Van Galder Bus Company
Bus service based in Wisconsin, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Van Galder Bus Company, legally Sam Van Galder, Inc. is a regional bus service headquartered in Janesville, Wisconsin. A subsidiary of Coach USA, the company had been a family-owned business for over 50 years until it was sold in 1999 to the Stagecoach Group. Stephen Van Galder remained president under the Coach USA banner. In 2004, Van Galder acquired Rockford Coach Lines, which provided airport service from Rockford to O'Hare, from Greyhound Lines.[3] Coach USA has been owned by Renco Group since 2024.
| |
 Van Galder motorcoach in downtown Chicago | |
| Parent | Coach USA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 [1] |
| Headquarters | 715 South Pearl Street |
| Locale | Janesville, Wisconsin |
| Destinations | Madison and Janesville, Wisconsin, South Beloit and Rockford, Illinois to Chicago (O'Hare, Union Station) |
| Fleet | 150[2] |
| Operator | Sam Van Galder Inc. |
Chief executive | Allen Fugate |
| Website | www |
The company operates school buses for the Janesville School district, coach and school bus charters, tour and travel excursions, daily airport shuttles, Amtrak Thruway service to downtown Chicago, and the only intercity service on the I-39/90 corridor.[1] The company has bus terminals in Janesville and Rockford. It picks up curbside in Madison on North Lake Street and at the Dutch Mill Park and Ride and has two pick-ups in Rockford, one on Walton Street for O'Hare customers and one on N. Lyford Street for downtown Chicago customers. However, all buses currently only stop at the Rockford terminal on Walton Street. Service to Chicago Midway Airport was suspended March 17, 2020, and there are no plans to reinstate it.
In September, 2009, the company started double-decker bus service on the route between Madison and downtown Chicago.[4][5]
Route
As of August 2025, Van Galder operates regularly scheduled service between University of Wisconsin–Madison and Chicago Union Station in different patterns serving the following stops:[6]
| State/Province | Town/City | Station | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | Madison | North Lake Street near University of Wisconsin-Madison | Metro Transit, Greyhound, Jefferson Lines |
| Dutch Mill Park & Ride off the West Beltline Highway and Stoughton Road (Highway 51) | Metro Transit, Greyhound, Jefferson Lines | ||
| Janesville | Janesville Terminal off I-39/90 and Highway 14 | Janesville Transit System, Wisconsin Coach Lines | |
| Illinois | South Beloit | Fas Mart/McDonald's on southeast corner of I-39/90 and Highway 75 | Beloit Transit |
| Rockford | Rockford Terminal off State Street (U.S. Route 20 Business) | ||
| Chicago | O'Hare International Airport - Eastbound buses stop outside of Terminals 1, 2, 3, and 5, and westbound buses stop at the Multi-Modal Facility (MMF) | Airport Transit System, Pace, CTA Blue Line (at Terminals 1/2/3), Metra NCS Line (at MMF), Peoria Charter Coach Company (at MMF) | |
| Chicago Union Station | Amtrak, Metra, CTA buses, Chicago "L", Greyhound, Pace |