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{{COI|date=November 2008}}
{{Infobox Bus transit
{{Infobox Bus transit
| name =
| name =
| logo = Sebanner white.png
| logo = Sebanner white.png
| logo_size = 250
| logo_size = 250
| image = Intermodal Transportation Center.JPG
| image = Intermodal Transportation Center.JPG
| image_size =
| image_size =
| image_caption = Illini Shuttle, operated by Suburban Express, at
| image_caption = Illini Shuttle, operated by Suburban Express, at [[Illinois Terminal]] in Champaign, Illinois.
| company_slogan =
[[Illinois Terminal]] in Champaign, Illinois.
| company_slogan =
| parent =
| parent =
| founded = 1983
| founded = 1983
| headquarters = 714 S Sixth Street<br />Champaign, Illinois 61820
| headquarters = 714 S Sixth Street<br />Champaign, Illinois 61820
| locale =
| locale =
| service_area = Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
| service_area = Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
| service_type = [[Coach (vehicle)|Intercity coach service]]
| service_type = [[Coach (vehicle)|Intercity coach service]]
| alliance =
| alliance =
| routes =
| routes =
| destinations = 6 Universities served and Chicago suburbs
| destinations = 6 Universities served and Chicago Suburbs
| stops =
| stops =
| hubs =
| hubs =
| stations =
| stations =
| lounge =
| lounge =
| ridership =
| ridership =
| fuel_type =
| fuel_type =
| operator =
| operator =
| ceo =
| ceo =
| website = http://www.suburbanexpress.com
| website = http://www.suburbanexpress.com
}}
}}


'''Suburban Express''' is a [[bus]] company which serves six [[Midwestern United States|midwest]] universities: [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]], [[Illinois State University]], [[Eastern Illinois University]], [[Purdue University]], [[University of Iowa]], and [[Indiana University]]. Weekend services transport students from all six campuses directly to several Suburban [[Chicago]] locations.<ref>[http://www.suburbanexpress.com/indexuiuc.html Special Weekend Service Between U of I and Chicago Suburbs]</ref> The '''Illini Shuttle''' runs every day from [[Champaign]] and [[Urbana]] to the Chicago Airports of [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] and Chicago suburbs.<ref>[http://www.illinishuttle.com/ Illini Shuttle service between Champaign and Chicago Airports]</ref>
'''Suburban Express''' is a [[bus]] company which serves six [[Midwestern United States|midwest]] universities: [[University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]], [[Illinois State University]], [[Eastern Illinois University]], [[Purdue University]], [[University of Iowa]], and [[Indiana University]]. Weekend services transport students from all six campuses directly to several Suburban [[Chicago]] locations.<ref>[http://www.suburbanexpress.com/indexuiuc.html Special Weekend Service Between U of I and Chicago Suburbs]</ref> The '''Illini Shuttle''' runs every day from [[Champaign]] and [[Urbana]] to the Chicago Airports of [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] and Chicago suburbs.<ref>[http://www.illinishuttle.com/ Illini Shuttle service between Champaign and Chicago Airports]</ref>


==History==
==History==
===Early history===
A student of the University of Illinois started Suburban Express in 1983 as a "virtual" bus company that did not own any buses or facilities. Rather, it contracted buses from carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.<ref name=farewars>''Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound''. Dan Rozek. [[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.</ref>


The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the Chicago suburbs for the [[Thanksgiving]] break in 1983 undercutting Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8. The concept was partially encouraged by a Greyhound [[bus driver]]'s [[strike action|strike]] around the same period. UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express ticket sales at the university travel center because the school received a [[Commission (remuneration)|commission]] for selling Greyhound tickets and they feared Greyhound's reaction to selling competing tickets.<ref name="farewars"/>
Students of the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] ("UIUC") have had a variety of transportation options over the life
of the university. In the early 1980s, most students wishing to travel to the Chicago area used [[Amtrak]] ([[train]]s), [[Greyhound Lines]] ([[bus]]es) and [[carpool|private automobiles]].


