Megabus (North America)

Megabus

Van Hool TD925 coach at Penn Station in March 2009
Slogan Low cost daily express bus service...stay connected
Parent Coach USA/Coach Canada
(some buses are owned by DATTCO)
Founded 2006
Headquarters
Service area United State
Canada
Service type Intercity coach service
Routes 30
Stops See list below
Destinations See list below
Hubs
Fleet MCI single-deck coaches
Van Hool single- and double-deck coaches
Operator

Coach USA subsidiaries:

  • Megabus USA LLC
  • Megabus Northeast LLC
  • Megabus Southeast LLC
  • Megabus Southwest LLC
  • Megabus West LLC
  • All West Coachlines
  • American Coach Lines of Atlanta
  • Kerville Bus Company
  • Lakefront Lines
  • Olympia Trails Bus Company
  • Pacific Coast Sightseeing Tours & Charters

Non-Stagecoach companies:

Chief executive Dale Moser
Website us.megabus.com (USA)
ca.megabus.com (Canada)

Megabus, branded on buses as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/Coach Canada and DATTCO (a non Stagecoach company, under contract) providing discount travel services since 2006, operating throughout the eastern, southern, midwestern, and western United States and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Megabus is notable for using curbside bus stops instead of traditional stations, low fares starting at $1, and in recent years, operating a point-to-point network of routes with buses making few stops en route to their destination.

History

on April 10, 2006, Stagecoach introduced a no-frills service through its Coach USA subsidiary, using the Megabus brand that it had established in the United Kingdom. On March 22, 2006, Megabus started taking bookings for new routes in the United States (service began on April 10, 2006), with a network of services based in Chicago with daily routes to Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, St. Louis, Ann Arbor, Columbus, Louisville, Toledo, Detroit, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and State College, Pennsylvania.

On August 8, 2007, Megabus introduced service to the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tempe, Arizona, using Coach America as a contractor.[1][2] In its first foray into California, ridership was sluggish and Megabus started to discontinue services from the Los Angeles hub in early 2008. Service to the Phoenix area was discontinued in January 2008, followed by services in San Diego and San Ysidro in March 2008. In May 2008, Megabus made the decision to shut down its Los Angeles hub and discontinue all related services, stating that "(I)n this case, the ridership trends aren't growing fast enough." The final day for services from Los Angeles was June 22, 2008.[3] Megabus would re-enter the market in 2012, after reacquiring some of the assets of Coach America (Coach America had been part of Coach USA prior to a major divestiture in 2003).

While Megabus withdrew from California, it expanded in the Northeast in late May 2008, when Megabus began service from a hub in New York City, with service to Albany, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.. Further expansions included service to Syracuse, Rochester, Hartford, and Niagara Falls, Ontario (Niagara Falls and Hartford were later withdrawn). In Spring 2009, while Eastern Shuttle was under Coach USA ownership, runs were added to Megabus under the Eastern Shuttle name, after Coach USA purchased two Chinatown bus companies in late 2008 and early 2009, significantly increasing capacity. Later in 2009, the Megabus concept was expanded to Toronto and Montreal, and the Chinatown bus companies acquired by Coach USA were sold to independent interests. Megabus expanded deeper into Pennsylvania and the Southeast in 2009 and 2010.

Since 2010 Megabus has focused on transitioning from a traditional spoke-and-hub system, to a point-to-point network of routes with buses making few stops en route to their destination and operating only a few hubs.

Megabus returned to the West Coast on December 12, 2012 initially serving San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Reno, Riverside, and Los Angeles. On its west coast routes, Megabus operates almost exclusively from either commuter rail stations or transfer stations for local transit buses.

