We're excited for you to come explore this beautiful city! If you have any questions about Madison, please get connected with us for help!
Transportation

Get to Madison
-
Whether you fly in from Chicago or Milwaukee, there are buses from the airport: Van Gelder Bus | Megabus
-
Purchase a single trip ticket, not a roundtrip ticket.
-
Once you've gotten to Madison, you can call a Taxi or use Uber or Lyft. See more about taxis below.

Bus
-
Students can get a free bus pass.
-
You can buy 9 or 12 month bus passes.
-
Be at least 5 minutes early to your bus.
-
Track bus departures in the Transit Tracker.
-
Madison buses have bike racks to take your bike for free!

Bikes & Walking
-
Madison is one of the most bike and walking friendly cities in America!
-
If you don't want to purchase your own bike, Madison has electric bicycles available at stations through Madison BCycle
-
Bikes travel in the same direction as traffic and do not go on sidewalks. Bike lanes and bike paths are everywhere in the city.
-
Be safe and wear a helmet!

Cars & Mopeds
-
You will need a license to drive a car or a moped in Madison.
-
You will be required to have car insurance.
-
In America, cars and mopeds drive on the left side of the road.
-
Many students choose to get a scooter or moped because you won't need to go a long distance in Madison.
-
Scooters and Mopeds must be on streets.

Taxis, Uber, Lyft
-
There are two main taxi companies: Madison Taxi and Green Cab.
-
You will need to call a cab - there aren't enough to just hail one on the street.
-
You will also need to specify if you want a direct ride and do not want to share.
-
Green Cab tends to be a little bit more expensive, but more people are satisfied.
-
Generally, rates are $0.25 cents per mile ($0.155 cents per kilometer) and you will need a credit or debit card to pay.
-
You can also hail a car from Uber or Lyft. These app-based companies may be more convenient, but will be more expensive than the taxi companies.
Shopping & Groceries
Medical information
Insurance is extremely vital. A severe accident or injury can set you back financially by hundreds of thousands of dollars easily.
EMERGENCY
If you are having a life or death emergency, please call 911 immediately.

University Health Services offers high-quality medical care to all UW–Madison students. Most fee-based services at UHS are covered at no cost for members of the UW–Madison Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).