Kenyon students hoping to travel to Chicago or New York City over school breaks will no longer need to look beyond the corner of Brooklyn and Gaskin Streets for transportation. 

Start-up company ShuttleHome was founded by former Oberlin College student Dean Ginsberg when he graduated in 2012 to address Oberlin’s lack of transportation access. This year, ShuttleHome has expanded to Kenyon, College of Wooster, Denison University, Gettysburg College, and the University of Richmond. Services vary depending on the college; at Kenyon, shuttles will run from Gambier to Chicago and New York City.

During the fall semester, one bus will depart to each city the Saturday after Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. Ticket prices will increase as the date of departure nears, but the Chicago ticket is currently $60, and the New York fare is $90. When purchasing online both round-trip tickets and one-way options are both available. Each trip will include a rest stop halfway through the journey, but there are bathrooms on board. Snacks and movies are also provided.

Ginsberg connected with Kenyon students Bridget Murdoch ’17 and Matt Mandel ’19 via LinkedIn during his search for on-campus representatives to support and promote the business on the Hill. Murdoch serves as Campus Manager and Mandel is Campus Brand Manager; both students receive a stipend for their work with the company.

Murdoch, who is interested in working for a start-up when she graduates, is passionate about the brand and the services it can provide to the student body. “We think it’s awesome, and there’s really no reason you shouldn’t take it if you live in these places,” she said.

Mandel agrees that ShuttleHome will address a specific need on campus. “I think the College does see us as an outside group and isn’t too sure about us yet because they haven’t seen us in action yet” he said. “But I definitely took this job because I thought this would be a huge improvement to student life on campus”

For more information, visit shuttlehome.com.