So this was one of those things where I found out that I currently reside on a MUCH smaller island than I had thought. 

My sister lives in Tulsa, she was coming to town this past weekend to go to an open house that Harlem was having for my dad, who retires at the end of the year.

She flew into O'Hare late afternoon on Friday. I was telling people that I needed to get on the road by 3 to pick her up at O'Hare. Now, I already knew that Riley O'Neil had a steadfast "I don't pick people up at the airport, they can take the bus" rule in his life, but I thought he might have been in the minority. Well, according to the small straw poll I did last week, I'm the one in the minority.

I asked 5 other people if they routinely drive to O'Hare to pick up or drop off and I was basically laughed at.

Why would you drive all the way in there if there's a bus that's cheaper, safer, and easier that will do the same thing. What are you, dumb?

- Basically everyone I asked

So, one, yes I can be dumb at times, that is well documented. Just listen to literally any segment from our morning show (you can listen to all our shows On Demand after they air. Just search Riley and Joe In The Morning wherever you get your podcasts. Please, please, please remember to like, subscribe, and comment.) And two, maybe they're right.

So, let's compare the two methods. I'm supposed to drive my sister back this afternoon. Maybe I'll just be driving her to the bus stop.

I'm using all the information from Van Galder's website. 

Price:

It's 22 bucks one way if you buy online. That's a little higher than I thought it would be. Am I using 22 dollars of gas on this trip? Maybe, but it's close. When you factor in any wear and tear on your personal vehicle, it might end up being cheaper but not enough to make it a factor one way or another.

Winner: Push

Convenience:

Here's where the bus is going to demolish the pick-up. There are a lot more shuttles running every day than I thought. Basically one an hour. You don't have to worry about a flight being delayed or coming in early. There will basically always be a bus leaving for Rockford within the hour. Plus route times predict an hour and twenty-minute trip which is a little slower than driving but not by much.

Winner: Bus (by a mile)

Safety:

Buses are rarely involved in accidents while I am self-admittedly not a great driver and may have caused an accident or two. Maybe there's a weirdo on the bus that might not make you feel safe, but you'll probably be fine. Even if your bus is filled with soccer hooligans, it's probably still safer than riding with me.

Winner: Bus

Is It A Nice Thing To Do?

I'm honestly, just throwing this one in there to give the pick-up crowd a win. I always thought it was a nice thing to not make someone who just got off a plane immediately jump onto a bus. However, it was brought to my attention that maybe getting off a plane and then hopping into a car with me as I drive back on I-90 might not be the most calming thing either, but I'm holding onto this one as my sole reason to still do this.

Winner: The pick-up

So, it looks like making people take the bus is a little better proposition than I had originally imagined and I might be ready to make the switch. Hope my sister is okay with that, not that it matters because she really doesn't have anyone else around here that would drive her to O'Hare during Monday rush hour, and now that I'm typing this I realize that it's because everyone else has already figured this out.

She's got one more ride to O'Hare in me, her next visit might be a little different. Sorry, Cathy.

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