| Revision as of 17:13, 3 May 2013 editCorporateM (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, File movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers40,012 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 12:06, 5 May 2013 edit undoNegatedVoid (talk | contribs)62 edits Remove an incorrect citation. Add a citation needed tag to where it was.Next edit → | ||
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| Suburban Express was founded in 1983 by a University of Illinois student.<ref name=farewars>''Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound''. Dan Rozek. ]. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.</ref> The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the Chicago suburbs for the ] break in 1983 undercutting Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8.<ref name="farewars"/> In 1984 UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express ticket sales at the university travel center, since the school received a ] for selling tickets from competitor Greyhound.<ref name="farewars"/> | Suburban Express was founded in 1983 by a University of Illinois student.<ref name=farewars>''Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound''. Dan Rozek. ]. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.</ref> The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the Chicago suburbs for the ] break in 1983 undercutting Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8.<ref name="farewars"/> In 1984 UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express ticket sales at the university travel center, since the school received a ] for selling tickets from competitor Greyhound.<ref name="farewars"/> | ||
| A ] ensued between Suburban Express and |
A ] ensued between Suburban Express and Greyhound. By February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The ICC found that Suburban Express was operating without their approval, so the company moved to a private charter, excluding it from the ICC's jurisdiction. A second investigation in the Fall of 1984 found that the service was compliant.<ref name="farewars"/> | ||
| By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illinois Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time, the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly.<ref name="farewars"/> Suburban Express added ] in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985.<ref name="farewars"/> Illinois State University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003–present |
By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illinois Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time, the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly.<ref name="farewars"/> Suburban Express added ] in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985.<ref name="farewars"/> Illinois State University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003–present{{citation needed}}. | ||
| Since 1994, Suburban Express has filed 204 lawsuits, with 125 of them filed in 2013.<ref name="DI-26Apr2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyillini.com/news/local/article_43a45b74-ae1a-11e2-9a0d-0019bb30f31a.html |title=Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit |last=Ruff |first=Corinne |publisher=] |date=26 April 2013 |accessdate=27 April 2013}}</ref> Many of these lawsuits target passengers for alleged violations of Suburban Express' terms of service,<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013">{{cite web|url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ |title= | Since 1994, Suburban Express has filed 204 lawsuits, with 125 of them filed in 2013.<ref name="DI-26Apr2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyillini.com/news/local/article_43a45b74-ae1a-11e2-9a0d-0019bb30f31a.html |title=Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit |last=Ruff |first=Corinne |publisher=] |date=26 April 2013 |accessdate=27 April 2013}}</ref> Many of these lawsuits target passengers for alleged violations of Suburban Express' terms of service,<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013">{{cite web|url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ |title= | ||
Revision as of 12:06, 5 May 2013
 | |
 Illini Shuttle, operated by Suburban Express, at the Illinois Terminal in Champaign, Illinois. | |
| Founded | 1983 (1983) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 714 S Sixth Street Champaign, Illinois 61820 |
| Service area | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa |
| Service type | Intercity coach service |
| Destinations | 6 Universities served and Chicago suburbs |
| Website | http://www.suburbanexpress.com |
Suburban Express is a bus company that serves six midwest universities: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Purdue University, Indiana University, and the University of Iowa. Weekend services transport students from all six campuses directly to several Suburban Chicago locations. The Illini Shuttle runs five times each day from Champaign to O'Hare and the suburbs.
History
Suburban Express was founded in 1983 by a University of Illinois student. The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the Chicago suburbs for the Thanksgiving break in 1983 undercutting Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8. In 1984 UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express ticket sales at the university travel center, since the school received a commission for selling tickets from competitor Greyhound.
A price war ensued between Suburban Express and Greyhound. By February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The ICC found that Suburban Express was operating without their approval, so the company moved to a private charter, excluding it from the ICC's jurisdiction. A second investigation in the Fall of 1984 found that the service was compliant.
By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illinois Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time, the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly. Suburban Express added Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985. Illinois State University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003–present.
Since 1994, Suburban Express has filed 204 lawsuits, with 125 of them filed in 2013. Many of these lawsuits target passengers for alleged violations of Suburban Express' terms of service, including failing to pay penalty fares of $100 for presenting invalid or misdated tickets, or for canceling payment for buses that did not show up. Students and journalists have questioned the company's practice of filing lawsuits in neighboring Ford County, rather than in Champaign County, as students at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign are not entitled to aid from Student Legal Services for lawsuits outside of county boundaries.
In April 2013, Suburban Express' legal representation threatened to sue a Reddit forum moderator, demanding in a letter that "libelous postings" be removed from a thread devoted to University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Suburban Express retracted its threat after receiving negative reactions in the media, referred to as "cowardly bullying" by some.
Services
Suburban express is a "virtual" bus company that did not itself own any buses or facilities. Instead, it contracts buses from established carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.
References
- Special Weekend Service Between U of I and Chicago Suburbs
- Illini Shuttle service between Champaign and Chicago Airports
- ^ Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound. Dan Rozek. Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.
- ^ Ruff, Corinne (26 April 2013). "Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit". Daily Illini. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Gallagher, Sean (26 April 2013). "Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Brumleve, Will (26 April 2013). "Bus firm's lawsuits criticized". News-Gazette. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Doctorow, Cory (27 April 2013). "Suburban Express bus-line sends bullying, cowardly legal threat to Reddit, discovers Streisand Effect". Boing Boing. Retrieved 27 April 2013.