Walking– Depending where you live in the first year, the distance between most housing options and classrooms can be easily traveled on foot. The dorms are about a 10 to 15-minute walk, while students living at Hilltop Apartments will have a 20 to 30-minute walk to reach the main part of campus. For BGR/BGR, come prepared for a lot of walking. I flew to the US the day after a large ankle sprain, and against my doctor’s advice, because the visit was so incredibly important to my son’s future. With my foot in a sports brace, a cane in hand, painkillers every few hours, and looking like a right idiot ;), I walked the Purdue campus. Purdue’s campus is relatively large and as a student, your kid will have opportunities to cover most of it at one time or another. However for a parent with limited time, I have already suggested a walking tour in my previous post to see the main highlights- go as a family with your student child so you can take pics together! Otherwise you will be split up on individual tours with parents and students doing their own tours separately during BGRi/ International Parents Welcome. With a lot of greenery, and its red brick distinctive look, it’s a very beautiful campus to sightsee.
Take care when walking, as the bikes and veo electric scooters come fast, and often on the footpath illegally. Stick to the sidewalks. Don’t want to be run over? Don’t walk on the bike paths, they’re not for you. Typically, sidewalks are gray colored concrete while bike paths are made of asphalt tile or black asphalt. Watch for signage and pavement markings to indicate where to walk and where to ride.
And look both ways before crossing the street. THE ONLY TIME it’s OK for a pedestrian to walk on a bike path is if they’re crossing it to get to the other side. Oh, and look both ways before crossing this too. When you are not used to looking the wrong way first (for those of you driving on the opposite side), you may get hit by any of these or even a car if you are not careful when crossing. Read the tips below.
Tips for Pedestrians:
Crosswalks: The crosswalks have been installed using a ladder-style marking for the crosswalk zones, as well as yield bars 20 feet before the crosswalk where drivers are to yield. Signs have been installed to identify the crosswalks and to alert drivers as to where they are to stop when yielding to pedestrians.
Safety suggestions:
- Remove your headphones and maintain visual contact with vehicle traffic around you (your safety can be significantly impaired if you inhibit any one of your senses while walking near vehicle traffic).
- Do not use your cell phone or text while you are walking near traffic (being inattentive can prove to be very hazardous).
- Obey traffic signs and cross at properly marked crosswalks (that is what drivers expect you to do and that is where you may be more visible to them).
- When waiting to cross a street, stand behind the curb, not on it.
- Look both ways and make sure you have eye contact with drivers before you cross the street. Never assume that if you turn your back to a vehicle, the driver will see you and yield to your position in the street.
- Be extra cautious when it is raining and when it is dark if you are wearing dark-colored clothing. Under these conditions, your visibility to the driver is diminished significantly. Avoid wearing only dark colors in such conditions.
- When you begin to cross the street at crosswalks that require drivers to stop and yield to pedestrians, do not assume vehicles in the second lane are aware you are in the crosswalk. Proceed carefully and make sure all lanes of traffic are stopping as you proceed.
- Do not leave the sidewalk in favour of the street when the walkway is congested. Be predictable – Drivers don’t expect you to be in the street.
- Do not engage in horseplay near any vehicle traffic.
- Do not enter the street to stand on the center line to await the traffic to clear on the other side of the road. When you do this, drivers cannot always see you.
The other options for getting around the campus are:
Rental car– This is what I had all the way from Chicago and it really helped take the strain off my foot. This is the best option for BGRi – as long as you park correctly. Purdue University Parking’s website, covers a lot of useful information, including traffic and parking regulations, parking map, parking portal, and tells you how to apply for a parking permit. Students who are 21 years or older may reserve a rental car for personal use through Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental using code 08BIG10. This code will apply a 5% discount when used on the provider website. It is not valid through a third-party reservation system. Drivers are responsible for either providing or purchasing rental car insurance. There is also a Zipcar on campus from which you can rent a car by the hour or day, with discounts for students. A complete list of car rental agencies is here.
Uber- Call a Uber especially when you have shopping and a load of stuff to carry around. The distances are not great so the cost is not that high, compared to other larger cities in the US for a days worth of trips.
Bikes/Scooters. Even though the campus is bicycle-friendly and big, I would suggested that the first-time international student does not get one immediately. A future post will have more details. You have the opportunity to use Veo, which Purdue has partnered with to rent scooters, sit-down scooters, and bicycles anywhere you find them around town. You’ll rent through their app. There are over 30 miles of paved trails for walking, running, and biking in West Lafayette. Please see the city’s website, for maps, biking and scooter rules, road signage etc.
