<p>Does Duke provide any transportation to and from the Durham Amtrak station around Thanksgiving? Do taxis wait at the station to pick up passengers on incoming trains? Daughter is thinking of taking Amtrak to Washington, DC for Thanksgiving. Is the Durham Amtrak station in a safe area of town? She'll be traveling alone.</p>
<p>The amtrak station isn't in the my favorite part of town...but the place in itself is nothing to be worried about. I've been there many times before, by myself as a girl, and I've always felt completely fine...don't worry about it.</p>
<p>As for taxi's, she will have to call a company to come pick her up at Duke, but that's not a big deal. I would usually make reservations with Charlene's online, and I've never had a problem with them. It usually costs around $7. As for getting back, I usually call and make a reservation as well, but Charlene's usually has a van going to Duke, so you can usually just hop on that.</p>
<p>What is Charlene's? Can you give me the web site or a phone number? Also, do they go to the airport? Thanks!</p>
<p>Charlene's is a cab company that serve the triangle area (UNC, NCSU, Duke, etc). Website: <a href="http://www.charlenesaferide.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.charlenesaferide.com/</a></p>
<p>Be careful with all the taxi companies - including Charlene's - our experience has been that they overcharge Duke students. My D took Charlene's from the airport to Duke after winter break. The ride was shared with another student who just happened to be there at the same time. </p>
<p>The taxi driver told them he would give them a special rate - only $30 each for a total of $60. My D who had looked at their pricing on line due to an 25% overcharge by another company for Thanksgiving break was able to say wasn't it usually $25 and since they were sharing shouldn't it even be less?</p>
<p>They ended up paying $20 each. So, be certain you have an idea of what the price is before you take a taxi. RDU has a form you can complete regarding your experience with taxi companies. We also filed a complaint with the BBB about the taxi company that overcharged by 25% and received a refund - three months later.</p>
<p>i actually think that when coming back from the airport to duke after breaks, its so much easier to just use the rdu airport cabs that are parked right outside the terminals. people claim that they are more expensive and charlene's or other random cab companies are cheaper, but thats really not always true. the most ive ever paid BY MYSELF for a cab from them is $30. if you split it with someone, its not bad at all and you dont have to keep calling to make sure some driver will be on time since they are always already there. at most it might be only a few dollars more expensive, but its always about the same price and ive never been tricked by them like some other companies do to college kids. you can also call them to come pick you up from your dorm to go to the airport if you want. i find charlene's to be less reliable when it comes to being there at the exact time that you want them.
however, at certain times during the day that break ends, there is a free airport shuttle you can sign up for that is essentially a duke bus that transports people back and forth. it is also usually there at certain times on the day that break ends, so thats sometimes a good option.</p>
<p>I like Charlene's because they take FLEX. I don't take cabs often, though, since my family moved to North Carolina last summer.</p>
<p>Also, I believe that Duke offers buses to RDU on certain days of breaks. I think that Fall and Spring breaks are two of them.</p>
<p>Yes, Duke offers free shuttle service to and from RDU before and after fall break, thanksgiving, and spring break. The shuttles run every 2 hours during those days. Online reservation for them begins about 4 weeks before each break and registration is required.</p>
<p>The free shuttle service is great for those students who fly to the east coast or the midwest. It does not work for students who live on the west coast who need to fly out early in the morning the day after classes end, a Saturday - a day the free shuttle service is NOT available. Flying from RDU to the west coast takes a full day due to connecting flights especially if you are live in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, or Hawaii. It's about 3,000 miles from the East coast to the West coast - about the equilvalent of flying to Africa or Europe from the East coast.</p>