Buy our guides
Read our blog
Login Register

University of Chicago
- Transportation

RT
Currently attending or alumni?
Review this school!
Are you interested
in this school?
Yes, let this school know
Maybe, bookmark for later
No, get better matches
Saving your decision
Yes
Maybe
No

Your information has been sent to this school through our partnership with .

This school has been saved to your schools list.

This school has been removed from your recommended schools list.

For your next recommendation, check out .

Jump to a section:

Grade
Quick Stats
Student Author Overview
Student Reviews
Student Polls
Facts
Listings
Take A SurveyWrite A ReviewUpload A PhotoLink Up A VideoWrite The Guide
University of Chicago - Transportation - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.85

Transportation

B+
Where does this grade come from?View all Transportation rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Transportation Grades:

Quick Stats

Best Ways to Get Around Town
  • Bike
  • CTA
  • Friends with cars
  • Walk
  • Metra
Best Ways to Get to the Airport
  • Hail a cab. This will cost approximately $30 to $45, depending on whether you're going to O'Hare or Midway. It will save you about an hour to an hour and a half if you're going to O'Hare and about a half hour if you're going to Midway.
  • Walk to 55th Street. Get on the 55-Garfield CTA bus ($2.25). Take to the end of the line at Midway.
  • Walk to 55th Street. Get on the 55-Garfield CTA bus ($2.25). Take to the Red Line (Transfer: $.25). Take Red Line North to Blue Line transfer. Get on Blue Line. Take until O’Hare.
  • Walk to the Quadrangle Club (57th and University). Wait for Omega Shuttle. Cost: $25. It will save you about a half-hour during non-peak hours. During rush hour, it will take approximately as long as CTA. You can see the schedule at www.omegashuttle.com.

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

The transportation options at the University of Chicago are endless. On the campus itself, there are several shuttle routes that drive all over Hyde Park. They start running in the early evening to incredibly late and are great for late-night cram sessions at the library. There is also Safe Ride, which is available pretty much until dawn. Both options run all week, but the shuttle routes end earlier than Safe Ride. Because of this, Safe Ride can get pretty backed up late at night, and it takes forever to get picked up. There are also two CTA routes on campus that run during the day that will let students ride for free if they show their University ID.

Outside of the campus, it’s incredibly easy to access the city of Chicago. Because the University is still within city limits, students get to take advantage of the CTA and Metra systems. The CTA buses and trains are pretty cheap, usually $2.25 a ride. The Metra system is about $2 a ride and runs on a specific schedule. You can also call taxi services to come and pick you up in Hyde Park. To get downtown, using a taxi is roughly $30. Whenever you need to go home, you can get to the airports or bus stations without too much hassle. Both O’Hare and Midway airports and Union Station are accessible by public transportation or taxi. During popular flying times, like Christmas break or the end of the year, the school provides shuttles to get to the two airports. The one downside about public transportation is that students do not have a U-Pass, which is a bus pass provided by a University to use all of the CTA system for free.

See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

Chicago Student ReviewsWhat's This?

Sort by:

Loading...

Transportation at University of Chicago

msolomon5uchicago

'15

Political Science and Government

3.1
B-

Available Buses Around Campus but Elsewhere Is Less Convenient

Getting to downtown Chicago is hassle, especially if you live away from the 55 or the 6 bus. However, transportation around campus is fine, but is barely ever necessary. The late night shuttles are very useful, as well as the safe-ride option

Dec 05, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Transportation at University of Chicago

maroon515

'15

Economics

5.0
A+

Fairly Convenient

The college runs shuttles at all hours of the day, some dorms are close to a CTA bus station that you can take to the subway downtown pretty easily. It's helpful if you have a bike, especially if you're living in one of the farther dorms.

Sep 24, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Transportation at University of Chicago

aboots

'13

History

5.0
A+

Tons of Transportation Options!

Getting around campus is really easy because the two CTA buses that circulate the campus are free for students and faculty. I ride my bike almost everywhere. The University has a free shuttle system that makes getting around campus and the neighborhood really easy. During times when lots of people are travelling to the airports they provide free shuttles too!

Aug 09, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate
Page 1 of 9

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the cost of the following transit options

Rate the convenience of the following transit options

Rate the convenience of long-distance transportation to travel between home and school

How convenient is the campus-provided transportation?

How necessary is it to have a car on campus?

How easy is it to get around town?

Facts

Did You Know? The term "L" or "El," used to describe all of the train lines controlled by the CTA, comes from the late 1880s. Newspapers called the proposed system of elevated railroads in Chicago "L" roads.

Safety Escort ServicesWhat's This?

Safe Ride Program
(773) 702-2022
Sunday–Wednesday 5 p.m.–4 a.m., Thursday–Saturday 5 p.m.–6 a.m.

Campus ShuttleWhat's This?

University of Chicago Police Department “Umbrella Coverage”

This is a part of the late-night transportation services, which includes the Evening Bus Service and Safe Ride.

(773) 702-8181

Daily 12 a.m.–5 p.m.

Evening Bus Service

This campus bus system operates on four routes: North, East, South, and Central. It goes throughout the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood and operates on 20-minute schedules, departing from the Regenstein Library.

(773) 702-8181

Sunday–Wednesday 5 p.m.–4 a.m., Thursday–Saturday 5 p.m.–6 a.m.

Public TransitWhat's This?

Metra

Metra is an electric train.

(312) 322-6777

(312) 322-6774 hearing impaired

(312) 542-8397 ticket services

547 W. Jackson Blvd.

metrarail.com/metra

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

(312) 836-7000

(888) 968-7282 customer service

(888) 282-8891 hearing impaired

567 W. Lake St.

www.transitchicago.com

Nearest AirportWhat's This?

O’Hare International Airport

O’Hare is approximately 30 miles away and 30 minutes to an hour away from the University of Chicago.

Bessie Coleman Dr.

(773) 686-3700

www.flychicago.com

Chicago Midway International Airport

Midway is 12 miles and approximately 25 minutes' driving time from the University of Chicago.

5700 S. Cicero Ave.

(773) 838-0600

www.flychicago.com

Nearest Passenger BusWhat's This?

Greyhound

The Greyhound bus terminal is in downtown Chicago, approximately four miles from campus.

630 W. Harrison St.

(312) 408-5821

www.greyhound.com

Nearest Passenger TrainWhat's This?

Amtrak

The Amtrak station is in downtown Chicago, approximately seven miles from campus.

225 S. Canal St.

(800) 872-7245

www.amtrak.com

Buy The Guidebook

Buy a hard copy of "University of Chicago 2012: Off The Record"

Read more about the book . . .Add to Cart

Buy the eBook:

AmazonBarnes & NobleGoogleSmashwordsDownload the FREE Printable Summary (PDF)

Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Chicago

Name: Liane Rousseau

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Major: English Language and Literature

Grad Year: 2012

see all student author bios > Become a student author to help update the guide for this school

Find a college

Find a major

Scholarships

Reviews

Company

Buy College Prowler school guides in our bookstore Get the real scoop on what it's like on campus and see what school is the place for you!

How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. Please note that the information presented on this site is updated periodically, but may not be the
most recent information available for a particular school. For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.