Service overview

Megabus fares start from 1.00 USD or CAD, with an online booking fee of 1.50 USD or CAD per transaction (not per ticket). Megabus follows the yield management model, typically used by airlines, where the lowest fares are offered to those who book early (normally, only one or two seats are sold for 1.00 per schedule), so the less popular schedules tend to be less expensive. In order to keep costs down, Megabus has no waiting rooms and no bus terminals and picks up at curbside on public streets, or in parking lots. Stops may be outside railroad stations or transportation centers in major cities, or on college campuses or at shopping centers in other cities.[4]

Tickets must be purchased in advance via the website or by telephone (in Canada, through the website only). Upon purchase, passengers are given a reservation number which they show the bus operator when they board. In the United States, tickets are not available from the bus operator. In Canada, owing to franchise regulations, tickets are sold at stops at a fixed price (generally higher than purchasing the ticket through the website).

Fleet

The Megabus fleet can be identified by the megabus.com name on the front and sides in yellow against a blue base, and the Megabus logo on the left side of the coach (facing forward) and rear of the bus. The DATTCO fleet used for Megabus service is also decaled with Megabus logos (but with a DATTCO logo instead of a Coach USA logo for Megabus buses owned and operated by DATTCO). Buses on the M25 Megabus route operate with regular Academy Bus livery.

Upon its introduction, Megabus service began with used MCI 102EL3 Renaissance coaches, often transferred from other Coach USA operations, with some services utilizing Chicago- and Milwaukee-based Coach USA buses. In 2007, Coach USA updated its Chicago-based Megabus fleet with new MCI J4500 single-deck and Van Hool TD925 double-deck motorcoaches.

In May 2008, Megabus expanded to the Northeast market, with a fleet of mostly brand-new MCI D4505 coaches, a number of new Van Hool TD925-double decker buses, and some buses purchased secondhand or transferred from the Chicago fleet. This expansion came as Megabus exited from the West Coast market.[3] Further expansion in the Northeast came in the fall and winter of 2008-2009, when additional double-decker buses were delivered, resulting in much of the single-deck buses being transferred to sister operation Eastern Shuttle, pushing many of the EL3s to retirement. The fleet transferred to Eastern Shuttle was eventually returned to mainline Coach USA duty following divestiture a few months later.

All Megabus coaches branded as such in the United States are equipped with Wi-Fi and electrical outlets.

In accordance with ADA regulations, wheelchair-accessible service is available on all lines with 48 hours advance notice (although most service is operated with true-low-floor double-deck coaches). This can now be done online or by phone.

The Canadian Megabus fleet consists of 15 2009 TD925 buses and are operated by Trentway-Wagar.[5] All of the Canada fleet is equipped with electrical outlets and Wi-Fi. The Canadian buses are pooled with the US fleet for NYC-Toronto or Philadelphia-Toronto runs, with drivers swapping at Buffalo to stay within their certified country. Note that on these runs the buses will typically only have WiFi service available in the home country for the bus being used; i.e. Canadian buses will turn off their WiFi at the US border and American buses will turn off WiFi upon entering Canada. This is to avoid incurring roaming charges from the cellular carriers that provide the internet service.

Hubs

Megabus routes available as of June 2012. Lines represent city-to-city tickets that can be purchased, not actual geographical routes traveled.

Megabus service in the United States and Canada operates primarily as a hub-and-spoke model in the Midwest and as a network of point-to-point routes along the East and West Coasts. Northeastern service uses New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. as hub cities. There is a separate hub in Chicago, and a hub in Pittsburgh that allows connection from the Chicago routes to the east-coast routes by changing buses. A new hub opened in Atlanta in November 2011.

Atlanta hub

Megabus announced the creation of their first southeastern United States hub, in Atlanta, on October 25, 2011. In November 16, 2011, Megabus began operations out of its Atlanta hub, located at the Civic Center MARTA Station in Downtown Atlanta.[6]

Initially, Megabus began service from Atlanta to Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville, Montgomery, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, Memphis, Birmingham, Charlotte, Durham, Mobile, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. Megabus now also serves Athens and New Orleans. In addition, passengers are able to link to northeastern US Megabus service through Knoxville and Charlotte, and link to Midwestern Megabus services through Memphis and Nashville.

