<p>Which car rentals is recommended in Tuscaloosa (<em>not</em> the airport)? My family would like to take a taxi to Tuscaloosa then find a rental there. </p>
<p>IIRC, the only car rental companies in Tuscaloosa are Enterprise and Zipcar, both of which are typically more expensive than renting at the Birmingham airport. Any reason why your parents don’t want to drive to campus? It’s an easy drive on the freeway, much of which is in rural areas with little traffic and 70 MPH speed limits in the slow lane. One simply drives from the airport at exit 129 to campus at exit 73.</p>
<p>Just curious - what’s the average cost of taxi service from the airport to campus?</p>
<p>When I checked 2 years ago, the quotes I got were around $90. I believe Birmingham Door to Door Shuttle is $80 one way plus tip (so about the same) but with the taxi if you have more than one person you can share the cost. You can’t do that with the shuttle.</p>
<p>So, for a student traveling alone, why not just take Greyhound? Even with the cost of taxi service to and from the Greyhound stations in B’ham and Tuscaloosa, it’s still going to be about $50 - $60 less.</p>
<p>@ seatide We never traveled on interstates or highways or whatever you call it before… We never had traveled over 50 mph to get where we needed to go lol. </p>
<p>Two years ago, Tony was charging $65 each way plus tip as the rate for one student. Birmingham Door to Door was $80 one way, $130 roundtrip for one person.</p>
<p>Honors2regular, that’s very interesting. I live in area with some of the worst traffic in the country and there are still places where one can drive 50+ MPH during rush hour. Interstates/freeways/limited access highways (no stop lights, one takes ramps to exit the road) are statistically much safer than regular roads as the lanes are wider and people have almost no reason to stop on the roadway.</p>
<p>Without going into detail were I’m from, we are just not comfortable driving on interstates/freeways/highways. We are set on taking a taxi to Tuscaloosa and renting a car there. If we were to go back to Alabama next year, I’m sure we would be more confident in renting a car at the airport. Is the enterprise your reffering to on the South side of Tuscaloosa? Where is zipcar? </p>
<p>When renting a car, Enterprise will pick you up and drop you off throughout Tuscaloosa, hence their slogan. Their actual office is on Skyland Blvd on the other side of the freeway from campus. Zipcar is a program where gas and some insurance is built into the rental price and the cars can be rented by the hour or by the day. There are few scattered around campus. One reserves them online or via an app.</p>
<p>I dont think zipcar will work for you since you are not yet a student, but maybe.</p>
<p>I have had very good luck with enterprise.</p>
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Which car rentals is recommended in Tuscaloosa (<em>not</em> the airport)? My family would like to take a taxi to Tuscaloosa then find a rental there.
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<p>I can tell you that driving on I-20 is not like driving on interstates elsewhere…it is very easy. I doubt that there would be any traffic. It will be very expensive for your family to take a taxi BACK and FORTH…plus renting a car. I dont know what time you will be arriving in Tuscaloosa, but if it is after the car rental place is closed, you will have a problem. If you need the car for early the next morning, that will also be an issue.</p>
<p>we have about two full days after we land to use the car rental’s business hours. My father and I have discussed the price and we are still considering what we should do when the time comes. </p>
<p>@ sea tide from ur post, it sounds like enterprise is a taxi lol (Enterprise will pick you up and drop you off throughout Tuscaloosa). I never rented a car before so I kind of don’t understand what you mean.</p>
<p>OP, are you going for BamaBound? If you end up taking a taxi to and from the airport, you really don’t need to rent a car for Bama Bound. It will involve alot of walking (especially to the Capstone) and to the strip for some meals, but if you are up for it, you can do without a car. The downside is you won’t be able to explore Tuscaloosa, but when either did my freshman in his entire 1st year there. You will just have a lot of time to see the campus (and I believe the Crimson Ride is running…at least it was when we were there.)</p>
<p>I am not particularly a strong driver, but I found driving to and from Birmingham and Tuscaloosa to be easy. I had a GPS, but I could have gotten to Tuscaloosa by just following the road signs.</p>
<p>About Enterprise:</p>
<p>If you’re at a hotel, or on campus, or wherever, and need to rent a car, Enterprise will pick you up from where you are, and drive you over to their rental office so you can rent a car. Later, when you’re done with your rental car and drop it off, an Enterprise employee will give you a ride back to wherever you need to go. Their “pick up and drop off” service means that you don’t have to pay a cab just to get back and forth to the car rental office.</p>
<p>You might want to ask if there is a parent going to BB on your dates before you book a taxi service. There is likely someone who would offer you a ride. </p>
<p>Those coming from out of state and renting cars, check if your rental car will have GPS - if not, bring your portable one from home…we find that very helpful. (Don’t like to use phone as GPS while driving…) </p>
<p>I agree that it’s much more cost-efficient to rent a car at the BHM airport and to drive. It’s a very straightforward drive; HOWEVER, I will say that I’ve never seen folks drive as fast as they do there (and for the record I’ve lived in southern CA, where the flow of traffic was typically 75MPH in a 65MPH zone). Alabamans also seem to tailgate more than southern Californians. In that regard, they’re more like northeastern drivers–but we rarely have the opportunity to drive over 70MPH. </p>
<p>Plan to stay in the slow lane if you’re not accustomed to driving 85MPH, but really it’s not a bad drive at all.</p>
<p>Also, I agree about the GPS. The area around the university is slightly confusing, and it’s not a simple grid layout like lot of cities/campuses.</p>
<p>I will say that once you are on campus, you will not need a car. But if you needed to take a taxi around town, the cost is pretty cheap…just a few dollars.</p>
<p>For anyone staying at the Hotel Capstone, there is a little known service that they have. They have a shuttle/van that can drop you around campus. They have taken me to the Amtrak station, and also dropped and picked me up around campus during one stay when I had an injury. This was free, but please remember to tip the shuttle driver a few dollars. Now, I haven’t used this service in a few years but I believe they still have it. However, the driver does double duty around the hotel so, you may have to wait a little bit. If you can let them know in advance what time you need service, that speeds things up. They are very accommodating there.</p>
<p>We loved the Hotel Capstone but the shuttle was not available when we stayed there in March. We had hoped they would pick us up from the train station in Tuscaloosa, but we were told we’d have to take a taxi. VERIFY it will be available if you need to rely on it.</p>
<p>Zipcar is not just for college students. Ones account is also valid for Zipcars on other campuses and in many major cities.</p>
<p>There is a way to get from the airport to campus which avoids all but ~5 miles of the interstate, but it will take an hour or so longer. You’d be following US 11 for much of the route.</p>
<p>(205) 348-RIDE does pick up at the Hotel Capstone and will take you anywhere on campus when the buses aren’t running. The 348-RIDE drivers are state employees, so tips are not accepted.</p>
<p>Yes, I didn’t use the shuttle from the Hotel Capstone when I arrived at the Amtrak station, I am assuming they can’t wait around for people but they did take me back to the station when I left. However, perhaps they no longer have this service…I guess you would have to call to find out.</p>