Shuttling around Dragon Con in a comfortable bus (on the green route) is the coolest way to get around the con if you don’t have a handy teleporter. But if you’re at the Hyatt and you want to make a panel at the Sheraton on time for panelists’ introductions, knowing your ETA (estimated time of arrival) is essential.

I walked out the front doors of the Hyatt at approximately 4PM (late for my panel at the Sheraton) and strolled (aided by my cane) to the marked Dragon Con bus stop just north of the Hyatt on the Sun Trust side of Baker Street.

I checked my wrist watch.

4:05PM

A large passenger bus with a Dragon Con sign on the front windshield arrived 15 minutes later.

4:20PM

(The bus I boarded could not accommodate wheelchairs. The driver told me that she would have called for a designated van if a wheelchair passenger had waited for a ride.)

Since Baker Street is one-way going west, away from my destination at the Sheraton, we traveled first to the Georgia Aquarium, made a few turns and let fans off at the Hyatt House hotel. (The driver explained that another route travels as far as the Crowne Plaza in midtown, the purple route.)

We headed south, stopping and exchanging passengers at the Omni, turned east on Cone Street, and drove by more hotels, exchanging passengers at only one of the marked bus stops. (The shuttle does not stop if no one is getting off and no one is standing by the white signs marked “Dragon Con bus stop” in blue.)

I am directionally challenged, but at some point, we moved west and north again arriving at the Westin and the Americas Mart just over 30 minutes after I left the Hyatt.

4:38PM

We took a right turn and headed East, finally arriving at the bus stop just across the street from the Sheraton hotel entrance.

4:40PM

If I had chosen to disembark, I would have arrived at the Sheraton 35 minutes after I boarded the bus on Baker Street, just north of the Hyatt. I could have walked into an ongoing panel at the Sheraton or stayed and been on time for the next panel, but curiosity overcame attendance. I could complete the green route by staying on the cool, comfy bus.

Between 4:30 and 5PM, the green route bus changes drivers. This only happens once a day and added a mere five minutes to my transit time.

We arrived at the Hilton five minutes after leaving the Sheraton.

4:50PM

We arrived back at the Hyatt five minutes later.

4:55PM

My round trip took 50 minutes (not deducting the 5 minutes to change drivers) in light traffic and no contingencies, like football games, that can push the round trip to as much as 90 minutes.

My time from the Hyatt to the Sheraton on the green route = 35 minutes.

My return time from the Sheraton back to the Hyatt, also green route = 10 minutes.

These are probably best time estimates for the green route so be sure to count in extra time for high traffic days.  For purple and blue routes, you’ll have to ride yourself!