8 ways from Bemidji to Minneapolis MN or Bemidji to MSP Airport

1. Fly to Minneapolis (MSP) from Bemidji (BJI)
2. Rent a car
3. Take a bus
4. Take a train (You need to get to Fargo then to Minneapolis)
5. Call a Limo Service
6. Call a private ride service
   1. A group shuttle serving:
      1. Group shuttles (You would need to get to Brainerd or Alexandria for a group shuttle such as Groome Transportation
7. A Private Ride Car Service
   1. Citywide is an example of this type of service.
8. See if there is an available Uber or Lyft driver willing to make that drive.
9. Call a friend or relative.

When renting a car here are a few things to consider.

Driving in our Minnesota weather conditions.  Be aware of current weather conditions during your stay.  Winter weather and icy road conditions can be a very difficult hazard to some drivers not familiar with Snow and Ice driving.  There are some very flat areas on the drive from Bemidji to Minneapolis MN.  On windy days this can be quite challenging, especially in the winter months but also during some of the road construction areas where the lane widths are narrow and traffic that is only separated by small plastic cone dividers.

Road construction: The road construction from Bemidji to Minneapolis MN is always prevelant between the months of April and October.  There are generally 20 – 30 miles selected each year that will be completely torn up and replaced.  Detours are possible as well as taking a 2 lane each way highway and turning it into a one lane each way.

Navigating these roads can sometimes be tricky but if you take it slow, it is actually a very beautiful ride.

Think about where you will have to park how much that will cost and the distances you will have to walk to retrieve your car.

The liability of driving in this state.  Minnesota is a no-fault state when it comes to car insurance.  If you are driving a rental car, will your insurance be used at all or just the rental insurance?

There are also some very picturesque areas on a Bemidji to MSP Airport drive.  Having your own car would allow you to stop and enjoy some of the sights and stops along the way.  The drive is around 4 hours long or about 230 miles.

Having the freedom to move at your own pace and do the things you want to do when you want to do them have their advantages but understand the costs involved as well.

When flying from Bemidji to Minneapolis MSP, most people automatically assume that it is faster than driving.  While this is true most of the time, the difference in driving may not be as much as you think.

You need to secure your ride or park your car at the Bemidji airport.  This is going to be no less than 30 minutes.  The time to load onto the plane and taxi to the runway is about 45 minutes. The flight between BJI and MSP is about 65 minutes.  Time to taxi to the gate in Minneapolis and de-plane is about 15 minutes.  So the total time to fly to MSP is going to be right around 2 hours and 30 minutes.

The time to drive from Bemidji to Minneapolis MSP is 4 hours or about 230 miles.  Now think how often you would land at MSP and get to transfer right away on your flight to your finale destination?  You are almost always going to have a layover.  That layover can be anywhere up to a few hours or maybe more.  You can get to the MSP airport 2 hours before your flight leaves giving you less time wandering around the MSP airport.

Cancellations

The last thing to think about is, the flights in and out of the smaller regional airports have a cancellation rate that may not be acceptable to you.  These flights can be cancelled for a variety of reasons like ridership, maintenance or flight hours of the crew.  If canceled, very few of them will have an alternative for you.  You are left to fend for yourself or wait till the following day.  If this happens with a later flight, finding a ride after 8pm out of Bemidji is very difficult.

There are benefits to flying.  Statistically you are safer on a commercial flight than a car.  You can drink (adult beverages) on a plane and this is usually not allowed on Minnesota roads.

It looks like there are only a couple of options by bus between MSP and Bemidji , Jefferson Lines and Greyhound.

Jefferson Lines currently shows the ride is about 7 hours long and starts around $100.  Obviously with a lot of stops and wait times in-between or taking a very circuitous route as this ride is generally 4:00 direct.

Greyhound is currently listing this ride as starting at $70.00 per person but it looks like the bus goes 1st to Fargo then to Minneapolis. 

Limo services and private ride car services are by far in a way the most convenient and comfortable way to travel from Bemidji to Minneapolis.  They are also more expensive than most of the other ways to travel between Bemidji and MSP.

Why is it better?

1. Choose the people you sit next to
2. Seating is much more spacious and comfortable than on a plane or shared ride service
3. When traveling to Minneapolis, you may be more worried about viruses and other things that can make you sick.  When you put yourself into a shared van with 14 other people, whatever is floating around you would be more susceptible to.
4. Have you ever sat in a confined area with screaming children or adults for that matter?  This is not a problem with a private ride.
5. Door-to-door service means picking you up at any address in Bemidji and driving you directly to the MSP airport, dropping you off right in front of the ticketing counters minimizing the distance to get your luggage to the check in counter.
6. When traveling and you need to stop for a bathroom break.  Asking your driver is generally not a problem.  When traveling with a van full of people, you may feel more uncomfortable asking for a stop.
7. What happens when your flight into MSP has been delayed?  Your group ride, train or bus will not wait for you.  A private ride service is there to be flexible when you need them to be.
8. Trying to get work done on your ride with peace and quiet instead of trying to carry on a phone conversation with someone while a van full of people are talking around you.
9. Traveling with a pet?  Most private ride service allow for pets, most group ride services do not.  Citywide does not require you to cage your pet like most Limo services do.

These are App driven services so accessing them by phone is very difficult if not impossible.  You need to install the App on your phone, link it to a credit card and you are set to go.

Uber and Lyft are credited for changing the “Taxi Industry” for ever.  For the better in my opinion.  But keep in mind what makes a Taxi service or Uber / Lyft more cost-effective.

They have drivers floating all around the city waiting for a call to come in.  If they are close to the pick-up location, they are selected to make the ride by dispatch.  The drivers of these services are ONLY paid while you are in the car.  The logic behind this is that once they drop you off they will wait for a ride that is close to them which eventually will bring them back to wherever they want to be when they end their day.  So for a Taxi or Uber/Lyft to make money from very cheap rides they need drivers willing to only be paid while they are driving you somewhere.  They are making nothing while waiting for the next ride.

Now

When a Taxi or Uber / Lyft driver is asked to go from Bemidji to Minneapolis MSP, about 230 miles North of Minneapolis, they know if they take this ride they are most likely going to have to drive all the way back on their own dime.  That is to day 4 hours and $60 in gas is on them to get back where home rides are.  So making a deal with the driver if you are able to pay them for their un-compensated ride back puts them at a very close if not higher rate than a private ride service.  That’s if you get the chance to talk to them before they decide to dump your ride and decline it.