In roughly one week, thousands of students will be heading home for Thanksgiving break. The UB Express Bus Home could be a convenient option for students still searching for transportation.
The UB Express Bus Home service drives students to and from Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany and New York City during Thanksgiving, winter and spring break. The bus service, offered by UB Parking and Transportation Services, allows UB students, faculty and staff to purchase round-trip tickets for travel.
Tickets for the Express Bus service can be purchased online up to 48 hours before bus departure, according to Linda Velazquez, marketing and program manager for UB Parking and Transportation Services. Students, faculty and staff may purchase one additional ticket per break for a guest. A UB Card is required to board busses.
“Creating the Express Bus Home program aligned with our mission to offer transportation alternatives and programs to reduce single occupancy vehicles on campus,” Velazquez said in an email.
Round-trip tickets to Syracuse cost $75, Binghamton tickets cost $100, Albany tickets cost $125 and New York City tickets cost $130. All passengers will be returning on Nov. 27 and dropped off at Greiner Hall.
Over 260 students will be traveling to New York City for Thanksgiving recess via the Express Bus Home, according UB Parking and Transportation Services.
UB students often use transportation options such as the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Amtrak, Megabus and Greyhound when traveling back home. The prices of some of these services are comparable to UB’s Express Bus Home.
Student Association club Poder Latinos Unidos will also have a Thanksgiving Bus, which will drop students off to various locations in New York City including the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens.
Natalie Sleap, a senior business major, thinks the Express Bus Home service is a valuable option for students.
“I think [the bus] will be very useful for students,” Sleap said. “I think it’s really hard for students to get back and forth from places like the airport. A lot of people don’t have cars and a lot of people do rely on the buses year round whether or not they live on campus.”
Express Bus Home buses depart from Greiner Hall on North Campus at the arranged time on each departure date.
Velazquez said the Express Bus drivers take security precautions to make sure each passenger is accounted for. Buses and drivers are contracted through D&F Travel, a local charter bus company.
“Each student is accounted for before the buses depart,” she said. “The bus captains will call passengers if they haven’t checked in to make sure they are still making the trip. If the passenger is making a reasonable effort to get to the bus, then the bus will wait for them to arrive.”
Passengers may bring one standard size suitcase and a small, backpack size carry-on bag. There is a bathroom and Wi-Fi access on each bus and food and beverages are allowed during the trip.
Refunds are not permitted for any ticket purchase. However, tickets can be exchanged for another date if there are still spots available. Tickets are also transferrable, according to Parking and Transportation Services’ website.
Sleap said she would “absolutely” utilize the bus service.
“It’s a great value, you get to travel with students and meet other people and it can be a social experience,” she said.
Velazquez believes the service is a critical piece of Parking and Transportation Services’ overall mission.
“Each car taken off the road contributes to the overall campus goal to be more sustainable and environmentally conscious, and each of these offerings in their own way helps to make campus travel more convenient for students and the campus community at large,” Velazquez said.
Jimmy Corra is a staff writer and can be reached at news@ubspectrum.com
