First SE Poster - 10/18/83
* SE first ran Thanksgiving, 1983. * Greyhound used to provide service between UI and Chicago Suburbs (ca 1978-1989). They were rarely on time and ran (in our opinion) smelly, crappy buses. Their buses often broke down. * Greyhound fare to Northbrook in 1983 (20 years ago!) was $43.70. * Since 1983, SE costs have increased about 65%, but fares have only increased about 38%. SE fare Thanksgiving 1983 was $28 round-trip. Margins have declined substantially, but we were able to survive through innovative use of computers for ticket selling and dispatching. Our prototype computerized ticketing system was used spring break 1984. The CPU was a first-model MacIntosh. We carefully evaluated the IBM PCjr and Apple MacIntosh prior to purchasing a Mac. * The first production SE ticketing system took two weeks to write in Microsoft Quickbasic, in September 1985. The code was written in 139 Townsend. A major revision was made in 1986. The 1986 revision was used (with minor incremental changes along the way) until 1999. (2012 Update: the guy who wrote the first software has recently been spotted working as a VP for Intel) * Development of the current multi-user SE ticketing began in January, 1995 and was completed in November, 1999. The system was written in San Jose, CA and cost in excess of $230,000. * During the '80s, SE owner spent summers working for Amtrak. Favorite train: Empire Builder. Least Favorite Train: City of New Orleans aka "The Bone Train" for food debris left by passengers. * Suburban Express consumes about 150,000 pieces of ticket stock each academic year. * In 1992 or 1993, a national magazine (Business Week?) assigned a high ranking to UI. One of the specific reasons they cited: excellent transportation to Chicago area. Interesting. * Although we carry many thousands of passengers each year, we receive only a handful of complaints. This is no doubt due to our punctuality and clean, modern buses. * In 20 years, we have never had a passenger fatality or injury. In that time, a number of UIUC students have been killed in automobile accidents on I-57. One fiery accident in about 1989 killed four students. * Suburban Express uses $1 coins and $2 bills to minimize transaction time. A $1 coin can be picked from till faster than a $1 bill. Ditto for a $2 bill vs 2 x $1 bill. No comparison has been made between $2 bill and 2 x $1 coin. * Al Gore's daughter rode the bus when she was attending UIUC (apparently to visit grandparents near Woodfield). On one occasion when the bus was sold out, she was very mature and patient in asking about her alternatives. We never did see the Vice President at a bus loading, but the owner did shake his hand and President Clinton's hand at Assembly Hall in spring, 1998. * Current ridership stands at about 55,000 passengers per year.
First SE Poster - 10/18/83