The Rapid provides more than just transportation. It also creates opportunities and enriches lives. From being a key driver of economic development to reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gases, The Rapid not only benefits those who ride it but everyone who lives or works within the communities we serve.
Can you name the businesses featured in our latest commercial?
Relax and let us do the driving this October! Here are some transit-friendly events you can ride the bus to:
Ride Route 5 to Wealthy Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 6 for a unique shopping event. Check out vendors selling everything from vintage clothing, jewelry, art, body products and more. This event lasts from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. No admission required!
Route 5 & 6
Visit the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) campus for an exciting art exhibit. Throughout the years, Mars has been depicted in multiple forms. The “Mars: Astronomy and Culture” Fall Arts Celebration exhibit brings together photographs, drawings, movie posters, book covers and video projections spotlighting the Red Planet, as well as feature a showcase of Martian-themed toys and collectibles from a private collection based in Chicago. This exhibition is running through Oct. 31.
Route 50
On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in October, ride with us to the Meyer May Home. Recurring weekly this free tour lets you inside the famous Frank Lloyd Wright house located at 450 Madison Avenue SE. Take a step back in time to enjoy the beauty of this unique home.
Route 3 & 5
Celebrate the autumn season with classic festive fun at Blandford Nature Center on Saturday, Oct.13 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. This is a family-friendly event that includes candle making, wagon rides, scarecrows and more. Admission is $5 for members, $8 for non-members and children two and under get in for free.
Route 7
Located on the corner of Pearl and Ottawa, Forty Pearl is a wine tasting room and small plate restaurant serving exclusively northern Michigan products. Enjoy Michigan’s finest wines while taking in the musical styling of Joy Zone on Oct. 5 and every Friday night throughout the month.
DASH, Routes 6 & 13
Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights you can get your glow on in the trees at TreeRunner Grand Rapids! GlowNight takes place from 5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. with last tickets sold at 8 p.m. Climb through the trees and obstacles with LED lights brightening your path. Night tickets are $30 each.
Route 15
Jurassic Quest brings you a Dinosaur Adventure for the whole family at DeVos Place from Oct. 12 – 14. The main dinosaur exhibit features ultra-realistic, life-size animatronic dinosaurs; Over 80 life-size dinosaurs in all. Visitors can interact with these huge creatures, learn about them and even ride a few. It features realistic scenes, enormous dinosaurs, cute baby dinosaurs and lots of fun activities for kids of all ages. Ticket prices range from $18-34.
DASH, Routes 11, 19, 50 & Silver Line
The Grand Rapids Art Museum and AM Yoga will be hosting Yoga at GRAM, sponsored by Priority Health on select Thursday evenings. Bring a friend for Vinyasa-style yoga classes with instructors Ashley Yost and Mali Jane. All levels are welcome.
Routes 6, 9, 11, 13, Silver Line and DASH
On Oct. 20, the streets of the Alger Heights business district will be lined with dozens of booths filled with all kinds of antiques, handmade décor, original artwork, furniture, boutique clothing, artisan jewelry, all-natural personal care items, and much more. This is a great community market filled with unique finds from local artisans and cottage businesses. Come out and support local!
Route 4
Enjoy the Tim Burton classic The Nightmare Before Christmas accompanied by a live performance of the Grand Rapids Symphony! This event takes place at the DeVos Performance Hall on Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available starting at $18.
Routes 9, 11, 50, Silver Line and DASH
Whatever you choose to call the transitional season between summer and winter—autumn, fall, crunchy leaf and pumpkin spice latte time—we’re all for celebrating this beautiful time of year. As always, we want to encourage you to explore the Greater Grand Rapids area and check off some important fall to-do’s while you’re at it!
Treat yourself to these fun fall activities and events:
Immerse yourself in nature to fully enjoy the changing of the seasons. Blandford Nature Center is the perfect place to enjoy your natural surroundings! Hop on Route 7 to visit Blandford and take a walk on one of their many trails, check out their animals or attend one of their various fall events like the Harvest Festival on Oct. 23. Non-member admission is $3.
The craft cider scene is alive and well in Grand Rapids. Enjoy fresh local cider at cideries that are just a bus ride away.
Vander Mill – Route 14 and 19
The People’s Cider Co. – Route 7
What’s better than cruising around on a bike trail taking in the fall scenery? If you’re not up for the full ride to your nearest access to bike trails, catch a ride on The Rapid and bring your bus too! Loading your bike on you’re the rack at the front of the busy is easy.
Enjoy the beautiful bike trails at Millennium Park or Riverside Park! You can plan your trip here.
For those who love all things spooky, fall is your season! Embark on a tour of Grand Rapids’ most haunted places with Ghost of Grand Rapids. This walking tour is the perfect Halloween treat and a chance to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather while learning about the haunted history of your city.