===Competition===
In 1983, a student of the University of Illinois became dissatisfied
A [[price war]] ensued between Greyhound and Suburban Express. By February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound also contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The first ICC investigation in Spring of 1984 found Suburban Express to be operating a regular service without the ICC's approval. In response Suburban Express changed the operation to a private charter for UIUC students and staff excluding it from ICC jurisdiction. The second investigation was in fall of 1984 and found the company to be operating according to ICC rules.<ref name="farewars"/>
with the Amtrak's high fares and Greyhound's unreliable service, and
started Suburban Express. Suburban Express used a novel [[business
model]] - that of a "virtual" bus company - in that it did not own
any buses or facilities. Rather, it contracted buses from established
carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public
streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.<ref name=farewars>''Fare
wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound''. Dan
Rozek. [[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]. Chicago,
Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.</ref>


By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illini Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time, the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly.<ref name="farewars"/>
The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the
Chicago suburbs for the [[Thanksgiving]] break in 1983 undercutting
Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8. The concept was partially encouraged
by a Greyhound [[bus driver]]'s [[strike action|strike]] around the
same period. Charter service continued in the spring of 1984, but
encountered a few problems. UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express
ticket sales at the university travel center because the school
received a [[Commission (remuneration)|commission]] for selling
Greyhound tickets and they feared Greyhound's reaction to selling
competing tickets.<ref name="farewars"/>


Suburban Express eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular mode of transportation to/from the Chicago suburbs.<ref>''Champaign man takes one of the last Concorde trips''; Lynda Zimmer. News-Gazette Staff Writer. News Gazette. Champaign, Ill. Oct 29, 2003. pg. B.5.</ref> In 1989, Greyhound pulled out of the Champaign-to-Suburbs market altogether.<ref>Russell's Guide September 1999 - GLI Schedule 397 removed from publication</ref> Suburban Express added [[Eastern Illinois University]] in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985.<ref name="farewars"/> Illinois State University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003–present. As of 2003, annual ridership was approximately 55,000 passengers.<ref>http://www.suburbanexpress.com/bulletpoints.html</ref>
The company also met stiff competition from its main rival,
Greyhound. A [[price war]] ensued and by February 1985 both sides had
reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984,
Greyhound also contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) which
initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The first
ICC investigation in Spring of 1984 found Suburban Express to be
operating a regular service without the ICC's approval. In response
Suburban Express changed the operation to a private charter for UIUC
students and staff excluding it from ICC jurisdiction. The second
investigation was in fall of 1984 and found the company to be
operating according to ICC rules.<ref name="farewars"/>


===Lawsuits===
In the spring of 1984, the Illini Union Travel Center also attempted
Since 1994, Suburban Express has filed 204 lawsuits, with 125 of them filed in 2013.<ref name="DI-26Apr2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyillini.com/news/local/article_43a45b74-ae1a-11e2-9a0d-0019bb30f31a.html |title=Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit |last=Ruff |first=Corinne |publisher=[[Daily Illini]] |date=26 April 2013 |accessdate=27 April 2013}}</ref> Many of these lawsuits target passengers for alleged violations of Suburban Express' terms of service,<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013">{{cite web|url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ |title=
to create its own charter service to recover increasing losses of
Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit |last=Gallagher |first=Sean |publisher=Ars Technica |date=26 April 2013 |accessdate=27 April 2013}}</ref> including failing to pay penalty fares of $100 for presenting invalid or misdated tickets, or for canceling payment for buses that did not show up.<ref name="News-Gazette-26Apr2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-04-26/bus-firms-lawsuits-criticized.html |title=
commissions on ticket sales. Unable to compete with Greyhound and
Bus firm's lawsuits criticized |last=Brumleve |first=Will |publisher=News-Gazette |date=26 April 2013 |accessdate=27 April 2013}}</ref> Students and journalists have questioned the company's practice of filing lawsuits in neighboring [[Ford County, Illinois|Ford County]], rather than in [[Champaign County, Illinois|Champaign County]],<ref name="DI-26Apr2013"/><ref name="News-Gazette-26Apr2013"/> as students at [[University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign]] are not entitled to aid from Student Legal Services for lawsuits outside of county boundaries.<ref name="News-Gazette-26Apr2013"/>
Suburban Express, the university's charter service ended after only
one weekend of service. By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of
Suburban Express tickets at the Illini Union Travel Center to recover
revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time,
the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets
accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly.<ref
name="farewars"/>


