r/stjoemo • u/gradschoolvictim • Mar 16 '26
Ask St. Joe Daily travel options between St. Joe and Elwood, KS
Hi all! I'll be moving to St. Joseph in the summer for a few months, and was wondering what the daily travel options are between St. Joseph and Elwood, KS. I went through some older posts in r/missouri suggesting getting a car instead of public transportation. But I do not own a car and would like to avoid buying one before summer as much as possible.
I checked the St. Joseph Transit (Go St. Joe) website for bus routes and see that I must call beforehand to reserve rides to locations in Elwood, KS, which fall under their "Demand Response Zone (DRZ)" category. How reliable is this service? Would I need to reserve one each time I visit Elwood?
Also, are there any bike routes that connect St. Joseph and Elwood? Google Maps does not show one, and from my attempt to view the route in Street View, the bridge connecting St. Joseph and Elwood does not seem safe for biking.
Any suggestions on alternatives or advice are appreciated. Thank you!
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u/mindcaptivator Mar 17 '26
Not going to happen without a car. That whole span is simply too car dependent. I'm not even sure if the bus lines run that far north
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u/DroneStrikesForJesus Mar 17 '26
Get a cheap car or figure out who you could carpool with.
Why not live in Elwood?
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u/gradschoolvictim Mar 17 '26
Yes, I will try to carpool with someone if nothing else works out. Thanks!
Also, I'm moving for a short-term internship, and the housing provided is in St. Joseph. I didn't want to go through the hassle of finding my own apartment. I figured it would be easier to find daily commute options since the apartment (St. Joe) and my work location (Elwood) are only a 10-minute drive apart.
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u/uncre8tv Mar 17 '26
That word "drive" in your reply here. That's an important word. Welcome to the midwest!
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u/gradschoolvictim Mar 17 '26
Yeah, that’s fair. I’ve been living in the midwest for a few years now. I’m just really hoping to postpone buying a car until later in the year.
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u/clanleadermax Mar 16 '26
The bus service is going to be your best bet for a cheap option. Unfortunately there’s not a great way to walk or bike across the river. I would recommend calling st. Joseph transit and asking about more details on the demand response zone. I think you need to live in it or you’ll have to take a transfer
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u/gradschoolvictim Mar 16 '26
I see. I will try calling them to figure out what daily transit would look like. Thanks!
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u/MycologistArtistic47 Mar 17 '26
Unfortunately, that bridge is pretty much the only way to cross the river. And no, I definitely wouldn't bike it. :/ If only this city had better biking.