[LLM]

Depending on the number traveling, we hire a tour type bus, which is surprisingly comparable to the cost of a school bus for 5 days. The cost of school bus transportation soared this year due to fuel costs and our budget crisis. If you are only needing it for the event dates (close regional) then could you use your district's vans/Suburbans to drive back and forth? Our team uses these for close trips with limited students, but pays for the gas. We usually have a mentor pull a trailer with the pit, tools and spare parts.

There have been times when flying to Atlanta is actually cheaper than the bus option, but then you must deal with the fact that your team has no transportation while there unless everything (hotel, restaurants, Office Depot, Home Depot, hardware store) is close to the MARTA. Hotels within walking distance to the Georgia Dome are usually very expensive. Hotels within walking distance to many regional venues are sometimes nonexistent.