Frequently Asked Questions
For answers to questions that are not included here, contact University Services at shuttle@northwestern.edu.
General Shuttle Questions
- Who do I contact if I've lost something on one of the shuttles?
- What shuttles are available on the Chicago campus? Where are the shuttle pick-up locations?
- What shuttles are available in Evanston? Where are the shuttle pick-up locations?
- What does riding the shuttle cost?
- Is there an airport shuttle?
- Can parents ride the shuttles?
- Can students obtain a U-Pass?
- Do students get discounts on CTA passes?
- What are the transportation options for students in cold weather?
- Do the shuttles run on weekends?
- Do the shuttles take students downtown?
- Is there a shuttle to football and basketball games for parents?
Mobile Shuttle Tracker Questions
- How do I see the Frostbite Shuttles?
- How often is the location information updated?
- Why do I receive a message that "GPS information is not available at this time"?
- Sometimes the stop markers are difficult to see.
- The bus directional indicators sometimes seem slightly off; for example, the bus says it is traveling Northwest but is really moving West.
- When viewing some shuttles, the direction of the bus doesn't appear.
- I can see buses on this route traveling in a location that is nowhere near the route.
- Who can I contact for more technical assistance with the app?
General Shuttle Questions
1. Who do I contact if I've lost something on one of the shuttles?
Call lost and found at (708) 474-7474.
Back to top2. What shuttles are available on the Chicago campus? Where are the shuttle pick-up locations?
- Train Station Shuttle travels to the various Metra stations in the downtown area. There are two pick-up and four drop-off locations on Northwestern's Chicago campus. The pick-up locations are in front of the Stone Pavilion at 320 E. Huron and the NMH employee entrance on Fairbanks between Huron and Erie. See more information on the Train Station Shuttle.
- Intercampus Shuttle travels between the Chicago campus and the Evanston campus. In Chicago, it can be boarded at the Ward Building at 303 E. Chicago Avenue. See more information on the Intercampus Shuttle.
3. What shuttles are available in Evanston? Where are the shuttle pick-up locations?
- Evanston Loop and Campus Loop Shuttles provide transportation around the Evanston campus during evening and early morning hours. The Evanston Loop Shuttle operates between the campus and downtown Evanston. The Campus Loop connects the Northern and Southern ends of campus. See more information on the Evanston Loop and Campus Loop shuttles.
- Shop-N-Ride Shuttle transports students to shopping areas in the Evanston vicinity. See more information on the Shop-N-Ride Shuttle.
- Frostbite Express operates during extreme weather conditions. See more information on the Frostbite Express Shuttle.
- Chicago Express Shuttle provides limited shuttle service between Evanston and four downtown Chicago locations on select Saturdays. See more information on the Chicago Express Shuttle.
- Intercampus Shuttle travels between the Chicago campus and the Evanston campus. See more information on the Intercampus Shuttle.
- Athletic Event Shuttles take fans to the Ryan Field/Welsh-Ryan Arena for all Wildcat football and men's basketball games. See the NU Athletics web page for more information.
- Ryan Field Shuttle connects the Central/Green Bay Metra Station, Ryan Field parking lot, and Reserach Park to the main campus. See more information on the Ryan Field Shuttle.
- Argonne National Lab Carpool transports students, faculty and staff between the Evanston campus and the Argonne National Laboratory. See the more information on the Argonne National Lab Carpool program.
All of the shuttles listed above offer several pick-up locations around the Evanston campus. With the exception of the Athletic Event Shuttles (which lists its pick-up locations on the NU Athletics web page), a map of all pick-up locations can be accessed from the pages linked above.
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4. What does riding the shuttle cost?
Many of the shuttles are free to anyone displaying a valid WildCARD:
- Evanston Loop and Campus Loop
- Shop-N-Ride
- Frostbite Express
- Chicago Express
- Intercampus
- Athletic Event
- Chicago SafeRide Shuttle, unless taken to the train station, which requires a ticket (see below)
- Tickets for the Train Station Shuttle can be purchased through University Services at 710 N Lake Shore Drive, Abbott Hall, Room 100. The cost of a 10-ride pass is $15 and the monthly pass is $37. Monthly passes go on sale the last week of the month. A valid WildCARD must be shown at the time of purchase.
- Tickets are also available through payroll deduction. Complete the Payroll Deduction Authorization Form (pdf).
