Transport Services

<p>I looked around a bit on Smith's website, but I couldn't find anything on it, and I couldn't recall anything from the tour. What kind of transport services does Smith have? Specifically from Smith to Boston and back? How much does it cost?</p>

<p>The easiest way from Smith to Boston is to take the Peter Pan Bus. There's a bus station on Craft Ave. downtown (a 5-10 minute walk from Smith) and it costs $46 for students round-trip.</p>

<p>Sometimes students offer rides, and you might be able to do the trip on Amtrak, but the bus is the closest and easiest method of transportation.</p>

<p>how easy/expensive is it to get to nyc?</p>

<p>How long does this bus take?</p>

<p>Bus to Boston - about 2.5 to 3 hours. There's a transfer in Springfield.</p>

<p>I've never taken the bus to New York, but if you google Peter Pan Bus you'll be able to find routes and prices. The student discount is slightly cheaper than the rate on the website.</p>

<p>Smith itself doesn't offer transport services, though your house or an organization you are involved with might organize a trip to a large city during break. </p>

<p>The school does have mini-vans that houses or orgs can borrow to drive places as needed, but you need to be an org or house president to borrow one, and it has to be for some official purpose (though, official purpose could be house trip to the movies or the mall). </p>

<p>So you pretty much have to take the bus everywhere, or sometimes you can take the train in springfield, but the bus is easier and cheaper. you take the Peter Pan from the Noho station, if you buy your tickets in person you can get a student discount. </p>

<p>Alternatively, you can try advertising on sites like the Daily Jolt and if people are driving to boston that weekend they may offer to take you. </p>

<p>Finally, Smith runs vans to the local airport (bradley) at the end of each term for $15, but they don't pick up from the airport.</p>

<p>Okay, so my mom has told me to drive myself to Smith if I go. (live in Boston area) Is owning your own car and driving it around allowed at Smith? I know some colleges don't allow freshmen to have cars on-campus, which is why I am asking this.</p>

<p>First-years can't have cars on campus. Some students get around this by parking on city streets and not in Smith lots.</p>

<p>The full parking rules are found here:
Smith</a> College Department of Public Safety</p>

<p>You can also rent spaces around campus. The Autumn Inn rents parking spaces and is a short walk from the quad. There are parking lots in town that likely do the same (check out the Thorne's parking garage). </p>

<p>But no, as a first year you can't get a parking permit so you won't be able to park on campus except in the (limited) street or public parking spaces. If you can avoid it, I would counsel not bringing a car. Ask someone to drive you on the first day, so they can take your car back. Parking in Noho is very limited, and everytime it snows or threatens to snow, you have to move your car to the snow lot and then trudge down and get it when the snow "emergency" ends, which is a big pain. </p>

<p>Also, paying for the parking space might get expensive, and even when you're an upperclassman and "allowed" to have a car on campus, you have to join a lottery to have a chance of getting one of the few parking permits and you have to seriously pay through the nose. </p>

<p>There are enough people who live in the Boston area and go to Smith to help you get to/from campus and the cost of keeping a car at Smith IMO far exceeds that of the occasional $46 bus ticket.</p>

<p>Zipcar</a> : Organizations : Smith College</p>

<p>Students older than 18 can rent a Zipcar for $7 an hour or $55 a day (includes gas and insurance).</p>