View upcoming tours here.
It’s apple season! Ride Route 12 to get within walking distance of Versluis Orchards to pick your own Honeycrisp, Gala and Red Delicious apples. If picking isn’t really your things, you can always purchase fresh, locally grown apples at Fulton Street Farmers Market off of Route 14.
While we can’t allow you to carve a pumpkin on the bus, we can connect you to great places to get the supplies you need. Pick up your pumpkin and carving necessities at Bridge Street Market or Meijer.
If you’re up for painting and decorating pumpkins, Garage Bar and Grill is hosting the city’s largest pumpkin painting party! Admission is just $20 and gets you a large pumpkin, small pumpkin, paint, brushes and all other supplies needed. To add to the fun, Garage Bar is serving up delicious cocktails and food specials throughout the event.
Cozy candle weather is upon us. What better way to celebrate than pouring your own candle at Wax Poetic Candle Bar. In just 30 minutes, you can create your own uniquely scented candle to take home with you and enjoy all season long.
Ride Route 5 to get to Wax Poetic.
Dig into your favorite fall cuisine all season! Restaurants throughout Grand Rapids are sure to pack their menus with delicious seasonal specials. There is also a variety of food and beverage focused events and experience happening during fall to check out. Merchants at the Downtown Market will be participating in a Fall Flavors event on Oct. 26 with features packed with pumpkin, nutmeg, apple cinnamon and other season favorites.
The arts flourish where The Rapid goes.
Recently, we hosted a Community Art Project and encouraged children and adults alike to share their art with us! We were so inspired by these pieces that we decided to use several to fully wrap one of our buses! Thank you to everyone who participated in our Community Art Project and a special congratulations to Aiden, Drew, Gabriella, Clare, Fisher, Nolan and Sienna for your beautiful artwork.
On Friday, Sept. 14, we honored our hardworking, dedicated employees with a day-long celebration! The Rapid provided breakfast, lunch, raffles, prizes and fun activities throughout the day.
Are you ready for ArtPrize? In its 10th year, ArtPrize is once again bringing artists from around the world to Grand Rapids for an immersive art experience unlike any other. Each year, ArtPrize awards $500,000 in prizes to artists participating in the competition. Half are decided by public vote, and half are awarded by an expert jury. Have your say in who wins and plan your trip to explore all that ArtPrize has to offer
Here are 4 tips and tricks to help you get around Downtown Grand Rapids for ArtPrize 10:
Ringing in a full decade of awesome, ArtPrize will once again welcome more than 500,000 visitors to Grand Rapids. With crowds come challenges with parking. Leave your car at home (or in a Meijer Park & Ride lot) and opt for an ArtPrize Metro Pass. For $5 you can ride The Rapid. This includes unlimited rides on the Silver Line and 10 rides on fixed routes. This amazing deal will provide transportation for the entire event.
On Sept. 19, head to any of the seven area Meijer Park & Ride locations to pick up your Metro Pass and park your car for free!
There are so many fare-free bus options for you to make your way around all this event has to offer. The City of Grand Rapids’ FREE DASH service recently improved routing and expanded hours. You can hop on for free and venture to any of the event venues downtown. Check out the full route and schedule here.
Aside from DASH, Silver Line also fare-free rides within the No Fare Zone in Downtown Grand Rapids. This means that you can travel around the core of ArtPrize at no cost on the Silver Line. Just make sure you are tapping your Metro Pass to the Wave reader if you’re planning on leaving the No Fare Zone.
You can also travel the Michigan-Bridge Street corridor for free on the new and improved Route 19 running every weekday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
This time of year in Grand Rapids is breezy and beautiful. Enjoy the scenery and the cool autumn weather by riding around on your bike to get around ArtPrize. Not only does the City offer a growing network of bike lanes, there’s also an easy guide to help you navigate ArtPrize on two wheels safely here.
If you get tired, you can always bus home and bring your bike along for the ride on one of The Rapid’s handy onboard bike racks.
With the myStop and the Transit app, you can track The Rapid buses in real-time. While you’re riding, be sure to check out the ArtPrize Mobile App—available for free for iOS and Android devices—to find venues, events, and the full list of artists entries.
Scouting isn’t just about camping, building fires and making lifelong friends.
Boy Scouts of America helps to build future leaders by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. Scouting provides unique, life-changing experiences for all involved. FOX 17 Morning Mix visited Boy Scouts of America right here in Grand Rapids to learn about their work and the changes to come.
Learn more about the work this amazing organization is doing for Michigan.
Calling all college students! We know you’re just getting settled into a new school year but this is your time to enjoy everything Downtown Grand Rapids has to offer. From Sept. 10 – 16, you can explore your city during GR College Week ‘18. We’re proud to sponsor FREE bus rides to and from these awesome events taking place on Sept. 12 – 16. Use your college ID for special access to cultural attractions, discounts, events, and more.