5. Is there an airport shuttle?
NU does not provide free service to local airports. However, transportation to O'Hare and Midway airports is available for a fee at the beginning and end of Thanksgiving, Winter, Spring and Summer Breaks through a student-run service called AirHop. Click here to make a reservation. Airports are also accessible via the CTA and cab service. Visit the Airport Transportation page for more information on these options.
6. Can parents ride the shuttles?
No, parents cannot ride the shuttles at any time. Individuals must have a valid WildCARD in order to ride the shuttles.
7. Can students obtain a U-Pass?Northwestern University does not offer the U-Pass to all students. Each school determines whether or not to extend U-Pass benefits to students. Currently, The Graduate School, The School of Law, The Medill School of Journalism, and The School of Physical Therapy offer U-Pass benefits to students. If you are a student in one of these schools you must contact the administrative offices at your school in order to obtain your U-Pass.
8. Do students get discounts on CTA passes?
No, the CTA does not offer discounted fares to Northwestern students.
9. What are the transportation options for students in cold weather?
The Frostbite Express Shuttle operates during the academic year on days with a single-digit temperature, a wind chill factor below zero, or during blizzard conditions. The shuttle runs the same route as the Evanston Loop Shuttle, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Click here for more information.
10. Do the shuttles run on weekends?
The Evanston Loop, Campus Loop, Chicago Express, and Shop-N-Ride shuttles have weekend schedules. Click here to view routes and times. The Intercampus and Ryan Field shuttles do not run on the weekends.
11. Do the shuttles take students downtown?
Yes, the Intercampus Shuttle provides students service between the Evanston and Chicago campus, which is located only a few blocks from Michigan Avenue and the Water Tower. Students must then use the CTA to reach their final destination in the downtown area. View the Intercampus Shuttle schedule here.
Additionally, the Chicago Express Shuttle provides service between Evanston shuttle stops and four downtown Chicago locations on select Saturdays. View the Chicago Express Shuttle schedule here.
12. Is there a shuttle to football and basketball games for parents?
NU Athletics runs a free shuttle for fans from the Evanston campus to the Ryan Field/Welsh-Ryan Arena complex for all Wildcat football and men's basketball games. View more information here.
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Mobile Shuttle Tracker Questions
1. How do I see the Frostbite Shuttles?
The Frostbite Shuttles operate during the academic year on days with a single-digit temperature, wind chill factor below zero, or during blizzard conditions. When in service, they run from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. When the shuttles are running, it will be noted in shuttle status on the Frostbite Shuttles webpage. The Twitter account NU_SHUTTLES will also announce the running of the Frostbite Shuttles.
If the Frostbite Express is in service, it will appear on the bus tracker under the "Evanston Loop" route. The Frostbite Sheridan cannot currently be tracked.
2. How often is the location information updated?
Your phone/device is checking for updated location information every 3 seconds. However, due to traffic conditions and bus GPS data networks, it can sometimes appear that shuttles are at a stand-still for longer than usual. This is normal.
3. Why do I receive a message that "GPS information is not available at this time"?
This message can indicate temporary technical difficulties with on-board bus GPS radios. It can also appear if the shuttle selected is not running at the present time. Check the schedule that appears in the app to ensure the bus you are looking to track is currently running.
4. Sometimes the stop markers are difficult to see.
Thank you for your feedback. If you pinch to zoom in on the location of the markers, they should appear to separate enough that you can see both of them. We are working on improving the display for a future version.
5. The bus directional indicators sometimes seem slightly off; for example, the bus says it is traveling Northwest but is really moving West.
Thank you for your feedback. The directional indicators come from the on-board GPS modules. We are experimenting with ways to average out the directional reporting so that it seems more accurate to the direction of travel. Also, some roads do travel at a slight angle to the main direction which might cause this. When in doubt, refer to the route lines on the map.
6. When viewing some shuttles, the direction of the bus doesn't appear.
Directional information is supplied to Northwestern by the company operating the bus. The Evanston based shuttles areoperated by Coach USA and for the time being, there is no direction of travel information available. We hope to improve this for next year.
7. I can see buses on this route traveling in a location that is nowhere near the route.
Occasionally a shuttle's GPS module will be in"active" state while it is entering or leaving service from and to its garage. Please refer to the timetables in the app for information on stop times.
8. Who can I contact for more technical assistance with the app?
Call the NUIT Help Desk at 847-491-4357.
