Sept. 24, 2009
Another transportation option
by Erin Rosacker
With parking rates that range from $4 to $22 per day at the Des Moines International Airport, finding an alternative to driving yourself there could prove financially beneficial.
If you don't have a friend or family member willing to make the roughly 120-mile round trip, your options are hiring a taxi or limousine, or using the recently established Iowa branch of the Minnesota-based Executive Express shuttle service. CyRide used to organize shuttle service to and from the airport during some university breaks, but dropped that service in August.
Adding it up
Area limousine services cost an estimated $125 to $285 for a single trip to the airport. Ames Taxi charges $80 per person for the trip, and $10 for each additional rider.
Executive Express has nine daily scheduled stops in Ames -- at both ISU's Memorial Union and the Holiday Inn Express and Suites on 13th Street, near Interstate 35 -- and offers the service from 20 other central Iowa towns. A one-way trip from campus costs $26, with discounts for additional passengers. Round-trip reservations start at $48. Executive Express also offers home pick-up and drop-off rates, which range from $10 to $25 extra per trip; and the company arranges private charters.
Executive Express' scheduled pick-up times at the MU start as early as 4 a.m. and occur regularly through 9:30 p.m. Rates are available online, and reservations can be made either online or by calling (888) 522-9899.
