no bus service on memorial day

From the AATA:

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority will not operate
regular fixed-route bus service, A-Ride paratransit, or Good As Gold senior
taxi services on Monday, May 28, 2007 in observance of the Memorial Day
holiday. Regular bus, paratransit and senior taxi services will resume on
Tuesday, May 29.



Passengers may take advantage of AATA's Holiday Ride shared-ride taxi
service on Monday for just $5 a person. Seniors and persons with
disabilities with an AATA identification card may ride for $2.50.



The Holiday Ride taxi service operates only within the city limits of Ann
Arbor. To schedule a Holiday Ride trip, call 734.528.5432.



AATA will close its offices at 2700 South Industrial Highway and the Blake
and Ypsilanti Transit Centers on Monday, May 28, in observance of Memorial
Day.

The three facilities will re-open for business on Tuesday, May 29.

Expect continued erratic postings while the housekeeping staff settles into their new home. We'd love to hear from anyone interested in conributing posts to cfa2 as well.

amtrak wolverine service changes

As of April 2, Amtrak is adjusting the schedule of the Wolverine, the train that gets the good people of Ann Arbor to Chicago. The new departure times are:
Eastbound from Ann Arbor: 2:09pm 5:47pm 11:30pm
Westbound from Ann Arbor: 8:23am 12:56pm 6:51pm

According to the AANews, the Eastbound afternoon train was pushed back 40 minutes to allow Millwaukee riders to make a transfer in Chicago.
Benefits for Ann Arbor: none we can think of.

The second Eastbound train is bumped up an hour, for the benefits of Chicagoans who are already losing an hour coming to Michigan.
Benefits for Ann Arbor: get to Detroit in time for dinner before the show?

The final Westbound of the day will leave A2 about an hour later, a change with no explanation.
Benefits to Ann Arbor: more time after work to bike to the Amtrak station.

Overall, the change in departure times don't do much for Ann Arborites, unless they are returning from Milwaukee or Chicago. If Amtrak is taking requests, it sure would be nice to allow bikes on the Wolverine!

megabus to chicago

Ypsidixit got the scoop on the Megabus expansion to Ann Arbor. Megabus has been serving Detroit for a while now, and it has been a mystery to us how they could drive right past a town full of cheap-skate college students without picking up a few fares. They seem to have gotten wise to the potential jackpot and have added Ann Arbor to the 14 cities in their greater midwest service region.

But don't start packing your bags for Pittsburgh just yet. From our initial research, the Ann Arbor bus only goes to Chicago. Sure you can ride to Chicago and transfer from there (with potentially long lay-over), but there is no direct service from Ann Arbor to Toledo, Cleveland, or Columbus. In fact, even though the route map shows Ann Arbor as a stop on the way to Detroit, you can't book a seat from A2 to Detroit on the website!

Starting April 2, Megabus offers morning and afternoon service in both directions. The Ann Arbor stop is at the UofM Park and Ride lot on South State, so you can take a UofM commuter bus or AATA bus to the rendez-vous. The trips takes 4 hours and 40 minutes, and costs $15 O/W based on our queries, though the website says fares as low as $1 are possible for early bookings of low-demand seats.

Compared to Amtrak service, the Megabus fare is about $5 lower than even the weekly specials on the train, and the ride time is similar. But Megabus limits passengers to one bag and doesn't have power outlets seats. Compared to Greyhound service, the fare is about half and the trip takes two hours less on Megabus. Despite its unfortunate name, Megabus could offer carfree Ann Arborites a good Chicago-bound alternative to Amtrak, especially if you want to leave town in the morning.

Amtrak business class, worth the ten bucks?

There is a good chance that you weren't even aware that Amtrak offers business class seating from Ann Arbor to Chicago. If you're anything like us, it gets overlooked in the mad dash to the weekly specials page. A BC upgrade to Chicago only adds $11 to the one-way ticket price. However, you can't upgrade from the drastically reduced fares in the weekly specials. As a result, we've never taken the upgrade, but many people have recommended it.