Megabus also has a bus line linking Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville together, started on March 14, 2012 [7]

Chicago hub

Megabus in the U.S. began operations on April 10, 2006 with routes between Chicago and Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and St. Louis, from a hub on the curb next to Chicago Union Station. (Megabus passengers are prohibited from waiting in the station unless they are using other companies' services.) Services also began between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. A service that was initially offered between Indianapolis and Columbus was later withdrawn due to low ridership, but has since been reinstated and currently operates.

On September 11, 2006, a stop in Toledo was added on the route operating between Chicago and Cleveland. Additional services were added on April 2, 2007: a stop in Ann Arbor along the Chicago-Detroit route for travel to and from Chicago, new service between Minneapolis and Milwaukee, an extension of the Chicago-Toledo-Cleveland route into Pittsburgh (since withdrawn on the Midwest network, but later re-entered on the Northeast network), an extension of the Chicago-St. Louis route into Kansas City, reactivation of the Chicago-Indianapolis-Columbus route, new service between Cincinnati and Columbus, and new service between Chicago and Louisville via Indianapolis (since withdrawn).

On March 13, 2008 a stop was added in Madison, Wisconsin on the twice daily Chicago-Minneapolis route. The Chicago-Minneapolis route operating via Milwaukee service gained a second daily bus. Also, Columbia, Missouri was added with one stop daily in each direction on the Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City route. On March 27, 2008, a new route was added, Chicago-Champaign-Memphis, offering 2 daily trips in each direction. In early 2010, Champaign/Memphis route was cut to one daily round-trip due to poor ridership, but the second round trip has since been restored.

Later in 2008, Megabus expanded service to Minneapolis to four daily departures, but also announced the cancellation of overnight schedules mid-week on routes to Ohio and Memphis. Early in 2009, these midweek overnight schedules were restored, only to be pulled again in summer 2009.

On May 4, 2010, a new route from Chicago to Des Moines via Iowa City began operating.

On August 17, 2011,[8] Megabus started service to Omaha via Des Moines and Iowa City; twice-daily departures and arrivals from Omaha and an increase to four daily departures and arrivals from Des Moines and Iowa City.

On March 14, 2012, Megabus started service from Chicago to Nashville via Indianapolis and Louisville.[9]

In June 2012 Megabus announced service from Chicago to Detroit via Grand Rapids and East Lansing beginning July 12.[10]

Dallas hub

On May 31, 2012, Megabus announced new service to be effective June 19, 2012, entering into a new hub in Grand Prairie, Texas to serve the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. From Dallas, passengers had options to travel to Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock, Memphis, Norman, Oklahoma City, Springfield, and St. Louis. Passengers also have the option to connect to other Megabus routes in Memphis, from Dallas; and to New Orleans, from Houston.[11] On November 18, 2012, it is was announced that customers would also be able to be served in Dallas downtown area as well as the Grand Prairie location. They received the necessary permissions in order to start on the following Monday.[12] On April 4, 2013, service was discontinued for the Oklahoma state and Missouri state stops via Dallas.[13] Dallas-to-St. Louis is now only accessible via routing through Memphis.

New York hub

9th Avenue, Manhattan
Dispatch desk, 34th Street (Manhattan)

On May 30, 2008 Megabus began East Coast operations with service to and from Atlantic City (operated by Academy Bus), Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, and Buffalo and Toronto. Service to Baltimore was added after negotiations over the usage of the White Marsh Park & Ride were concluded. On June 6, a once-daily service was added to Binghamton for travel to and from Buffalo and Toronto.

On all routes except for the Atlantic City route, Megabus competes directly with various discount bus operators, including Greyhound and Peter Pan's BoltBus service, Washington Deluxe, Vamoose Bus, other Chinatown bus lines, and the NeOn service offered by Greyhound Canada and Adirondack Trailways.

During fall 2008, the New York City-Washington, DC line was expanded to 14 northbound and 13 southbound trips, with all service now stopping in Baltimore. Additional departures were also added on Fridays and Sundays to and from Boston.

