Students alert enough to notice on their travels during Fall Break probably realized they were, in fact, not being shuttled to their city of choice by Hamilton Travel.
The business, which used to run shuttles from Grinnell to the Des Moines International Airport, Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul at the beginning and end of school breaks, recently shut down.
“Hamilton Travel’s business dissolved late summer and we were notified by the proprietor of Hamilton Travel,” said Dixie Hansen of Facilities Management (FM) in an e-mail.
In order to make sure students’ travel needs were still met, FM decided to take action.
“We … decided to take over the shuttle service and maintain the same schedule that has been made and published by Hamilton Travel,” Hansen wrote.
Over fall break, FM ran shuttles to and from Chicago and the Des Moines Airport, but not Minneapolis/St. Paul.
According to Hansen, FM is filling a role once occupied by another division of the college.
“Before Hamilton Travel provided this service, Security ran break shuttles for a few years, so this is not a new concept that shuttles be provided through a college department,” Hansen wrote.
FM plans to continue the service, following the schedule post online, according to Hansen.
Prices are comparable to Hamilton, with a $30 one-way fare to Des Moines Airport and $60 dollars to two stops in or near Chicago. An additional $10 charge will be added for each direction if tickets are purchased less than a week in advance of the departure date.
Tickets can be purchased online by clicking on the “Shuttle Service” link.
