How to get from Kansas City to Joplin, and back again?
January 4, 2016 1:30 PM
My wife and I need to get from Kansas City Airport to Joplin, to visit elderly relatives, but we've just found we probably can't hire a car.
We'd like to get there without causing our relatives to drive a long distance, so we were planning to rent a car.
I can't drive. My wife had a Missouri driving license for a number of years but it expired when she moved to the UK. She now has a UK driving license, but it's only a few months old. We were planning to rent a car, but the companies we've looked at have requirements that a license be at least two years old. She's been driving for way more than two years but the commencement date on her current license is a few months ago.
The earliest Greyhound bus for us seems to drop passengers off at the edge of Joplin, around midnight, which is still a problem. If we stay overnight in Kansas City we can get there the next morning, but it costs us a day of our week away and we'll still need to get across the city.
Is it ever possible to rent a car by showing the old expired license plus the new one? Are there any alternatives to the Greyhound coach?
We'd like to get there without causing our relatives to drive a long distance, so we were planning to rent a car.
I can't drive. My wife had a Missouri driving license for a number of years but it expired when she moved to the UK. She now has a UK driving license, but it's only a few months old. We were planning to rent a car, but the companies we've looked at have requirements that a license be at least two years old. She's been driving for way more than two years but the commencement date on her current license is a few months ago.
The earliest Greyhound bus for us seems to drop passengers off at the edge of Joplin, around midnight, which is still a problem. If we stay overnight in Kansas City we can get there the next morning, but it costs us a day of our week away and we'll still need to get across the city.
Is it ever possible to rent a car by showing the old expired license plus the new one? Are there any alternatives to the Greyhound coach?
I would be shocked if you run into any difficulty at all presenting her UK drivers license, especially bringing the expired Missouri one as a backup. I know for sure I have rented cars in the 2 years immediately after moving and obtaining a new license in a new state. I have also rented cars at the Kansas City airport many times and to be quite honest I don't remember anyone giving more than a cursory glance at my license to make sure it matched the credit card I was using.
I understand your hesitance to commit to this plan without knowing for sure you're going to get the car, though. I would try to call someone at the physical KCI rental location to explain the situation and see if you can get a verbal explanation of the rule.
posted by something something at 1:38 PM on January 4, 2016
I understand your hesitance to commit to this plan without knowing for sure you're going to get the car, though. I would try to call someone at the physical KCI rental location to explain the situation and see if you can get a verbal explanation of the rule.
posted by something something at 1:38 PM on January 4, 2016
In my experience, people at rental car counters at the airport are a LOT more accommodating than the rental car companies' websites. Generally, most websites will say you need a credit card in the name of the person renting, which I don't have, in order to rent a car. This has never stopped me from renting a car. I generally bring it up at the counter - "hey, this is a debit card, not a credit card; the website said that might be a problem", and they always shrug it off. The last person I rented a car from actually laughed at me for asking. This is anecdotal, so call a few rental agencies at the KC airport and confirm, but I wouldn't expect much trouble.
If that doesn't work, it probably shouldn't be too hard to find someone on Craigslist to give you a ride, as long as you don't feel creeped out by that.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:46 PM on January 4, 2016
If that doesn't work, it probably shouldn't be too hard to find someone on Craigslist to give you a ride, as long as you don't feel creeped out by that.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:46 PM on January 4, 2016
The UK drivers license should say how long the holder has been allowed to drive (number 10 on the back) which is when that two years is supposed to be taken from. I know two unrelated people who have swapped a foreign license for a UK one and that date was taken from the start of the foreign one, so they were then able to hire a car soon after getting the UK license. So first check if your wife's license has this, then maybe ring the hire company and make sure that's the date they will accept. Taking the expired license can't hurt either.
posted by shelleycat at 1:50 PM on January 4, 2016
posted by shelleycat at 1:50 PM on January 4, 2016
(I think I linked the Northern Ireland website up there. It's the same for the rest of the UK anyway.)
posted by shelleycat at 1:52 PM on January 4, 2016
posted by shelleycat at 1:52 PM on January 4, 2016
Make the reservation, bring both licenses. It shouldn't be a problem. Even if it is, there are also shuttle services available. MCI Shuttles offers services to Joplin.
As a person who has actually been to Joplin (a few times,) most folks these days are using the Branson, MO airport. It's newer, closer and nicer than MCI. If it's possible to make a change in your flight, you might want to look into it.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:15 PM on January 4, 2016
As a person who has actually been to Joplin (a few times,) most folks these days are using the Branson, MO airport. It's newer, closer and nicer than MCI. If it's possible to make a change in your flight, you might want to look into it.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:15 PM on January 4, 2016
Rental car companies in the U.S. don't charge your credit card until you present your license in person at the counter. Therefore, make reservations with a bunch of companies. If the first rejects your wife's credentials--and I don't think they will--move on to the next. This is easy in Kansas City because the companies all share a building at the edge of the airport property. Cancel the ones you didn't use... Or don't: they have booking algorithms that take cancellations into account.
posted by carmicha at 6:07 PM on January 4, 2016
posted by carmicha at 6:07 PM on January 4, 2016
A) I'm not really qualified to comment on car rental policies, but phone calls to a handful of their local desks will give you an idea if that'll work.
B) There are a lot of shuttle services out of MCI. Again, you can try calling them. I'd expect something like a bare minimum of $200 for a roundtrip from MCI to Joplin based on $2 gas and minimum wage. 5 Guys says they'll go as far as Nebraska, Iowa, and Oklahoma, so they sure as heck ought to go to Joplin. I'm am in no way vouching for them, but for what it's worth one of their drivers lives in my non-sketchy neighborhood and I often see his van on the way to the airport.