In April 2013, representative(s) of Suburban Express posted favorable comments about their company on a forum on [[Reddit]] dedicated to the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] by using several [[Sockpuppet (Internet) | sockpuppet]] accounts, and insulted members of the forum who criticized them. This led the forum moderator to delete the offensive comments and post a note on the forum frontpage warning readers about Suburban Express, including their litigious behavior which involved suing 125 customers this year for alleged violations of their terms of service. Suburban Express's legal representation then threatened to sue the forum moderator, demanding in a letter that "libelous postings" be removed. Suburban Express retracted its threat to sue the moderator and also withdrew the 125 lawsuits it had filed against its customers after receiving widespread negative reactions<ref name="SubEx_BoingBoing">{{cite news| url=http://boingboing.net/2013/04/27/suburban-express-bus-line-send.html | work=BoingBoing | title=Suburban Express bus-line sends bullying, cowardly legal threat to Reddit, discovers Streisand Effect | first=Cory | last=Doctorow | date=2013-04-27}}</ref><ref name="Ars-26Apr2013">{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=2013-04-26}}</ref><ref name="SubEx_Popehat">{{cite news| url=http://www.popehat.com/2013/04/28/suburban-express-took-the-first-bus-to-the-streisand-effect-have-they-disembarked-in-time/ | work=Popehat.com | title=Suburban Express Took The First Bus To The Streisand Effect. Have They Disembarked In Time? | first=Ken | last=White | date=2013-04-28}}</ref> in the media and on the internet. This incident has been called an example of the [[Streisand Effect]] by some, including [[Cory Doctorow]] of [[Boing Boing]]<ref name="SubEx_BoingBoing">{{cite news| url=http://boingboing.net/2013/04/27/suburban-express-bus-line-send.html | work=BoingBoing | title=Suburban Express bus-line sends bullying, cowardly legal threat to Reddit, discovers Streisand Effect | first=Cory | last=Doctorow | date=2013-04-27}}</ref>, Ken White of [[Popehat (blog)|Popehat]]<ref name="SubEx_Popehat">{{cite news| url=http://www.popehat.com/2013/04/28/suburban-express-took-the-first-bus-to-the-streisand-effect-have-they-disembarked-in-time/ | work=Popehat.com | title=Suburban Express Took The First Bus To The Streisand Effect. Have They Disembarked In Time? | first=Ken | last=White | date=2013-04-28}}</ref>, and Sean Gallagher of [[Ars Technica]]<ref name="SubEx_ArsTechnica3">{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ | work=Ars Technica | title=
Suburban Express eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular
Troll road: Bus company posts “dirt” on complaining passenger | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=2013-05-13}}</ref>.
mode of transportation to/from the Chicago suburbs.<ref>''Champaign
man takes one of the last Concorde trips''; Lynda Zimmer.
News-Gazette Staff Writer. News Gazette. Champaign, Ill. Oct 29,
2003. pg. B.5.</ref> In 1989, Greyhound pulled out of the
Champaign-to-Suburbs market altogether.<ref>Russell's Guide September
1999 - GLI Schedule 397 removed from publication</ref> Suburban
Express added [[Eastern Illinois University]] in Charleston, IL to
its route structure in 1985.<ref name="farewars"/> Illinois State
University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003-present. As of
2003, annual ridership was approximately 55,000
passengers.<ref>http://www.suburbanexpress.com/bulletpoints.html</ref>

