Ticket sales for the Thanksgiving break buses open on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. and close on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. The break buses are scheduled to leave from campus on Nov. 18 at 8 a.m. and return to campus on Nov. 26. Stops will be made at St. Ignace, Gaylord, Clare, and East Lansing. The buses will leave from East Lansing on Nov. 26 at 8 a.m. while making stops at the previous locations. Students who purchase tickets will also need to sign a liability waiver by Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. Students under 18 will need a parent to sign the waiver.
The break bus is organized by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and makes trips for Thanksgiving, winter, and spring break. Currently there are two break buses that will make trips to lower Michigan. Cole Pierucki, USG Representative for the College of Sciences and Arts and Chair of the Events Committee, said, “If we have enough students express demand for it and if the tickets get bought fast enough, I think we could definitely explore chartering more buses. We are always open to running more buses to different locations if there’s enough student interest.” The USG has also been looking into starting a new break bus that will go through Wisconsin and end in Chicago. Pierucki said that they are hoping to have the Wisconsin break bus running by winter break. Pierucki said, “We have a lot of students that live outside of the Midwest area, like students that are from the Southern United States, or even international students. Those students would really benefit from flying out of the O’Hare Airport in Chicago.”
The current ticket price for the break bus is $144.50, which is just enough to cover the cost of operating the buses according to Pierucki. He said, “It’s an easy opportunity so you don’t have to look for rides or anything. It’s consistent. It’s reliable.” Students who don’t buy a ticket for the break bus, but are still looking for ways to get home can also visit the Michigan Tech Rideshare Page on Facebook. Any additional questions about the break bus can be sent to usg@mtu.edu.
