North by Northwestern

ASG is providing students with a new way to escape Northwestern and dreary Chicago weather.

In a press release sent out Wednesday, the student government announced its new program, the Airport Shuttle, which aims to “provide students with a cheap and convenient option for traveling…from campus to O’Hare Airport” from March 19 to 21.

According to ASG Public Relations Director Kelsey Kenady, the Airport Shuttle will be a convenient alternative to other modes of transportation, like the Kiss ’n’ Fly shuttle.

“[Our shuttle is] easier because it’s more centrally located for people who live on North Campus, so the bus is a good alternative but it’s a little farther away and it’s not always as reliable,” Kenady said. “Also, because it goes straight to O’Hare, there’s less confusion about where you get off at.”

Reservations for the shuttle, which will go on sale both online and at the Norris Box Office on March 9 at 10:30 a.m., will cost $10. The shuttle times are available in the press release published below.

The program is currently limited to transporting students to O’Hare, but the revenue expected from Spring Break travelers could help fund future trips to Midway Airport and lower ticket prices in the future.

This innovation comes a year after the introduction of RideShare, a program to connect students to share taxis to and from O’Hare and Midway.

According to Kenady, helping students travel to and from the university is a priority for ASG.

“It makes it more convenient for students to get to the airport and because so many people live out of state it’s obviously a concern for people trying to get there,” Kenady said. “Especially when the start of breaks comes around, they need a way to the airport, it can be difficult or expensive to get a taxi, so it makes sense that we provide our own service for students to get to the airport.”

Read the press release below.

ASG BRINGS AIRPORT SHUTTLE SERVICE TO CAMPUS

The ASG Airport Shuttle Service will give provide students with a cheap and convenient option for traveling to from campus to O’Hare Airport.

The ASG Airport Shuttle will pick up Northwestern students at 600 Emerson Street (Cahn Auditorium) and drop them off at O’Hare Airport, terminal 1. As of now, the shuttle service will only take students to O’Hare Airport. However, with the revenue of this service in March, the ASG hopes to expand service to Midway, provide return trips back to campus, and lower the cost of shuttle tickets during our spring quarter service.
The ASG would like to emphasize that reservations will sell out quickly given their limited supply. The ASG encourages all students who need to travel to the O’Hare airport to consider reserving their seats as soon as possible.
Reservations for the Airport Shuttle will cost $10 and will be sold online and in person through the Norris Box Office starting March 9, 2009 at 10:30 AM. You can make your reservation through the below website.

The ASG Rideshare service will also be available for use starting March 7, 2009 at Noon. Students can use the new and improved ASG RideShare service to get to and from O’hare and Midway.

More information on both services can be found at http://www.asg.northwestern.edu/goairport.

Thomas Smithburg, ASG Operations Director, noted, “ASG is very excited to offer this new service to the students of Northwestern. This is a part of our current push to emphasize action by students for students.”
All busses will arrive on campus 20-30 minutes before scheduled departure. All passengers should plan on boarding no later than 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. All times listed on the tickets are departure times. Busses will depart on time and will not wait for any passengers who are late, without exception. Students should assume that busses will take at least 1 hour to arrive to O’Hare, but travel time may fluctuate unexpectedly based on traffic conditions. The bus will make one drop-off stop at Terminal 1 and will not make any alterations to its route. There is an Airport Transit System which allows students to easily travel around the airport to any terminal at O’Hare.
SHUTTLE SCHEDULE
3/19 6:00 AM
3/19 9:00 AM
3/19 11:35 AM
3/19 2:15 PM
3/20 6:00 AM
3/20 9:00 AM
3/20 11:35 AM
3/20 2:15 PM
3/21 6:00 AM
3/21 8:30 AM
3/21 11:05 AM
3/21 1:40 PM

The team of Tom Smithburg, Timothy Wright, Jonathon Koenig, Visraant Iyer, and Leezia Dhalla facilitated the development of this greatly needed project.