| Revision as of 04:40, 27 April 2013 edit173.77.70.184 (talk) →External links: added link to a recent article about the company← Previous edit | Revision as of 06:09, 27 April 2013 edit undo173.197.73.164 (talk) undo vandalismNext edit → | ||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| ⚫ | In 1983, a student of the University of Illinois started Suburban Express, which contracted buses from established carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.<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> | ||
| Students of the ] have had a variety of transportation options over the life of the university. In the early 1980's, most students wishing to travel to the Chicago area used ] (]s), ] (]es) and ]. | |||
| ⚫ | 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. The concept was partially encouraged by a Greyhound ]'s ] around the same period. Charter service continued in the spring of 1984, but was not allowed to sell tickets at the university travel center.<ref name="farewars"/> By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illini Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales.<ref name="farewars"/> | ||
| ⚫ | In 1983, a student of the University of Illinois started Suburban Express |
||
| ⚫ | 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. |
||
| A ] between Greyhound and Suburban Express ensued and by February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound also contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The first ICC investigation in Spring of 1984 found Suburban Express to be operating a regular service without the ICC's approval. In response Suburban Express changed the operation to a private charter for UIUC students and staff excluding it from ICC jurisdiction. The second investigation was in the fall of 1984 and found the company to be operating according to ICC rules.<ref name="farewars"/> | |||
| ⚫ | Suburban Express eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular mode of transportation to and from the Chicago suburbs.<ref>''Champaign man takes one of the last Concorde trips''; Lynda Zimmer. News-Gazette Staff Writer. News Gazette. Champaign, Ill. Oct 29, 2003. pg. B.5.</ref> In 1989, Greyhound pulled out of the Champaign-to-Suburbs market altogether.<ref>Russell's Guide September 1999 - GLI Schedule 397 removed from publication</ref> Suburban Express added ] in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985.<ref name="farewars"/> SE served Illinois State University from 1989-1993 and 2003–present. As of 2013, annual ridership is approximately 100,000 passengers. <ref>http://www.suburbanexpress.com/ord033113statement.html</ref> | ||
| In the spring of 1984, the Illini Union Travel Center also attempted to create its own charter service to recover increasing losses of commissions on ticket sales. Unable to compete with Greyhound and Suburban Express, the university's charter service ended after only one weekend of service. By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illini 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 eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular mode of transportation to |
||
| Similar ventures were formed at other midwestern universities to transport students to the Chicago suburbs. | |||
| * HoosierBus serves ] and ] and was founded in 2003 by two University students.<ref>https://www.hoosierbus.com/about.html</ref> | |||
| * Catch A Ride, Inc. serves Indiana University, founded by a parent of IU students.<ref>http://www.catcharide.com/about.html</ref> | |||
| * Burbsbus.com used to serve Iowa | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 59: | Line 51: | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 06:09, 27 April 2013
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Misplaced Pages's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (November 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
 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.bigbus.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, 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 the Chicago Airports of O'Hare and Midway and the suburbs.
History
In 1983, a student of the University of Illinois started Suburban Express, which contracted buses from established carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.
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. The concept was partially encouraged by a Greyhound bus driver's strike around the same period. Charter service continued in the spring of 1984, but was not allowed to sell tickets at the university travel center. By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illini Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales.
A price war between Greyhound and Suburban Express ensued and by February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound also contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The first ICC investigation in Spring of 1984 found Suburban Express to be operating a regular service without the ICC's approval. In response Suburban Express changed the operation to a private charter for UIUC students and staff excluding it from ICC jurisdiction. The second investigation was in the fall of 1984 and found the company to be operating according to ICC rules.
Suburban Express eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular mode of transportation to and from the Chicago suburbs. In 1989, Greyhound pulled out of the Champaign-to-Suburbs market altogether. Suburban Express added Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985. SE served Illinois State University from 1989-1993 and 2003–present. As of 2013, annual ridership is approximately 100,000 passengers.
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.
- Champaign man takes one of the last Concorde trips; Lynda Zimmer. News-Gazette Staff Writer. News Gazette. Champaign, Ill. Oct 29, 2003. pg. B.5.
- Russell's Guide September 1999 - GLI Schedule 397 removed from publication
- http://www.suburbanexpress.com/ord033113statement.html
Further reading
- Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound. Dan Rozek. Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20. (Large article about the company, covers 3/4 of the page. Discusses the creation of the company, two attempts by the Illinois Commerce Commission to shut it down and fare war with Greyhound.)