There is one place many Northwestern students hit before heading home for Winter Break: the airport.
But getting there is not always the same. Depending on how much time and money they’re willing to spend, students can get to the airport through a variety of ways.
Those with cash to spare can take a taxi. 303 Taxi and Norshore Cab both offer fixed rates to O’Hare and Midway airports.
303 Taxi charges $27.50 for a ride to O’Hare and $47.30 for a ride to Midway, with a $2 charge for each additional passenger. Norshore Cab charges $28 for a ride to O’Hare and $47 for a ride to Midway, with a $1 charge for additional passengers.
Shehan Fernando, a McCormick junior, said he is planning on taking a cab with some friends to the airport.
“It saves money because we can split the cost,” said Fernando. “And it’s always fun to have friends to hang out with at the airport.”
A cheaper option is public transportation. Pace Bus offers a shuttle from the Davis El Stop to O’Hare every 20 minutes. The cost is $1.50.
There is no bus available for traveling to Midway. But with $1.75 and two free hours, the El is a possible option.
Alex Wall, a Medill freshman, said he intends to take the El to Midway next week because it is cheap and easy.
“It’s going to take me just as long to get from here to Midway as it will take me to actually fly to Philadelphia,” Wall said.
He said he would like to see NU provide free airport transportation, especially during this time of year.
“For $40,000 we should have free transportation. Period,” Wall said.
To service students like Wall, Andrew Solyntjes, a Communication sophomore, and Kris Rottmuller, a Weinberg sophomore, will provide rides to the airport for a charge before Thanksgiving and Winter Break this year. They came up with the idea after hearing that other students were offering rides to the airport to raise money for Dance Marathon last year, Solyntjes said.
Solyntjes said he and Rotmuller plan on using the money they earn to buy new snowboarding gear. He added that his services accomodate students better than other types of transportation.
“We’re more personable than Norshore or 303 Taxi,” he said. “We’re cheaper and have nicer cars.”
Solyntjes and Rottmuller offer fixed rates to O’Hare, Midway and Palwaukee airports. They plan on making up to eight trips to the airport per day, depending on traffic and their schedules.
“We’ll drive at any time of the day, as long as we don’t have class or a final, ” Solyntjes said.
Reach Robin Johnson at [email protected].