In December 2008, service to Binghamton, which had been operating only to Buffalo and Toronto, was dropped in favor of service to Syracuse, Rochester, and Niagara Falls (Ontario). A new route also began service to and from Albany. Both revised services offer four trips daily (up from two on the Toronto line), with a fifth Buffalo-Toronto express overnight trip also offered. All services were moved from the Royal York Hotel to the Toronto Coach terminal. Hartford was also added on the M22 route in December 2008, with service to Boston or New York available.

In spring 2009, following the purchase of two Chinatown bus operators (Eastern Shuttle[14] and Today's Bus[15]) in late 2008 and early 2009 and subsequent merger of their operations (with the Eastern brand retained), the M21 route expanded to hourly (or less) departures during the day, with the M23 route expanding to over 20 departures in each direction on weekdays, and over 15 departures in each direction on weekends. As a result, Megabus would briefly enter the Chinatown bus market in the Northeast, a market that it would exit in August 2009.

For summer 2009, the Philadelphia schedule was streamlined to provide 18 daily trips in each direction (evenly split between Megabus and Eastern, but eventually transferred to Megabus when Eastern was sold), and the M24 route saw its two AM departures from either end of the route combined into a single departure. In addition, service to Rochester was reduced to once daily in each direction. Layover time at Syracuse was increased from 20 minutes to 30 minutes to account for the rest stop that used to occur between Syracuse and Rochester.

For winter 2009, service to and from Hartford and to Niagara Falls, Ontario were dropped due to low ridership.

On May 4, 2010, a new route from New York to Pittsburgh via State College began operating; Pittsburgh had previously been served by a route to and from Chicago earlier.

In Spring 2010, Philadelphia was established as a second hub with originating buses to several additional destinations. In summer 2010, Providence to New York was added as an additional destination. On September 8, 2010, Service was stopped between Philadelphia and Atlantic City due to low ridership.

On December 15, 2010, Service was added to Hartford and Amherst due to public outcry in Greater Hartford.

Beginning August 1, 2012, the New York stop moved to 34th St. between 11th and 12th Ave., across the street from the Javits Convention Center.[16]

Toronto hub

Similar to the Megabus model in the United States, in June 2008, Coach Canada began offering tickets from C$1 on their route between Toronto and Montreal, using the same yield management model.[17] As of summer 2009, this route has been converted to a Megabus route as marketed on the Coach Canada website, with double-deckers branded for Megabus replacing single-deck Coach Canada buses on the route, except for over-booked trips in which case the Toronto-to-Kingston leg of the trip reverts to a single-deck Coach Canada bus and the Megabus does not stop in Kingston en route to Montreal. Like services in the United States, Wi-Fi is available on the Toronto-Montreal service. Unlike services in the USA, however, all service is normally accessible for those with mobility impairments; a 48-hour reservation in advance is still required because the number of seats per trip is affected.

Pittsburgh hub

On March 29, 2011, Megabus announced the Pittsburgh hub, operating service out of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center underpass. Megabus routes from Pittsburgh included Pittsburgh-State College-NYC, Pittsburgh-Washington, Pittsburgh-Harrisburg-Philadelphia-Camden, Pittsburgh-Erie-Buffalo-Toronto, Pittsburgh-Columbus-Cincinnati, Pittsburgh-Akron-Cleveland (a restoration of an earlier cut), and Pittsburgh-Toledo-Detroit. Megabus had also announced a route between Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor later, starting March 14, 2012.

On March 13, 2012, Megabus removed under-performing services from Pittsburgh, including Pittsburgh-Erie-Buffalo-Toronto and Pittsburgh-Columbus-Cincinnati and Pittsburgh-Akron, leaving Pittsburgh-State College-NYC, Pittsburgh-Washington, Pittsburgh-Harrisburg-Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh-Cleveland -Toledo-Detroit-Ann Arbor as their remaining services. On May 6, 2014, Megabus also ended the Pittsburgh-Ann Arbor route due to poor ridership, leaving Pittsburgh customers with no direct connection to points west of the city. [18]

Philadelphia hub

Starting July 21, 2010, Megabus began operating service out of a hub near 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Service operates to the Pennsylvania cities of Harrisburg, State College and Pittsburgh, as well as to Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Toronto, and Washington, D.C..[19]

In 2013 Megabus added service to and from Newark, Delaware from Philadelphia en route to Washington, D.C.