I guess the rental car option should still be #1 but keep in mind you'll be wicked tired after the long flights and layovers and the drive to Joplin is really long, like 3 hours, and that's after the grind of getting your rental car.
C) F___ taking Greyhound from Kansas City to Joplin. Long distance bus service here isn't horrible in every circumstance, but it sure would be in this one.
D) Having a relative pick you up isn't the worst. People here are used to driving long distances. Coming from the UK, you two will practically be celebrities here in the heartland. A car ride can be a good chance to chat and catch up with someone too. If you want to chip in w/ gas money, here's the math(s?) for 2 round trips: 170 mi / 20 mpg * $2/g * 4 trips = $68.
posted by eelgrassman at 10:05 PM on January 4, 2016
B) There are a lot of shuttle services out of MCI. Again, you can try calling them. I'd expect something like a bare minimum of $200 for a roundtrip from MCI to Joplin based on $2 gas and minimum wage. 5 Guys says they'll go as far as Nebraska, Iowa, and Oklahoma, so they sure as heck ought to go to Joplin. I'm am in no way vouching for them, but for what it's worth one of their drivers lives in my non-sketchy neighborhood and I often see his van on the way to the airport.
I guess the rental car option should still be #1 but keep in mind you'll be wicked tired after the long flights and layovers and the drive to Joplin is really long, like 3 hours, and that's after the grind of getting your rental car.
C) F___ taking Greyhound from Kansas City to Joplin. Long distance bus service here isn't horrible in every circumstance, but it sure would be in this one.
D) Having a relative pick you up isn't the worst. People here are used to driving long distances. Coming from the UK, you two will practically be celebrities here in the heartland. A car ride can be a good chance to chat and catch up with someone too. If you want to chip in w/ gas money, here's the math(s?) for 2 round trips: 170 mi / 20 mpg * $2/g * 4 trips = $68.
posted by eelgrassman at 10:05 PM on January 4, 2016
Thanks, all these answers are great - I think I'd got a bit panicked last night, and it's reassuring to learn about other options - thanks.
I don't think we can change the main flight, but we'll look into Branson or Joplin routes next time. Getting from Kansas City (or Atlanta) to Joplin for this trip seems to involve some very long round-about routes.
We'd found the small print at the first couple of car rental places we'd tried and been told by one that this was standard, but I'm now not so sure - we'll call and check with the others.
And we had no idea the shuttle companies would go long-distance, that's really helpful to know! I couldn't work out how people without cars would get to and from the airport, and the answer is shuttle services. Things make more sense now!
I think we'll try again for a rental car (with more research, and again on the day, with both licenses) and then fall back to a Plan B if doesn't work out. Thanks again!
posted by BinaryApe at 12:41 AM on January 5, 2016
I don't think we can change the main flight, but we'll look into Branson or Joplin routes next time. Getting from Kansas City (or Atlanta) to Joplin for this trip seems to involve some very long round-about routes.
We'd found the small print at the first couple of car rental places we'd tried and been told by one that this was standard, but I'm now not so sure - we'll call and check with the others.
And we had no idea the shuttle companies would go long-distance, that's really helpful to know! I couldn't work out how people without cars would get to and from the airport, and the answer is shuttle services. Things make more sense now!
I think we'll try again for a rental car (with more research, and again on the day, with both licenses) and then fall back to a Plan B if doesn't work out. Thanks again!
posted by BinaryApe at 12:41 AM on January 5, 2016
Does the UK Driver's License have some restriction, on its face (like the word "provisional"), being only a few months old? If so, then I'd call around and ask. But if not? Don't ask anyone! As mentioned by carmicha above, make a reservation at every Car Rental location at MCI, show up, and when they say show ID, pull out the UK driver's license. Keep the MO license as a back up, but, really, their concern is that you're a new driver--and more of a risk. You're not, so don't worry about it!
If someone happens to notice that a coded answer on the back of a foreign license that violates some deep term and condition, then move to the next Rental Car Company. But don't allow this to stress you out!
posted by China Grover at 9:23 AM on January 5, 2016
If someone happens to notice that a coded answer on the back of a foreign license that violates some deep term and condition, then move to the next Rental Car Company. But don't allow this to stress you out!
posted by China Grover at 9:23 AM on January 5, 2016
We did it! Thanks for all the advice here.
I think I started to panic after seeing the same clause from three companies in a row, but other rental companies do have different policies that allow new licenses. My wife suspects we saw restrictive policies in at least one case because we were booking online from the UK, and not the actual policy of the local office.
We rented a car from Alamo and everything went very well, although we were far too optimistic about arriving at midnight and driving to Joplin immediately, so we stayed in a motel near the airport and left early in the morning instead.
(We saw a 5 Guys car picking people up at the airport and they looked professional)
posted by BinaryApe at 11:55 PM on February 13, 2016
I think I started to panic after seeing the same clause from three companies in a row, but other rental companies do have different policies that allow new licenses. My wife suspects we saw restrictive policies in at least one case because we were booking online from the UK, and not the actual policy of the local office.
We rented a car from Alamo and everything went very well, although we were far too optimistic about arriving at midnight and driving to Joplin immediately, so we stayed in a motel near the airport and left early in the morning instead.
(We saw a 5 Guys car picking people up at the airport and they looked professional)
posted by BinaryApe at 11:55 PM on February 13, 2016
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posted by Jacob G at 1:34 PM on January 4, 2016