soniasonia

Hello. I will be in Plano, TX at the end of the month and during my stay I would like to pay an overnight visit to a friend who lives in Norman, OK. I am trying to figure out how to get to Norman and back. Car rental charges in Plano seem to be pretty high, and I didn't find a bus option. I am wondering what my less expensive choices are. Are there any buses that go from Plano? Or perhaps car sharing alternatives like RelayRides/ Getaround/ Turo/ etc. would be my best bet? I have only read about these car share services and have no prior experience with them. My departure has to be from Plano or nearby though (not Dallas) as my host would not be able to drive me all the way to Dallas and then again pick me up there when I return the car after my trip. Thank you very much in advance for your help and guidance!

BigRuss

You can look up bus services on Google.

That said, any option you're seeking other than a car rental is daft. The government mileage rate is 53.5 cents per mile. That charge is based on fuel costs and wear on the car. It's 394 miles round trip from Plano to Norman. That's $211 that a shared ride car renter (Turo) should charge you for renting if he does not want to take a loss on the rental. A rental from Avis or Dollar or whatever will be far less.

WickedGood

Car rental is your best bet. And there are car rental places in Plano.

NorthwestMale

Just don't wear the wrong football colors in the wrong place.


(kidding, I think...)

nanabee

Would it be possible for your friend to meet you in Plano or meet you halfway. If money is an issue this trip maybe another time.

doug_stallings

Greyhound will get you there, but it will take twice as long as driving, and you'd have to go to Dallas to get the bus to Norman. I don't think that's a viable choice for an overnight. You need to drive. It takes about 3 hours, and you could do it with a one-day car-rental from Enterprise if you plan your trip carefully (a car-rental "day" lasts exactly 24 hours, so you'd have to be back by the time you leave).

soniasonia

Thank you all! I will rent a car!

Would you please help me with one more thing: toll roads?! So here is the plan: Drive from Plano to Norman on "day one", drive back to Plano on "day two", catch flight out of Dallas (DAL) on "day three". If I rent from Enterprise in Plano, the least expensive option is to rent an economy car at $54.99 per day, for the two day total of $124.92. Another option is to rent from Dallas Love on Sunday. My host and I are attending a lunch near DFW that day and he said he'll be open to driving me to DAL afterwards. If I pick up the rental car from DAL on Sunday, the rental rate is lower than renting in Plano and I can drive myself to the airport on "day three". For a compact car (one up from Economy), it would cost me $91 to rent from DAL, even though I'd be keeping the car for an extra day.

My question: I understand renting from the airport involves dealing with some toll roads... for which I would have to either pay the rental company a fee to use their tag or have a tag of my own. Is this really how it works? If so, how can I buy a tag of my own? Or is it best to pay the rental company whatever they want and use their tag? Please advise. Thanks!

RoamsAround

First, you can easily drive between Dallas Love Field & Norman, OK without using any toll roads so getting a toll pass shouldn't be an issue unless you plan on going back to visit your friend in Plano on the way back to DAL. Even then with a little bit of pre-planing you can avoid the short section of toll roads (the Dallas North Tollway or the George Bush TPK) in the Dallas/Plano area. Use Google Maps or Map Quest to plan out your route so you avoid tolls.

That said, if you do feel an overwhelming desire to use a route that has those toll roads then for the short time you'd need a Toll Pass it will be much easier and more convenient to pay the small fee and use the one provided by your rental car company. To me, theses one of those situations where you don't have to be pennywise, pound foolish.

musicfan

Is there any way for you to get to Fort Worth from Plano? There is a short-haul train that runs from there to Oklahoma City and it stops in Norman. Here is a link:

https://www.amtrak.com/heartland-flyer-train

I have friends in Norman who have used this route, and my mom did also, years ago, when my sister lived in Fort Worth. Parts of the trip are quite scenic--really!

Thought this might help you.

BigRuss

>

Which airport?

You don't need to use toll roads for either DFW or DAL. The three highways that lead directly to DFW are non-toll. You don't go inside the toll areas to pick up a rental car. Same for DAL.

DAL doesn't have any highways leading to it. It's in a residential/light industrial area and bordered on three sides by city streets and one side by a lake.

To get to Norman from Dallas, you just take I-35E to Norman. It is not a toll road and the few toll lanes it has are optional so you just opt out.

soniasonia

Thank you all! I am really grateful for the information and am more than happy to avoid the toll roads or pay the fee as RoamsAround suggested. Not being familiar at all with how toll roads work, I was wondering whether I'd need to pay a daily flat fee for a tag (regardless of whether or not I'd actually go on a toll road) on a daily basis. From RoamsAround's post I gather that it is not a flat fee but a by mile calculation, and I'm also learning from all of you that staying away from toll roads is a perfectly fine and doable option. So that's what I'll do. Musicfan, thank you for the train idea! Had my outbound flight been out of DFW, that could have worked great. Maybe next time. Any way, thank you all again.

doug_stallings

You do need to be careful to avoid tolls. The tolls on the roads around Dallas are cashless and numerous. DFW is particularly tricky, but it's easier to get in and out of Love Field without paying a toll. While lanes are marked, it's easy to get in the wrong one or follow a GPS that leads you onto a toll route if you don't know the area. If you have a GPS program on your smartphone, definitely use it and indicate that you want to avoid tolls.

RoamsAround

if you use the Toll Tag offered by the car rental company you'll pay a flat daily "convenience fee" for the tag itself plus the actual cost of tolls you rack up during your travels. I'm not sure of the daily "usage fee" that will be charged by your car rental company but in places where I've used the one provided by the rental company I recall it being around $5/day. You'll be billed the "flat fee" when you pay for your rental and the "tolls" will be billed later to your credit card sometime later after the rental company receives all the charges from the Toll Authority.

FYI - The Toll tag is usually enclosed in a small box on the front windshield and you "open" the box to activate the toll tag. In other instances there may be a removable toll tag that can be attached by to a velcro strip (if you want to use a toll tag). Regardless of how the toll tag is mounted if you use the toll tag at least once during your rental you'll pay the daily "convenience fee" for every day of your rental. On the other had if you never use the toll tag you won't be charged the daily convenience fee.

Actual tolls vary depending on the roadway and by how far you drive on a toll road. To my knowledge there is no set mileage or distance fee but rather how many toll "stations" you pass through and what entry/exit ramps you use. Toll stations are more prevalent the closer you get to the "busier" areas surrounding Dallas.

hope this helps clarify how the toll tag works.

musicfan

If you are driving a rental car, avoid toll roads if at all possible. Last year driving back to the Denver airport, a drive of a few miles in a rental car on a toll road that probably cost a dollar or two in tolls ended up costing me $18.50 by the time it was billed through the rental agency several months later!

soniasonia

I can't thank you enough. Doug, thanks for the words of caution and suggestion. RoamsAround, you are surely gifted in your ability to clarifying things! Thank you for the very well written explanation. Musicfan, sorry to hear/ that is what I was afraid of. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'll follow the suggestions. One last question about renting a car in Texas: do rental cars come with liability insurance included? I understand that in some states that is the case although in my state it is not. I do not own a car and therefore have no insurance that would transfer over. My credit card will cover any damage to the rental car, but does not cover the liability insurance. Best to you all.

soniasonia

One last question about renting a car in Texas: do rental cars come with liability insurance included? I understand that in some states that is the case although in my state it is not. I do not own a car and therefore have no insurance that would transfer over. My credit card will cover any damage to the rental car, but does not cover the liability. Best to you all.

RoamsAround

If you do not have your own Auto Policy you'll have to purchase Liability Insurance from the Car Rental Company (they will charge you a daily rate).