Similar ventures were formed at other midwestern universities to
transport students to the Chicago suburbs.
* HoosierBus serves [[Purdue University]] and [[Indiana University
(Bloomington)|Indiana University]] and was founded in 2003 by two
University students.<ref>https://www.hoosierbus.com/about.html</ref>
* Catch A Ride, Inc. serves Indiana University, founded by a parent
of IU students.<ref>http://www.catcharide.com/about.html</ref>
* Burbsbus.com used to serve University of Iowa

==Competition==
Suburban Express currently provides an alternative to the following
carriers:<ref>Daily Herald, August 25, 2005 - Section 1, Page 13</ref>

*Champaign-Urbana: [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]], [[Megabus (North
America)|Megabus]], [[Peoria Charter]], [[Amtrak]] and various
airlines operating out of [[University of Illinois Willard Airport]]
*Eastern Illinois University: EIU bus service, which runs sporadically.
*University of Iowa: [[Burlington Trailways]], [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]].

==Collection Action==
Since 1994, Suburban Express has filed 204 lawsuits, with 125 of them
filed in 2013.<ref name="DI-26Apr2013">{{cite
web|url=http://www.dailyillini.com/news/local/article_43a45b74-ae1a-11e2-9a0d-0019bb30f31a.html
|title=Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation
continues on Reddit |last=Ruff |first=Corinne |publisher=[[Daily
Illini]] |date=26 April 2013 |accessdate=27 April 2013}}</ref> Many
of these lawsuits target passengers for alleged violations of
Suburban Express' terms of service,<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013">{{cite
web|url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/
|title=
Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit
|last=Gallagher |first=Sean |publisher=Ars Technica |date=26 April
2013 |accessdate=27 April 2013}}</ref> including failing to pay
penalty fares of $100 for presenting invalid or misdated tickets, or
for canceling payment as a result of other disputes.<ref
name="News-Gazette-26Apr2013">{{cite
web|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-04-26/bus-firms-lawsuits-criticized.html
|title=
Bus firm's lawsuits criticized |last=Brumleve |first=Will
|publisher=News-Gazette |date=26 April 2013 |accessdate=27 April
2013}}</ref> Students and journalists have questioned the company's
practice of filing lawsuits in neighboring [[Ford County,
Illinois|Ford County]], rather than in [[Champaign County,
Illinois|Champaign County]],<ref name="DI-26Apr2013"/><ref
name="News-Gazette-26Apr2013"/> as students at [[University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign]] are not entitled to aid from Student
Legal Services for lawsuits outside of county boundaries.<ref
name="News-Gazette-26Apr2013"/>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*''Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with
Greyhound''. Dan Rozek. [[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily
Herald]]. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.
(Large article about the company, covers 3/4 of the page. Discusses
the creation of the company, two attempts by the Illinois Commerce
Commission to shut it down and fare war with Greyhound.)


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 04:53, 14 May 2013

Illini Shuttle, operated by Suburban Express, at Illinois Terminal in Champaign, Illinois.
Founded1983
Headquarters714 S Sixth Street
Champaign, Illinois 61820
Service areaIllinois, Indiana, Iowa
Service typeIntercity coach service
Destinations6 Universities served and Chicago Suburbs
Websitehttp://www.suburbanexpress.com

Suburban Express is a bus company which serves six midwest universities: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Purdue University, University of Iowa, and Indiana University. Weekend services transport students from all six campuses directly to several Suburban Chicago locations.[1] The Illini Shuttle runs every day from Champaign and Urbana to the Chicago Airports of O'Hare and Chicago suburbs.[2]