Washington D.C. hub

Originally a destination from either New York or the Philadelphia hubs, Megabus began operating south of Washington D.C., using Washington as a new hub, on December 15, 2010. In November 2011, Megabus began operating from the bus deck above the top level of the Amtrak station at Washington's Union Station.[20]

California/Nevada network

Megabus re-entered California on December 12, 2012, serving San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Reno, Riverside, and Los Angeles. Service runs on four routes (LA-San Jose-SF, LA-Oakland-SF, SF-Sacramento-Reno and LA-Riverside-Las Vegas).[21] Unlike the East coast and Midwest networks, Megabus does not operate any hubs on the west coast with all buses operating on point-to-point routes. Megabus also operates almost exclusively from either commuter rail stations or transfer stations for local transit buses. In Los Angeles, the buses utilize Union Station's Patsaouras Transit Plaza. In Las Vegas, buses utilize RTC's South Strip Transfer Terminal.[22] Since the service began, the Megabus routes between San Francisco and Southern California have been extended to serve more destinations. A stop in Burbank (serving Northern LA County) was added on August 15, 2013, and the route was extended down to Anaheim (serving Orange County) on December 6, 2014.[23]

Routes


Route Terminal A Serves Terminal B Notes and history
M1 Chicago, IL Ann Arbor, MI or
Detroit, MI
  • Service began on April 10, 2006.
  • Ann Arbor added on April 2, 2007.
  • Passengers are carried to and from Chicago only.
M3 Chicago, IL Toledo, OH Cleveland, OH
  • Service began on April 10, 2006.
  • Toledo, OH added on September 11, 2006.
  • Pittsburgh, PA added April 2, 2007; initially withdrawn on September 16, 2007 due to insufficient ridership.
    Restored on route M45 in 2011 before being withdrawn a second time.
M4
M4A		 Chicago, IL Milwaukee, WI (M4A) or Madison, WI (M4) Minneapolis, MN
  • Service began on April 10, 2006.
  • Minneapolis, MN added on April 2, 2007. Madison, WI added on March 13, 2008.
  • Service is not available wholly within Wisconsin.
M5 Chicago, IL Normal, IL
St. Louis, MO
Columbia, MO		 Kansas City, MO
  • Service began on April 10, 2006.
  • Kansas City, MO added on April 2, 2007.
  • Columbia added on March 13, 2008.
  • Columbia and Normal are not served on the same trip.
M6
M6A
M6B		 Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN Columbus, OH (M6A or M6B) or
Cincinnati, OH (M6A)
  • Service began on April 10, 2006. Overnight trips serve both terminals.
  • Columbus, OH withdrawn June 4, 2006 due to low ridership. Reinstated on April 2, 2007.
  • Louisville, Kentucky withdrawn September 16, 2007 due to low ridership.
M7 Chicago, IL Champaign, IL Memphis, TN
  • Service began on March 27, 2008.
M8
M8A		 Chicago, IL Iowa City, IA Des Moines, IA (M8) or
Omaha, NE (M8A)
  • Service began on May 4, 2010.
  • Service with two of four continuing to Omaha, began August 17, 2011.
M9 Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN and Louisville, KY Nashville, TN
  • Service began on March 14, 2012.[24]
M10 Los Angeles, CA Riverside, CA Las Vegas, NV
  • Service began on December 12, 2012.
  • Service initially operated as M11 from August 7, 2007 until June 8, 2008 when it was withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M11 Anaheim, CA Los Angeles, CA
Burbank, CA
Oakland, CA		 San Francisco, CA
  • Service began on December 12, 2012.
  • Stop in Burbank added on August 15, 2013.
  • Route extended to Anaheim on December 6, 2014.[23]
