As UW-Madison students prepare travel plans to get to and from Madison for Thanksgiving break this week, two student-run bus companies are providing convenient, low-cost services to get home.
Madison Shuttle, a new bus shuttle service to various UW campuses that was conceptualized earlier this fall, will officially launch its operations Tuesday.
Kelly Shafer, a UW-Madison junior and the company's marketing director, said the goal of the company is to provide students with a bus service that is affordable and convenient.
Current travel destinations include UW-Whitewater, UW-Waukesha, UW-Milwaukee and UW-La Crosse on school buses, with ticket prices starting at just $14 roundtrip.
We hope that as we get more established it will be an inter-campus way to get around. Hopefully we can have a Milwaukee to Green Bay [bus], and not even be centralized around Madison,"" Shafer said.
She said Madison Shuttle has already had a successful trial run from UW-Madison to UW-Whitewater Nov. 9-11.
""I talked to a few students on the bus and they seemed really pleased with the experience, and it's something they said they would definitely use again in the future because it is such a low cost,"" Shafer said, adding that low cost allows students to take spontaneous weekend trips.
Over Thanksgiving break, Madison Shuttle plans to have more buses in service than a usual weekend, according to Shafer.
Students can buy their tickets in advance on the Madison Shuttle's website, www.madisonshuttle.com, or the day of the trip. The company is offering $2 off any purchase until midnight Monday.
Mad-Bus, a second student-run bus company, will also be in service over the Thanksgiving break.
Mad-Bus was started in 2001 by Jeremy Schwach, a UW-Madison alumnus, according to the company's current manager Katie Vieau.
Schwach also started two similar bus companies, Hoosier Bus, which services Indiana University and Purdue University students, and Gofer Bus at the University of Minnesota.
""The managers are always students and the services are tailored for students,"" Vieau said.
She said the company's coach buses make once-a-month weekend trips to the Twin Cities area, but also runs during all major breaks and holidays.
Students are picked up in one of four locations on campus and then dropped off either in St. Paul or a suburb of Minneapolis.
""Thanksgiving is always our biggest trip,"" Vieau said, adding there will be more buses in service this week for the holiday.
In order to compensate for the higher demand over Thanksgiving, Mad-Bus is offering two departure dates - Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. - and two return times on Nov. 25 at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. As of press time, the Nov. 20 bus to the Twin Cities was full.
Round trip tickets cost $69 and one way tickets cost $39. For more information, log on to https://www.mad-bus.com/.
