A new service to bring a regular bus route to Chicago from Grinnell promises to ease student travel stress before breaks and on weekends. On Friday, November 9th, the first of what will be weekly bus trips departed from in front of the Rosenfield Center. Thanks to this service, students who are having trouble finding a ride back to the Chicago area for winter break or even those who simply want to take a weekend and visit the city can do so at much less of an inconvenience.
The bus service has been arranged by Burlington Trailways Transportation System. “There’s already an existing scheduled route,” said Trailways Sales Manager Trevor Olson, “and we thought it would be beneficial for Grinnell College students.” Buses will depart from the Rosenfield Center at 4 p.m. each Friday afternoon and arrive back on campus at 10 p.m. on Sunday night. The fare is $45.50 each way, and stops in Iowa City, Davenport, Moline, Naperville and Chicago. If sudents want to reserve their seat online, the reservation needs to be made a full day in advance and costs an additional $4. Otherwise, students are encouraged to pay the $45.50 price, with exact change, at the door.
The idea to run the service through Grinnell came from Trailways itself. “Trailways just called us out of the blue and wanted to see if we wanted to be a part of the route,” explains Dean for Student Life Jen Krohn.
“[Facilities Management] thought is was a great idea,” added Olson. “The college says there’s a need, and it makes sense to stop.”
Such a bus service to the college has been long-awaited by almost all students, not just the many Grinnellians from the Chicago area. “Catching rides to O’Hare can really be a pain,” said New Yorker Marc Armbruster ’09. “This line should help everyone out.”
Olson is optimistic that the new service will be successful. “I’ve already had several emails about the service,” Olson said, “Word is getting around.”
