<p>Since Birmingham is the closest big airport to Tuscaloosa and you can get good cheap rates through Southwest there, is there a shuttle service to and from campus to the Birmingham airport?</p>
<p>It doesn’t have to be through the University, although that would be great. Wondering if anyone knows of a company that provides this service and how one would make reservations.</p>
<p>Thanks for any input.</p>
<p>Yeah- I’ll be using the UA shuttle on my way back from Kansas City (via Southwest, no less). It’s $30 each way (a bit steep, yeah) but if you’re car-less, it’s much more convenient and a bit cheaper then the alternatives. </p>
<p>Your other options are taking a cab from the airport, using Amtrak or Greyhound to get to Tuscaloosa, then taking a cab to campus- either way will run you $35 to $40.</p>
<p>The shuttles are leaving on the 5th, 8th, and 10th, and the site’s here:</p>
<p>[Housing</a> & Residential Communities - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/shuttle.cfm]Housing”>http://housing.ua.edu/shuttle.cfm)</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the link. We will definitely use this during break periods. I was looking for a shuttle service for “homesick” visits, especially during long weekends.</p>
<p>We were wondering if there was a network of carpoolers to the ATL airport as it is much ceaper to fly from ATL to Newark or NY. But I think they must have somekind of network for rides.</p>
<p>johnr441, depending on how far you live from the Northeast Corridor line, perhaps an alternative for you would be taking Amtrak to Baltimore and then catching a relatively cheaper Southwest flight to Birmingham?</p>
<p>I did something similar when I brought son to a program in DC, thanks to a tip I learned at the BWI airport. If you can get to Union Station, you can take the MARC train for six bucks to BWI airport. From there, you can take Southwest to Birmingham. Not only inexpensive, but you earn free flights and they’re refundable! Another parent took the Acela from Union Station up to Jersey. It was more expensive than regular Amtrak, but much faster.</p>
<p>I’m actually waiting for the shuttle as I write this. It works very well and is the easiest, cheapest option if you don’t have a car. The non-UA shuttle is $80 one way, but there may be discounts on that.</p>
<p>Johnr441, I bet it would be possible to find someone from Atlanta to share a ride with and who would drop you off at that airport. There is a BHM-ATL shuttle too, but it may prove better to pay the extra money and fly into BHM. Oddly enough, BHM is usually cheaper for me to fly into, even when connecting in Atlanta, but I’m from the west coast.</p>
<p>^^^^^</p>
<p>If you’re going to Atlanta, you’ll definitely want to take Amtrak or drive. FWIW, I’ve driven over a few times my first semester with friends (for Six Flags, the U2/Muse concert, etc) and it’s roughly a three to four hour drive depending on your speed.
By the way, there is very, very little police coverage for the highway from Birmingham to Atlanta, and much of the traffic is going 90mph and up.</p>
<p>When my DS left for UA his first year, he flew Southwest into BHM. I reserved a ride with “Birmingham Door to Door” shuttle service. I don’t recall the price but considering DS had two large bags with rollers and his backpack, I was not complaining. </p>
<p>DS used the shuttle service arranged by Campus Housing for his winter/Semester break last year. </p>
<p>DS now has a car on campus. I share the drive (10+ hours) and fly back. This year, I flew down in December. DS picked me up at the airport and we headed North on I 65.<br>
Just this past Monday (1/4/2010) DS and I drove back to campus because DS had to be back for (athletic) practice. I stayed in his room, DS took the couch. No other suite mate was sheduled to be back that night. On Tuesday DS drove me back to the airport.</p>
<p>Great plan, mom3. It’s amazing how we always used to think of round trip. As we’re exploring colleges, I have learned to be flexible in not only airlines, but methods of travel. I’m actually thinking of taking the train home myself one time, just to get some peace and maybe finally read a book. It’s supposed to be a short train ride from Tuscaloosa to New Orleans, relatively speaking, of course.</p>