According to Amtrak, the upgrade includes:
electrical outlets for every pair of seats
complimentary, non-alcohalic beverage
newspaper
in-car Railfone
lots more leg room

Now, coach is already quite comfortable. Those who associate "coach" with the cramped quarters on airplanes will be pleasantly surprised at the space Amtrak offers. The seats also recline much further than the airline variety. So unless you need lots of legroom, coach will do the trick. Railfone isn't a priority for us. Your cell phone will work at least at either end of the journey (we tend to lose signal in Southwest Michigan) and paying for calls by credit card is a pain in the ass, especially since Amtrak says those calls may cut out just like your mobile. Electrical outlets are nice, but can usually be found in coach as well; they just aren't guarenteed in every seat. That leaves a glass of juice and a newspaper, which isn't worth the $10 to us.

But we forgot to mention one important benefit to BC. You get a reserved seat. Regular Amtrak riders may recall that familiar knot that forms in one's stomach as the train aproaches the Ann Arbor station and passengers begin jockeying for position. Coach riders have a guarenteed seat, but that seat doesn't have a location. When you board the train, chances are that most pairs of seats have one person either pretending to be asleep or making every effort to look like an unpleasant seatmate in hopes that they can ride next to an "empty". God forbid that you are traveling with someone that you actually want to sit next to. The staff will sometimes act as negotiators in seat trades, but don't count on it. In comparison, sauntering on to the BC car and being shown to your seat is worth a little extra.

In a recent teetering interview, Homeless Dave gives BC upgrades the thumbs up. If he says it is worth the money, maybe there is more to gain than juice and paper.

The galsguide gives a full rundown on riding from Chicago to Detroit. She opts for the BC upgrade. Her advice includes choosing the side of the train for sun exposure (in Michigan the north side of the train will almost always be the shady side) and priceless tips like "doubling as a scarf, a Pashmina is a chic way to stay fashionable and warm at the same time."

If you've got any thoughts on riding business class on Amtrak, let us hear them in the comments.

traveling with a bike

For anyone planning to escape the cold over one of the up-coming holiday weekends, BikeAccess.Net has a decent collection on tips for traveling with a bike. the site covers every aspect of with-bike travel including:
*how to get to and from airports by bike
*airline policies on bike lugggage
*bike boxes and packaging
*folding bikes
*shipping bikes via UPS and FedEx
*Renting bikes
*Bikes on trains
*the impact of post 9-11 TSA policy on traveling with bikes

The content is completely user generated. While they have info from all over the world, we didn't find much about the Detroit-Ann Arbor area. Important info for our region is missing, like the fact that you can't take a bike on Amtrak trains from the Ann Arbor station. There is also no bike route posted for DTW. But there are a couple horror stories about people trying to get their bike on a NWA flight. Maybe you can sympathize.

Enterprise car rental

In response to our previous tip on National car rental, Homeless Dave gives a shout-out to Enterprise:

Enterprise Rental Car on Huron, which is walkable from the west-side leafy neighborhoods and from downtown, is worth adding as a rental possibility. They even pick you up. And you don't have to go to the airport.

I live close enough to that location to walk to it and they know who I am, but they unfailingly offer to pick me up when I call in to reserve and offer to drive me back home, when I drop off the vehicle, even though I've never taken them up on it.

We're frequent renters from there, because we prefer to have a nice reliable car with a comfy ride for long, out-of-town trips (just came back from a drive to Washington, DC through the hinterlands of Ohio in the comfort of a PT Cruiser) and not put extra miles on the little Honda Civic Hatchback. Can't vouch for the competitiveness of their rates, but they've nailed the customer service every time.

438 W HURON ST
ANN ARBOR, MI 48103-4206
Tel.: (734) 327-2600

Web Link for that location:
http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/location.do?transactionId=WebTransaction1&viewSelectedLocationId=20H3

ridesharing: internet round-up

Living carfree does not have mean that you never ride in a car. Every day thousands of cars travel into, out of, and around Ann Arbor empty except for the driver. If even 0.01% of these drivers were willing to take a passenger, you could probably get anywhere you like by car while living carfree. Whether you would choose to spend all that time in a car when you could be biking or walking is another issue...