History

Early history

A student of the University of Illinois started Suburban Express in 1983 as a "virtual" bus company that did not own any buses or facilities. Rather, it contracted buses from carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.[3]

The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the Chicago suburbs for the Thanksgiving break in 1983 undercutting Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8. The concept was partially encouraged by a Greyhound bus driver's strike around the same period. UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express ticket sales at the university travel center because the school received a commission for selling Greyhound tickets and they feared Greyhound's reaction to selling competing tickets.[3]

Competition

A price war ensued between Greyhound and Suburban Express. By February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound also contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The first ICC investigation in Spring of 1984 found Suburban Express to be operating a regular service without the ICC's approval. In response Suburban Express changed the operation to a private charter for UIUC students and staff excluding it from ICC jurisdiction. The second investigation was in fall of 1984 and found the company to be operating according to ICC rules.[3]

By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illini Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time, the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly.[3]

Suburban Express eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular mode of transportation to/from the Chicago suburbs.[4] In 1989, Greyhound pulled out of the Champaign-to-Suburbs market altogether.[5] Suburban Express added Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985.[3] Illinois State University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003–present. As of 2003, annual ridership was approximately 55,000 passengers.[6]

Lawsuits

Since 1994, Suburban Express has filed 204 lawsuits, with 125 of them filed in 2013.[7] Many of these lawsuits target passengers for alleged violations of Suburban Express' terms of service,[8] including failing to pay penalty fares of $100 for presenting invalid or misdated tickets, or for canceling payment for buses that did not show up.[9] Students and journalists have questioned the company's practice of filing lawsuits in neighboring Ford County, rather than in Champaign County,[7][9] as students at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign are not entitled to aid from Student Legal Services for lawsuits outside of county boundaries.[9]

In April 2013, representative(s) of Suburban Express posted favorable comments about their company on a forum on Reddit dedicated to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by using several sockpuppet accounts, and insulted members of the forum who criticized them. This led the forum moderator to delete the offensive comments and post a note on the forum frontpage warning readers about Suburban Express, including their litigious behavior which involved suing 125 customers this year for alleged violations of their terms of service. Suburban Express's legal representation then threatened to sue the forum moderator, demanding in a letter that "libelous postings" be removed. Suburban Express retracted its threat to sue the moderator and also withdrew the 125 lawsuits it had filed against its customers after receiving widespread negative reactions[10][8][11] in the media and on the internet. This incident has been called an example of the Streisand Effect by some, including Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing[10], Ken White of Popehat[11], and Sean Gallagher of Ars Technica[12].

References

  1. ^ Special Weekend Service Between U of I and Chicago Suburbs
  2. ^ Illini Shuttle service between Champaign and Chicago Airports
  3. ^ a b c d e Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound. Dan Rozek. Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.
  4. ^ Champaign man takes one of the last Concorde trips; Lynda Zimmer. News-Gazette Staff Writer. News Gazette. Champaign, Ill. Oct 29, 2003. pg. B.5.
  5. ^ Russell's Guide September 1999 - GLI Schedule 397 removed from publication
  6. ^ http://www.suburbanexpress.com/bulletpoints.html
  7. ^ a b Ruff, Corinne (26 April 2013). "Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit". Daily Illini. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  8. ^ a b Gallagher, Sean (26 April 2013). "Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 April 2013. Cite error: The named reference "Ars-26Apr2013" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Brumleve, Will (26 April 2013). "Bus firm's lawsuits criticized". News-Gazette. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  10. ^ a b Doctorow, Cory (2013-04-27). "Suburban Express bus-line sends bullying, cowardly legal threat to Reddit, discovers Streisand Effect". BoingBoing.
  11. ^ a b White, Ken (2013-04-28). "Suburban Express Took The First Bus To The Streisand Effect. Have They Disembarked In Time?". Popehat.com.
  12. ^ Gallagher, Sean (2013-05-13). "Troll road: Bus company posts "dirt" on complaining passenger". Ars Technica.