Those without vehicles have numerous options to get hither and yon.
Car
Carbondale has several automobile-rental businesses, so getting
home by car isn't a problem, even if you don't have wheels. Drivers
typically need to have valid drivers' licenses in their possession
(tickets may not count). Different rental companies have different
age, insurance, and credit requirements; make sure to call first
and ask whether you qualify as a renter. Rates can be extremely
cheap, though they vary according to special deals and the makes
and models of different cars. Get a few people to ride along and
pitch in for the trip, and offset these recent high gas prices.
Auffenberg of Carbondale: 457-3391.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car: 549-6995.
Vogler/Ford Rental System: 457-8135.
Rail
Two Amtrak trains travel between Chicago's Union Station
and Carbondale's Strip-- the Illini and the City of
New Orleans.
Two Illini trains leave at 4:05 p.m., one heading south from Chicago
and one heading north from Carbondale; both are scheduled to arrive
at 9:35 p.m. with numerous stops along the way.
The City of New Orleans departs from Chicago at 8 p.m. and arrives
in Carbondale at about 1:20 a.m. before heading south to the Crescent
City. The northbound train stops in Carbondale at about 3:10 a.m.
and reaches Chicago at 9 a.m.
Train departure and arrival times are notoriously arbitrary. Get
to the station early and bring an iPod, book, or a laptop with
a DVD player.
The base rate for a single-passenger round-trip ticket from Carbondale
to Chicago is $79. Amtrak, however, offers numerous discounts
and promotions, including a Student Advantage Card, that can significantly
reduce ticket prices. For more information, including complete
schedules, call a local travel agent, call Amtrak at (800) USA-RAIL,
or log on to <http://www.amtrak.com>.
Bus
Greyhound Bus Lines offers daily bus service to Chicago,
St. Louis, and other locations. Chicago stops are at Ninety-fifth
Street and at the downtown Greyhound Station, two blocks from
Union Station. St. Louis busses stop downtown near the Edward
Jones Dome.
Standard fare roundtrip to downtown Chicago is $93; the
seven-day advance purchase price is $78. Greyhound offers
two trips between Chicago and Carbondale per day. Standard fare
to St. Louis is $25.50. At least two busses head between
Carbondale and the Gateway City per day.
Greyhound offers numerous discounts-- for students, veterans,
and so forth. Call your travel agent or the Carbondale Greyhound
station at (618) 549-3495 for details, or log on to <http://www.greyhound.com>.
Air
RegionsAir, via American Connection, schedules
four daily flights on weekdays and three on weekends from the
Williamson County Regional Airport (located ten miles east
of Carbondale at Routes 13 and 148) to St. Louis's Lambert
International Airport. Connections through American or other
airlines can shoot you to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
or other destinations (which in Illinois include Decatur, Moline,
Peoria, Champaign, Springfield, Bloomington-Normal, Quincy, Belleville,
and Rockford).
This is obviously the fastest way to St. Louis or
Chicago-- flight time to St. Louis is about forty-five minutes,
while a flight from Williamson County to Chicago via Lambert can
go as quickly as two-and-a-half hours (though three or
four hours is more common). Roundtrip flights from Williamson
County to O'Hare can cost as little as $158. This is more
than a little quirky, but roundtrip airfare between Williamson
County and Lambert is $242.
Call a travel agent, call American at (800) 433-7300, or log on to <http://www.WilCoAirport.com> or <http://www.aa.com> for more information.
Bus
The Saluki Express bus service has several routes that
run all over the city. SIU students have free, unlimited access
to the service when they present their student I.D.-- they've
already paid for it through their student fees. The general
public can also use the bus for seventy-five cents
per trip. For schedules, stop by the Beck Bus office at
250 East Miller Court in Carbondale or the SIU Student Center,
or pick one up on any Saluki Express bus. For questions, call
Beck Bus at 549-2877, the Student Center at 453-5749, or log on
to <http://www.SIUCStudentCenter.org/SalukiExpress>.
Taxi
Two cab services operate in Carbondale. Rates are regulated by
the city of Carbondale and are based on distance.
Gold Ribbon Taxi: 457-5400.
Yellow Cab: 457-8121.
Pedestrian and Bicycle
Traffic
Geographically, Carbondale is a small city-- you can bike across
its length in less than twenty minutes, or walk it in an hour
if you're really hoofing. The SIU campus and most student housing
is within a few hundred yards of many restaurants and nightclubs.
The city has numerous dedicated and designated bike paths to help cyclists move through town. Free copies of the bicycle map are available at the Carbondale Civic Center, the Chamber of Commerce, and local bicycle shops, or through the Carbondale City Manager's office at 457-3226.