Dekalb | When a student needs to get somewhere outside of Dekalb, there are transportation options available.

The Huskie Bus line is available to students for free and makes various stops around NIU’s campus. Though its main routes go around Dekalb and Sycamore, there is a weekly shuttle bus that takes students to Elburn.

“It leaves twice on Friday and three times Sunday,” said Al Davis, General Manager of the Huskie Bus service.

The cost for a student with his or her ID to ride the Elburn shuttle is $4. Staff member tickets cost $5 and everyone else must pay $7, Davis said.

Elburn is home to a train station on the Union Pacific/West Line Metra Railway. From this station, 43 W. 166 Keslinger Rd. in Elburn, students can take the train to Chicago or to any one of the many towns or suburbs it stops in on the way.

The cost of a train ticket from Elburn to Chicago is $6.50, according to metrarail.com.

If a student needs to get somewhere right away, or the Elburn shuttle isn’t running that day, there are other options. There are several taxi companies which service the Dekalb area.

“We can take you to Rockford or Elburn, or even Chicago,” said Keith Chesser, Driver and Dispatch for Sycamore Transit Services.

It’s a more expensive option than taking the bus, but a traveler can call a cab at any time.

“To get to Elburn, a student with their NIU ID would have to pay $25,” said Chesser.

According to sycamoretaxi.com, the Sycamore Transport Services taxi service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Another option for transportation from Elburn is Fox Cab Dispatch, 221 East Shannon Street in Elburn. They don’t have cabs around Dekalb, but they can transport students back to campus from the Elburn station said Rob MacBrayne, Fox Cab Dispatch employee.

“We sometimes get passengers who want to go to Dekalb from Elburn,” MacBrayne said.