Anyway, in an effort to harness the potential of empty car seats, there are a number of websites hooking up rides offered with rides needed. They aren't perfect. Safety is always an issue when accepting a ride with a stranger. EeRideShare recommends a few ways to address safety concerns:
-meet the person before agreeing to carpool
-get a copy of a picture ID
-Exchange medical info and emergency contact numbers
-Discuss safe driving ahead of time
-(I'd add) do a Google search on their name

The plethera of site offering this service spreads the offers out so that there is no central location to search for rides. I've never used any of these to get a ride and I'm not promoting any particular site.

That said, here is a list of rideshare boards I've come across on the internets. If you have used one, please add a comment on your experience.

Craigslist gets a couple new rideshare posts every day, including requests, single-trip, hired drivers, and regular commuters.

Carpoolworld arranges carpools all over the world by matching commutes for members. This one is mostly regularly scheduled commutes. They offer an RSS feed so you always no the most recent trips offered.

eRideShare appears to be the most popular free service, with lots of regular commutes, and a few long distance trips (using "Detroit" yields more long-distance trips) for Ann Arbor. They also pull posts from craigslist, but formatting can make those posts seem screwy.

AATA RideShare: see original post

CarpoolConnect allows you to search for rides by zipcode. There are lots of members in the Ann Arbor area. They also offer a RSS feed and a web midlet so that you can keep up to date on new rides.

Contributed by: Scott TenBrink

getting to the airport

Yes, it is a miserable disappointment that, despite having a large population of frequent flyers, our fair city has yet to implement a mass transit option for traveling to DTW. The Detroit-Ann Arbor Transit Study is addressing this issue. However, if the pace of progress on this study is any indication of the speed of the eventual transit, you can expect walking to be faster.
In the meantime, there are a number of options to get to your flight comfortably and on-time. While there are few cheap options, they compare well with the fuel and parking costs associated with driving yourself. The price can be cut by hooking up with others traveling at a similar time.

Ann Arbor Airport Shuttle will deliver you round-trip for $20 one-way $55 ($25 to the airport & $32 back to A2). Big discounts for multiple riders. Reservations required.
phone: 734-394-1665
website: http://www.annarborairportshuttle.net

Commuter Express arranges private cars for $48 one-way.
phone: 1-888-854-6700
website: http://www.commuterexpress.com

Most local taxi companies will also provide airport pick-up or delivery for about $50 one-way. Airport trips are also a great time to cash in on favors from friends and neighbors. It's an easy stop on the way to running other Detroit area errands.

Contributed by: Scott TenBrink

Anyone else have other tips for getting to and from DTW?

kid backpacks

There are a wide variety of "adult saddles" that allow you to carry your kids, front or back-mounted, while keeping both your hands free for other tasks. They fold down much smaller than strollers and wagons when not in use, and are easier on stairs, curbs and rough terrain. Great for hiking and strolls through the farmers market.
Try Kapoochi, baby bjorn Snugli, Rockridge Kids, Kelty, and Deuter brands.

Features and build are important, but don't assume that the most expensive or reputable version is best for you. The fit is what is most important. Find the one that is the most comfortable for you and your child by trying them on.
Also, this is a great discussion on baby backpacks for camping and hiking.

Contributed by: Ken Clark, Karen Smith & Scott TenBrink

Amtrak weekly specials

Riding Amtrak is by far the easiest way to travel from Ann Arbor to Chicago and points in between. The station is easily accessible from downtown, unlike the airport. The major gripe is usually the cost. However, Amtrak offers cheap fares on the Wolverine (and many other lines) through their weekly specials published on their website. One-way adult tickets to Chicago are often $20. Kids under 2 ride free. The trick is in the timing. You need to plan ahead and buy tickets early as there is a limited quantity of cheap seats but the tickets are only offered two weeks in advance.The other major gripe is that you can’t bring a bike on the Wolverine, unless it is of the folding variety. We’ll have to work on that.
website: http://www.amtrak.com (click on “Hot Deals”)

Contributed by: Ken Clark & Scott TenBrink