On campus Bus Loops. (Updated July 2025) Purdue students can ride for free with a valid Purdue photo ID on the newly changed on-campus bus loops. Parents may have to pay though- but at the time of writing, I am not sure if they are practically going to be checking IDs. They also plan to offer real-time GPS tracking of buses via an app they plan to launch from late July-Aug 2025.
After two years of modifying contracts, rerouting services, and introducing different fare structures, Purdue University has officially concluded its partnership with CityBus for on-campus transportation, as decided by the Purdue Board of Trustees April 4th 2025 meeting. Serving a student body of over 50,000, Purdue has now entered a new agreement with SP+ Transportation Solutions to manage its campus transit system. The contract spans three years, with an option to extend for an additional one or two years. These updated routes will commence on August 14, 2025 — two weeks prior to the start of classes.
According to the university’s Campus Transit website, the new provider will operate three no-cost routes accessible to all members of the Purdue community running Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. while Purdue is in session. While the revamped bus lines resemble the former Silver, Black, and Bronze loops, they include several notable updates. SP+’s new system will have one loops lesser and much fewer stops compared to the old CityBus’ four campus loops which had 76 total stops.
The Purdue Mall Loop, replacing the Silver Loop, will largely retain its original path. One of the main adjustments involves rerouting buses away from Mitch Daniels Boulevard toward Purdue West, opting instead for Martin Jischke Drive. As a result, several residence halls will lose direct access to the main loop, with Wiley Dining Court now being the nearest stop for many. It includes stops on Stadium Avenue, Northwestern Avenue, Grant Street, Mitch Daniels Boulevard and N. Martin Jischke Drive.
The Ross-Ade Loop will service the northern sector of campus, connecting David Ross Road to Northwestern Avenue. It will follow Cherry Lane, John Wooden Drive, Joe Tiller Drive, Steven Beering Drive, Tower Drive, David Ross Road, Stadium Avenue and Northwestern Avenue.
Meanwhile, the Discovery Park Loop will operate in the southern area, covering locations such as the Purdue Airport, Discovery Park, and the Agriculture Mall. It follows Mitch Daniels Boulevard, Airport Road, Trailway Boulevard, Arnold Drive, Harrison Street, Marsteller Street, Memorial Mall Drive and Oval Drive.
In addition to fixed routes, SP+ will introduce an “On-Demand Pick-Up/Drop-Off” option. This service, available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to midnight, allows riders to request transportation between specific pick-up and drop-off points, offering greater flexibility. Further details are here.
Off campus Bus services: (Updated July 2025) CityBus still offers paid off campus bus services connecting students to West Lafayette and Lafayette – you can see the fares and routed on their website. This is a great method of transportation for getting to all those off-campus sites, especially those that are back in Lafayette, as long as they’re close to a bus route. They do not run 24/7, so do make sure to check their hours. Check out the CityBus website, for the various routes they offer as well, as sometimes you may have to switch buses to get to a specific destination. They offer real-time GPS tracking of buses. Visit the CityBus Where Is the Bus? webpage or download the MyCityBus mobile app from your phone’s app store to get started. Call 765-742-RIDE (7433) for more information.
Shuttles between West Lafayette and Indianapolis campus: An app is now available to reserve a seat on the free shuttles between Purdue’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations. The R2U Connect app allows riders to reserve a seat and see when the shuttle is close to pick-up and drop-off locations. It is available through Google Play or the App Store. Purdue students, faculty and staff will need to create an account using their Purdue email. Using a Purdue email will ensure rides are free. Riders are not required to use the app to ride the free shuttles but are encouraged to use it to guarantee a seat. The shuttles will be fully operational beginning Aug. 12. Six round trips will be offered daily during the week with a reduced schedule on the weekends during the fall and spring semesters.
Pick-up and drop-off locations on the West Lafayette campus include in front of the Purdue Memorial Union and Stewart Center (PMU/STEW) along Mitch Daniels Boulevard and the circle drive on the northwest side of the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center (CREC). The pick-up and drop-off location for Indianapolis will be along West Vermont Street, near the intersection with North Blackford Street. More information about the shuttle schedules and pick-up/drop-off locations may be found on the Auxiliary Services website.
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