Thanksgiving Break is only a few weeks away! If you haven’t already made your travel plans, now is a good time. Take a look at the resources below to learn about some transportation resources, including a few JMU exclusive options.
By plane
The following is a list of the nearest airports to JMU’s campus:
By car
Zipcar:
Taxi:
General cost of a one-way trip from JMU to:
- Charlottesville is: $100
- Dulles Airport is: $220
Keep in mind that many taxi companies will offer reduced rates to JMU students, and if they have to drive one than one passenger to the same location . While I do not recommend any particular taxi companies, the
Green Shuttle company offers some special rates to Dulles Airport.
Ride Sharing:
- JMU Rideboard (Zimride)- This private JMU online rideboard is an easy and convenient way to look for individuals who are traveling to the same or nearby destination as yours. The general expectation is that you share the cost of gas. It requires a JMU e-id log-in to access.
By train
Amtrak, (800) 872-7245
Provides service to JMU students through the station located in Staunton, Virginia, a 20 minute ride south on I-81. Routes serving this location are the Cardinal / Hoosier State, which run from/to New York – Penn Station to Chicago – Union Station.
By bus
Home ride is a bus service designed for JMU students heading to various locations throughout Virginia. Generally, they leave JMU on Friday afternoons and return on Sunday nights. They also make special runs for Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Break, according to the University calendar. All trips start from and return from Godwin Hall at JMU. Their stop in Northern Virginia is in the south parking lot of the Vienna Metro Station. In Charlottesville, they stop at the Student Activities Building at UVA; In Richmond, at the James Cabell Library at VCU; in Hampton, near the Montgomery Ward’s at the Coliseum Mall. Tickets are on sale at the JMU Bookstore, or may be purchased over the phone by calling the Home Ride office at the number listed above. Remember, tickets can be bought in advance and are on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Washington Flyer service is a wonderful complement to Home Ride. By combining these two services, a student can get to Dulles Airport; they simply take the Metro from the Home Ride Northern Virginia drop-off to the West Falls Church Metro stop, where they can catch the Washington Flyer shuttle to Dulles.
College Transit is a bus service designed for JMU students heading to various locations outside Virginia. They provide transportation for Thanksgiving and Winter Break. In addition, they provide service during Homecoming, Spring Break, and other chartered events. Destinations include Maryland, BWI, Huntington, NY; Ridgefield, NJ; Allentown, PA; Elkridge, MD and others as listed on the College Transit Web site. They service destinations throughout Virginia and as far north as Massachusetts and Connecticut. All trips start from and return to Godwin Hall at JMU.
