GO-Express Travel offers Chicagoland route to students

GO-Express Travel, one of Bloomington’s primary bus shuttles, has created a Chicagoland Express route for students heading home to Illinois.

The service began around 2011, and it has been taking IU students who live in the Chicago region back home for the weekends. 

Even though the Chicagoland Express has been around for two years, the company is just now starting to push for new riders on the route.

“This deal has been going on for years, but we are still preparing to advertise it,” GO-Express employee Martin McCormack said. “Any customer who rides our shuttle service will receive a 15 percent discount at one of Chicago’s most prestigious hotels, the Intercontinental Hotel.”

According to the GO-Express Travel schedule, the route starts at McNutt Quad and also stops in Merrillville, Ind., in Lake County.

From there the bus takes passengers to downtown Chicago via the Metra Rail system.
This service not only helps Chicago residents wanting to go home, but also gives other students the opportunity to visit the Windy City and discover the sights and attractions the city offers.

On the Chicagoland Express, one-way tickets cost $46 and round trips $89.
Previous IU students from Illinois said they have had a positive experience when they used GO-Express Travel in the past.

“This Chicagoland bus company was simply a revelation with anyone who is condemned to driving to and from school,” IU alumna Nikki Liddy said. “This saved my family and me a great deal of stress and money. The reoccurring scenarios of driving five hours back and forth in my vehicle were getting extremely degrading.”

The service also offers charter vehicles that can serve as few a couple of people or groups of hundreds and can be booked to take students anywhere in the continental United States for any length of time.

Other students have taken interest upon hearing about this opportunity and have looked into purchasing tickets.

“I was all worried about how I will get home for the holidays, but this seems like a great alternative,” freshman Ellen Weaver said. “I was longing on making a visit to see my family for Halloween this year, and it seems this service will help make my wish come true.”