Students traveling for Thanksgiving have several choices of how to get to their destinations, and now Amtrak is offering bus service from the University.
The Department of Public Safety’s Parking Services and Transportation staff struck a deal with Amtrak last week that will enable students to take a coach bus to four Oregon bus depots for Thanksgiving break.
The idea stemmed from Parking and Transportation Manager Ken Boegli’s desire to make transportation more convenient for students. Those who want to travel to other Northwest cities for the four-day weekend can now literally jump on the bus rather than organizing rides or paying taxis to transport them to the Eugene Depot.
Prices vary depending on the destination, but the cost is the same as it would be for a regular Amtrak ticket. Students who only wish to travel as far as Albany will pay $11; Portland travelers will shell out $21. Reserving a seat on connecting trains to Seattle will cost riders an additional $21 or more.
“Our prices are very competitive,” said Boegli. “There’s nothing cheaper, really.”
Former University student Jered Parkin isn’t happy about the new bus service. Parkin and former classmate Jonah Fruchter created the Better Bus last year in an attempt to offer University students an affordable alternative means of transportation before and after Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks. Their tickets to Portland set students back $29 one way and $49 round trip – that’s $8 more than Amtrak’s ticket prices.
“We’re kind of pissed off at Amtrak,” Parkin said. “We almost feel like they’re encroaching on our territory.”
Although Amtrak offers cheaper, more frequent rides and stops at various locations between Eugene and Portland, the Better Bus still has a leg up on the competition in terms of luxury.
“Our bus is a little nicer,” said Parkin. “We show movies and we like to serve snacks.” The Better Bus only serves students.
Parkin’s bus also stops at a station in Tigard, which is more convenient for students destined for the Portland airport because the MAX light rail line is just a short walk away.
Dorm dwellers might also find Better Bus more convenient because it stops right across from the Hamilton and Bean complexes.
Parking Services Officer Dave McIntyre said student drivers might want to consider riding the bus because it costs less to take the bus to Portland than to drive there.
The Amtrak bus will pick students up on the north side of 15th Avenue between Onyx and University Streets at various times between 5:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 and will stop at the Eugene train depot, where students can print their tickets at an electronic machine. The bus will stop at stations in Albany, Salem and Oregon City on the way to Portland. From Union Station, students can connect to trains traveling to Washington and Canada.
One of the bus’s biggest perks is its baggage capacity. Students will be able to carry up to eight bags with them: five checked bags and three carry-ons.
“You could basically move an entire apartment,” said Boegli.
Boegli said Thanksgiving isn’t the only time the University and Amtrak will form an alliance. The new EUO Amtrak station will offer regular bus service through the end of winter term.
McIntyre said Amtrak will also offer a 10-pass discount to students that will allow them to travel home for 40 percent less. He said the discount is “aimed toward people from Portland who like going home on the weekends.”
Weekend buses will leave campus on Fridays and return on Sundays. They will travel straight to Portland without the usual stops in between.
Boegli hopes that students may see a permanent stop, complete with an electronic ticket machine, at the University soon.
“Right now, they want to test it just to see how it does,” said Boegli. “If it works out well, they will consider setting up a permanent station that will travel not just to Portland, but anywhere you’d want to go.”
Boegli said Amtrak “has been very friendly, very open, and very agreeable so far, so they may go for it.”
Students who wish to purchase Amtrak tickets for Thanksgiving break can visit www.amtrak.com. To purchase a ticket on the Better Bus go to uobetterbus.com.
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