It’s simple. Just show your student ID to your bus operator when boarding the bus and let them know you’re participating in GR College Week! Your fare will be waived and you can enjoy your free ride!
Here’s how you can Ride the Rapid to get to the entire list of awesome locations:
Come for the free appetizers, and soft drinks – stay for the entertainment. Grab your friends and come down to the Grand Rapids’ Westside.
Routes that can get you to The Knickerbocker: 7, 9, 19 and DASH West
Make your lunch break fun. Enjoy a performance from the local band, Flexadecibel, a variety of food trucks and oversized outdoor games. This event goes from 12:00 – 1:30 PM in Rosa Parks Circle.
Routes that can get you to Rosa Parks Circle: 6, 9, 11, 13, 50, Silver Line and DASH
This mini-workshop series focuses on how to be a citizen in the city. Resources will be available to give students information on a variety of subjects including everything from navigating bus routes to renting in the city of GR.
This networking event aims to connect students with local employers. Whether you are looking for a full-time job after graduation, an internship, or just want to make some connections – this is the fun way to do it. The program will take place on Friday, September 14 at Kendall College of Art and Design from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.
Routes that can get you to Kendall: 6, 13 and DASH
See the Symphony for just $5 at DeVos Performance Hall. There are a variety of concerts you can attend with student tickets including the Grand Rapids Bach Festival! Get your tickets here.
Routes that can get you to the Grand Rapids Symphony: 11, 19, 50, Silver Line and DASH
Head to Aquinas’ campus to enjoy a peaceful, free yoga session. There are two sessions: 9 – 10 AM and 10:15 – 11:15 AM.
Routes that can get you to Aquinas: 6 and 14
Head over to Aquinas College for food trucks, hammocks and live music from 4:30 – 8:00 PM.
Routes that can get you to Aquinas: 6 and 14
Join in the fun! ArtPrize Artists, Venues and Volunteers come together to kick-off ArtPrize 10. Take the bus to the B.O.B for this VIP event featuring live music, DJs, food and get a sneak peek of Founders Brewing Company’s, Trigo, the official beer of ArtPrize 10.
For more information on GR College Week ‘18 head to the website here.
Grand Rapids’ West Side welcomed a new grocery store last month. Meijer’s Bridge Street Market boasts more than just the popular grocery store staples like eggs, milk and bread. This one-of-a-kind establishment has affordable food and goods ranging from floral arrangements to pre-packaged meals with everything in between. But what we love most is the transit-friendly nature of the location and the affordable prices.
Whether you just need to grab some last-minute additions to a meal you’re planning or you’re shopping for the week ahead, Bridge Street Market is sure to have what you’re looking for. Some bonuses we love about the store include Mayan Buzz’s interior cafe, the beverage selection and the organized layout!
You can ride the following routes to get within walking distance to Bridge Street Market:
Plan your trip on The Rapid to Bridge Street Market today.
Getting around is easy when you’re a Grand Valley State University student! Don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from getting onboard The Rapid.
The Rapid is the perfect way to get around Greater Grand Rapids area. Whether you are heading to off-campus apartments, Downtown Grand Rapids or the mall–the bus can take you there at no cost. Awesome, right?
Here is a list of locations you can visit for free!
PRO TIP: Hop on the bus and check out Downtown Grand Rapids during ArtPrize. The annual art festival runs from Sept. 19 through Oct. 7 and is free for all to enjoy.
Want to know exactly when the bus will arrive? This is the best way to track when and where your bus is located. Real-time bus arrival information is available in the palm of your hand.
There are five Laker bus routes: 50, 37, 48 and 85. During break season and weekends there are special routes. More information is available here.
Did you know there is a proper way to exit the bus? First, pull the cord above your head. This will signal to the driver that you want to exit the bus at the next stop. Be sure to remain seated until your bus comes to a complete stop. Exit the bus through the rear door so that other riders may board in the front.
PRO TIP: Keep seats open for others. Items like backpacks, purses and jackets should stay with you and not take up empty seats.
You don’t want to be late for class because you missed a bus–make sure you get to your stop early to get on board. While there is room for seated and standing passengers the bus can fill up quickly at peak times.
All buses are equipped with either a double-loading or triple-loading bike rack that fit most two-wheeled bicycles. Follow this easy guide: Bicycles on The Rapid for information on how to easily load your bike on the bus.
Our bus operators love what they do. Feel free to ask them for help or information about the route. They are committed to creating a quality experience for all riders. You can make their day by saying hello or thanking them for their hard work.
The Rapid is a fun and easy way to join the community. It’s an opportunity to sit back and relax while someone else does the driving for you!
Thank you for riding The Rapid. View all GVSU route schedules here.