<p>I'm an incoming freshman and with a brother moving into SLU on the 23rd, my parents and I are having to become creative with our transportation. My dad is considering flying into Chicago and then taking a bus to ND so he can help my mom and I move my things into ND. I heard there was a bus service students typically use to travel to Chicago and back. Does anyone know the name of this bus service and/or the cost? Thank you!</p>
<p>It is run by Coach USA and does go all the way to ND and drops off by the bookstore. I always viewed it as a good option as they have lots of busses throughout the day. It used to be about 26 per way, but they may have raised the price. I believe the website for it is busville.com</p>
<p>great! thank you!</p>
<p>Coach</a> USA
800-248-8747
one way - $36
round trip - $63</p>
<p>Here is the website for the bus. Tri</a> State Coach / United Limo</p>
<p>It contains the schedules, fares, etc. and you can make your reservations online. The ticket is good for any bus traveling on that day. Daughter utilizes the bus to/from Notre Dame to/from Chicago Midway and O'Hare. Although the schedule says travel time is approx. 3 hrs., it is more like 2 hrs. </p>
<p>Just keep in mind that Chicago is an hour behind ND when making plane reservations! And don't worry about there never being a bus -- they always have buses for people traveling back and forth.</p>
<p>Personally, I DESPISE that bus. It's uncomfortable, and, while often convenient, sometimes gets stuck in traffic or forces you to leave at inopportune times.</p>
<p>See what the prices are like adding a connecting flight from Chicago to South Bend - MUCH more convenient, and at least for me, flying from New York, it ends up being only around 30 bucks extra round trip over the bus.</p>
<p>I like the bus and find that the extra plane ride-if you include the waiting period of taking off and landing- is often not that much of an advantage time-wise. Booking the extra flight now, with fuel prices the way they are may make it even more desirable to take the bus. Personally, I find the bus ride comfortable and fairly convenient as an option to get to South Bend.</p>
<p>kevdude was partially correct. We found that the difference would be literally a few dollars to fly rather than ride the bus. Though we were lucky on the flight we found. Thanks to all, the info will be helpful in the future.</p>
<p>You can also fly directly into South Bend from some airports. If the cost isn't too prohibitive, its pretty convenient. The South Bend airport is so small that going through security and claiming baggage don't take much time at all.</p>
<p>I always fly through Cleveland or Cincinnati straight into South Bend. It is so much easier than going through Chicago.</p>
<p>Just remember...flying into South Bend from another airport means that you are going in on one of the "prop jobs"...as someone who worked in the aerospace industry and has flown into South Bend many times under the worst weather conditions, I can tell you that I would rather have my (dear, precious, irreplaceable) daughter ride a bus from Chicago to Notre Dame, than to fly into South Bend,...especially in fall, winter, and spring....(High winds, unpredictable weather, etc...) It all comes down to $$ or safety...and I would put my $ on safety...take the bus!</p>
<p>Actually, I usually end up in an express jet coming into South Bend.</p>
<p>It is a matter of personal preference, I think, as to flying directly into SB vs Bus. Our student's experience has been strictly flying into SB. And, (knock on wood), he has never encountered any issues due to small jet service and weather, lost luggage, etc. He has, on the other hand, heard stories of lost luggage, missed flights (due to bus delays), and delayed flights out of O'Hare. His flying into SB is definately personal preference and of time-saving and ease of trip planning as well. And, while some may say that it is not worth the add'l cost, we have been fairly lucky with regard to air fare. We do start to pay attention to air fare well in advance of when he needs to plan for a flight. I think that this makes a huge difference. In terms of travel, we have always tried to plan trips with the least amount of plane changes, bus travel, etc. This way there are less interruptions (barring weather) in terms of late flights and lost luggage. And, cab service to and from SB airport has been great, with our student many times having shared a cab with other students for minimal cost. Again, this may be personal preference (and at this time cost, for many), but perhaps different accounts of travel exp to ND will help in making travel plans.</p>
<p>"Our student's experience has been strictly flying into SB. And, (knock on wood), he has never encountered any issues..."</p>
<p>Knocking on wood, and the spoken expression "knock on wood" or "touch wood" are used to express a desire to avoid "tempting fate" after making some boast or speaking of one's own death. </p>
<p>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The expression is usually used in the hope that a good thing will continue to occur after it has been acknowledged.</p>
<p>From MS---Take the bus.</p>
<p>There has been an average of 173 incidents defined as "crashes" per year in the WHOLE WORLD since 2000. Air travel is the safest practical method of travel available. The only problem with the small planes is that the flights are a bit rocky and are more susceptible to cancellations than the average plane. You are not running a serious risk of them dropping precipitously from the sky mid flight, certainly no more than the chance of the bus flipping over on the highway (in my opinion, a much more likely scenario, based on traffic patterns and the fact that you relying on literally hundreds of other drivers to ensure a safe trip, as opposed to the one, specifically trained pilot).</p>
<p>It is a matter of personal preference!!</p>
<p>jonoam ...so, what route did you choose?</p>
<p>no one has mentioned the train...there is a train station at south bend regional...i think my ticket for thanksgiving break this year was aroun 15 or 25 dollars</p>
<p>as it turns out, my gpa will now be helping my brother move in, allowing my dad to miss out on all of the transportation problems. we were going to go with Coach USA but now that tjlax has brought up the train as a possibility, we might keep that in mind for the future.</p>