What You Need to Know in Fall 2025: Getting Around

As a new academic year gets rolling, construction of the state’s Purple Line through the University of Maryland campus is looking sleek and nearly complete. But plenty of work remains on the 16-mile project until the first riders step onto trains in late 2027, meaning Terps navigating the campus will find new features and challenges.

New rules and requirements also went into effect this fall for electric bikes and scooters, and they—as well as cyclists—can take advantage of a new bike path that opened this summer. Read on (or ride on) for details on navigating campus this fall.

Purple Line
Ongoing construction of the light-rail line resulted this summer in a first for the campus core—a traffic light at Campus and Regents Drives. The line will feature 21 stations between New Carrollton and Bethesda, including five stops on or near UMD, and promises to enhance connectivity to the rest of the region.

With students hurrying to class and commuters focused on their destinations, UMD officials advise extra measures of both caution and patience while venturing through the intersection. In addition, university police will be doing extra monitoring of traffic there early in the semester.

“Safety at that signal is our biggest (Purple Line-related) concern, and the best thing for everyone is just to pay attention to the other people using the intersection and take it slow,” said Courtney Brown, senior director in the Office of Administrative Services.

At the new traffic signal, vehicle operators can’t turn right on red, or turn left from eastbound Campus Drive (in the direction of Baltimore Avenue) onto northbound Regents Drive (toward the Regents Drive Garage).

Now look up—see the shiny new copper overhead wires along the tracks? These are high-voltage catenary wires that will power the light-rail vehicles. Although they are not yet electrified, get used to having them on campus. The wires are completely safe for anyone at ground level; just treat them with caution as you would any overhead power lines. Never throw anything on the lines or get near them with any tall object, such as a ladder. 

Elsewhere, Rossborough Lane remains closed west of Baltimore Avenue, while east of the major thoroughfare, Rossborough is closed to Diamondback Drive. ADA-complaint pedestrian detours have been put in place. (See maps.) 

Finally, when crossing the Purple Line tracks on a bike, scooter or wheelchair, do that at a right angle to avoid crashes resulting from a wheel getting lodged in the track.

Micromobility and Bike Lanes
Under new rules for e-scooters and e-bikes that took effect last month—spurred in part by fires in University of Maryland buildings caused by students charging e-scooters indoors—campus residents were told this year not to bring privately owned e-scooters or e-bikes to campus housing. The restriction applies to university-owned fraternity and sorority houses and South Campus Commons. 

Students who don’t live on campus can bring their electric micromobility vehicles to UMD and must annually register them, which costs $35. “It’s important to stress that everyone has to register now, including folks whose previous registrations have yet to expire,” says Emily Hunter Cosci, DOTS assistant director of marketing and communications.

DOTS will not register vehicles belonging to campus residents, and unregistered vehicles will be booted or impounded and the owners fined.

To help cover any resulting gaps in transportation, Veo is increasing the number of rental vehicles in its fleet this year to from 400 to 650 and providing new, upgraded e-scooters and e-bikes. Service hours will be extended to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and membership plans are available to improve affordability.

Additionally, Capital Bikeshare debuted in College Park last year, with three docking stations accommodating a total of 42 vehicles. Vendors will also add staff to help ensure vehicles are available when needed.

Other micromobility changes going into effect include upping enforcement of traffic laws and ridership rules by UMD police officers and more encouragement of safety gear use, to include a giveaway of helmets and lights in the coming semester.

New this year is a much-needed north-south bike lane on Alumni Drive from the traffic circle near Tawes Hall to the major traffic circle in front of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Because it's a heavily traveled route for both cars, bikes and scooters, Cosci advises pedestrians to always look both ways when crossing the bike lane and drivers to take extra care to avoid colliding with an oncoming micromobility vehicle. Riders themselves should exercise caution entering and exiting the bike lane. (For tips on navigating the new bike lane, check out this web page.)

Bus Routes
Shuttle-UM this year consolidated its route map from 19 to 18 routes by combining the 128 and 129 buses into the 128 MAZZA GrandMarc-Tempo route.

WMATA’s recent Metrobus network redesign boosts the total number of bus routes stopping on or near campus this fall from four to six , Cosci said. “Another exciting change is that P37—Prince George’s County’s “The Bus”—is now going from campus to the College Park metro fare free, which gives people who normally take the 104 to the metro a new option,” she said.

Shuttle-UM's real-time bus arrival information is live on the Transit app.

Parking
While there are few changes this year to parking on campus, Cosci advised drivers to make a commute plan  for the Friday night football game against the Huskies of Northern Illinois. Many lots are required to be emptied by 2 p.m., with space available in Terrapin Trail Garage (Lot 6) and Mowatt Lane Garage for those who need to relocate.