Northwestern University Shuttle Buses

[BusHunter]

Does anyone know if Northwestern has a hybrid shuttle bus as part of there shuttle fleet? I saw a hybrid bus going up Chicago Ave. close to Main st. the other day. It looked like it was the same as the other buses (I thought someone said those were Gilligs) but it has a roof pod on the back half of the bus. Googling, I found an article here that does mention a hybrid bus but no mention of a bus manufacturer or picture. http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2011/10/new-look-shuttles.html They even have shuttle tracker. (similar to CTA Bustracker)

[Mr.cta85]

yes those are hybrid buses I use to work for that company. And I actually drove that bus. I believe is the only hybrid bus they have the rest are diesel.and yes that those are Gillies.

[mel bernero]

Attached is a photo I took of the hybrid passing Ryan Field.

Mel

[Mr.cta85]

yep there it is that bus number 29732.when I was there that bus was used for the northwestern shuttle called the Evanston route. I'm not sure if they're still using a bus for that route but I drove the bus plenty of times its a good bus too.

[BusHunter]

Attached is a photo I took of the hybrid passing Ryan Field.

Mel

Cool!! Thanks Mel!! Those look like some cool buses. Too bad someone doesn't have some interior pictures. I don't know of any other similar Gilligs in the Chicagoland area. I wonder where the free enterprise garage is? Lansing?

[dp1]

Free Enterprise bus is based in jeffersonville, Indiana. A town across the Ohio river from Louisville, ky.

[artthouwill]

Cool!! Thanks Mel!! Those look like some cool buses. Too bad someone doesn't have some interior pictures. I don't know of any other similar Gilligs in the Chicagoland area. I wonder where the free enterprise garage is? Lansing?

I know they once had a garage near I 80 west of Torrence. But I have also seen their buses parked in a lot on Loomis between the Chicago River and Cermak. It makes sense to have something close to downtown so as not to rack up tons of deadhead mileage. Free Enterprise is a company based in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which is just outside of Louisville, KY. They also have a garage in Indianapolis. I forgot the year, but they bought Royal American Charte, which was the company that had the Northwestern shuttles. Royal American a few years prior to that had bought Robinson Coach which had a garage in Evanston, I believe it was on Emerson. There should be a Free Enterprise thread somewhere in this forum already.

[flossman]

I really like the Frostbite shuttles. The idea of running an extra bus when the temp dips into the single digits is a stroke of genius.

[MVTArider]

Here's a photo of one of the regular Gillig units as well:

Now if they would just paint them in that awesome scheme they use for the NABIs (and coaches):

Although it might not actually look that great on a Gillig LF come to think about it, hmm. I wonder if they have any plans to wrap those Gilligs eventually?

[Busjack]

Now if they would just paint them in that awesome scheme they use for the NABIs (and coaches)...

... I wonder if they have any plans to wrap those Gilligs eventually?

I'm surprised they haven't affixed their decals yet, but I seem to remember from earlier that they were slow putting them on the NABIs (all the questions in this forum about white NABIs).

[BusHunter]

I saw the short gillig again so I'm not nuts it does exist. Ssid it was going to LaSalle station and it was in front of NBC tower over on Columbus.