MBS invites our fellow ERA members to join our Fall 2022 Motor Bus Society Convention in Chicago. Please note that this is a four-day Thursday to Sunday convention, different from previous MBS conventions which started on a Friday.
The host hotel for the convention will be the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago O’Hare Airport - Rosemont. Located at 5460 North River Road, Rosemont, the hotel is only a short 10-minute walk from CTA Rosemont station on the Blue Line. The hotel has free high-speed Wi-Fi internet access and a business center.
The special MBS room rate is $159 (plus taxes, currently 14% total tax) per room per night with either two queen beds or one king bed. A block of rooms has been put aside for MBS members from Wednesday, October 12th to Sunday, October 17th. The MBS room rate will be honored for two days before and two days after the convention days, based on availability. Gibson’s Steakhouse and BC Bistro and Lounge are eateries on-site at the hotel with many other within a short walk. The hotel has a daily parking fee of $30.
Please note that hotel reservations must be made by Wednesday, September 21. The hotel room space and rate cannot be guaranteed after that date.
All hotel reservations must be made by either calling the hotel directly or by visiting the DoubleTree website. Please refer to the hotel registration page (page 3 of the PDF) for further instructions for reserving online.
The phone numbers for the hotel are 847-292-9100 and 800-756-5505. Please see the attached Hotel Reservation Information form for more information and remember to mention the group name “Motor Bus Society” when booking by phone.
MBS is currently in the planning stages for this Fall convention. As these are not normal times, the locations shown (page 2 of the PDF) are a menu of several bus company yards and public bus terminals/pulse points. There cannot be guarantees that we will be admitted to all the garages and maintenance facilities due either to COVID protocols or shortages of personnel to handle our visits. We will be visiting some of the locations on the daily itineraries, but if all locations were to be available, there would not be enough time to visit them all.
The MBS convention registration fee is $55 per person per day or $200 for all four days for MBS members. For non-MBS members, the registration fee is $70 per day or $260 for all four days. To assure that space will be available for the garage and facility tours, advance registration is strongly recommended. In case of any shortage of seat space on the tour buses, persons with reservations will be given priority. Please note that the fees are slightly more when paying by PayPal. Please refer to the convention registration page (page 4 of the PDF) for more details.
Transportation Information: O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is serviced by the CTA Blue Line. Follow signs at the airport and take the Elevated one station eastbound to Rosemont Station. The hotel is a 10-minute walk south along River Road.
Convention Activities: Registration and sign-in will take place in the DoubleTree lobby starting at 7:30 a.m. on all four days, with buses departing promptly at 8:00 a.m. each day.
Garage and Facility Tours: The itinerary has not been finalized and is highly dependent on whether properties are receptive to having visitors. Possible site visits are shown on the next page.
PLEASE bring a face covering/mask in case masking is required by certain venues or transportation providers.
The following visits have been requested; there may be transit center substitutions required.
The following visits have been requested; there may be transit center substitutions required.
The evening MBS meeting and presentation on Chicago bus history and current operations will be this evening at the DoubleTree hotel.
The following visits have been requested; there may be transit center substitutions required.
The following visits have been requested; there may be transit center substitutions required.
Click here for order form. Online ticket sales are not available for this event.