.
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is located approximately 35 miles from the GW Foggy Bottom campus, roughly a 50 minute drive.

Capital Bikeshare is a bike-sharing program in the district that allows customers to rent bikes throughout the district and surrounding areas. GW is proud to partner with Capital Bikeshare to provide all currently enrolled students a $25 annual membership, good for unlimited bike rides under 45 minutes.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) was created by an interstate compact in 1967 to plan, develop, build, finance, and operate a balanced regional transportation system in the national capital area.

Metrobus is a bus service operated by WMATA, with multiple stops and routes through GW. Its fleet consists of 1,595 buses covering an area of 1,500 square miles in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. In total, there are 269 bus routes serving 11,129 stops.

Metrorail provides safe, clean, reliable transit service for more than 600,000 customers a day throughout the Washington, DC area.

GW is conveniently served by the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, with connections to the Blue, Silver, and Orange lines. 

View the Metrorail System Map

SmarTrip is how to pay for fares on all Metrorail trains and Metrobuses. Riders can either use a plastic SmarTrip card, or can load SmarTrip onto mobile wallets using Apple Pay or Google Pay.

GW has joined WMATA's U•Pass program, providing full-time students with unlimited use of Metrorail and Metrobus for a discounted, flat fee. U•Pass is available to participating full-time students during the fall and spring semesters.

GW Shuttles provides free shuttle service between the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon Campus. These shuttles provide a convenient means for students, faculty and staff to travel between the campuses and access GW facilities. Riders are required to show their GWorld card to the shuttle driver or onsite supervisor.

Electric scooters have become a popular method of transportation around D.C. and GW, offering a quick and convenient method to travel short distances. The District Department of Transportation provides a great overview of using electric scooters, covering rules, laws, guidelines, and tips.