  • Service initially operated from August 7, 2007 until June 22, 2008 when it was withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M12 Anaheim, CA Los Angeles, CA
Burbank, CA
San Jose, CA		 San Francisco, CA
  • Service began on December 12, 2012.
  • Stop in Burbank added on August 15, 2013.
  • Route extended to Anaheim on December 6, 2014.[23]
  • Service initially operated as M14 from August 7, 2007 until June 8, 2008 when it was withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M13 San Francisco, CA Sacramento, CA
Reno, NV		 Sparks, NV
  • Service began on December 12, 2012.
M20 New York, NY Providence, RI Hyannis, MA
  • Providence added in 2010. Providence is a standalone line. NY-Boston runs do not stop in Providence.
M21 New York, NY Baltimore, MD
Philadelphia, PA (Early AM Only)		 Washington, D.C.
  • Service began on May 30, 2008.
  • Passengers are carried to and from New York City only.
  • Early morning AM trip from New York are interlined with the M31 service.
  • Customers traveling between Baltimore and Washington D.C. must use the M31.
  • Early morning trips, operates via Philadelphia, to replace M23.
M22 New York, NY Boston, MA
  • Operated by DATTCO under contract to Coach USA (using both Coach USA-owned and DATTCO-owned equipment).
  • Service began on May 30, 2008.
  • Hartford added December 4, 2008, but withdrawn on September 14, 2009.[25]
  • NY-Boston runs do not stop in Providence. NY-Providence runs are designated as M20.
M23 New York, NY Philadelphia, PA
  • Service began on May 30, 2008.
  • Late Night, M21 (New York to Washington, DC via Baltimore), stops at Philadelphia.
M24
M26		 New York, NY Syracuse, NY
Victor (Rochester), NY
Buffalo, NY (downtown and airport)		 Toronto, ON
  • Service began on May 30, 2008. Syracuse and Rochester local service began on December 4, 2008.
  • Binghamton was added on June 6, 2008, but withdrawn on December 3, 2008 because of low ridership.
  • Niagara Falls, Ontario was added on December 4, 2008, but withdrawn on June 28, 2009 due to low ridership.
M27 New York, NY Ridgewood, NJ Rensselaer (Albany), NY
Saratoga Springs, NY
  • Service began on December 4, 2008.
  • Passengers are carried to and from Albany-Rensselaer only.
  • Saratoga Springs service began April 2, 2012.
M28 New York, NY State College, PA Pittsburgh, PA
  • Service began on May 4, 2010.[26]
M29 Pittsburgh, PA Harrisburg, PA and State College, PA Philadelphia, PA
  • Service began on July 21, 2010.[27]
  • State College service merged with former M30 line (date unknown)
M31

M31A

 Philadelphia, PA Baltimore, MD
Washington, D.C.
Richmond, VA		 Hampton, VA
  • M31A service operates to Newark, DE.
  • Most trips terminate in Washington; selected trips do not serve Baltimore.
  • Eight weekday round trips; two trips extended to Richmond/Hampton.
  • Local passengers may be carried between Washington and Baltimore on the M31 line.
  • Some trips are interlined with M21 trips.
M32 Philadelphia, PA Secaucus, NJ Boston, MA
  • One daily round trip.
M34 Philadelphia, PA Syracuse, NY
Buffalo, NY (downtown and airport)		 Toronto, ON
  • Two round trips, only one of which served the Buffalo Niagara Airport.
  • Withdrawn (date unknown); replaced by M44 route from Washington.
M35 New York, NY Hartford, CT Amherst, MA
  • Service began on December 15, 2010.[28]
M36 Pittsburgh, PA Morgantown, WV Washington, D.C.
  • Service began on December 15, 2010 [29]
  • Frederick service added May 11, 2011; subsequently withrdrawn
  • Morgantown service added on January 12, 2012 [30]
M37 Washington, D.C. Richmond, VA
Durham, NC		 Charlotte, NC
  • Service started December 15, 2010 [29]
M38 Washington, D.C. Christiansburg, VA Knoxville, TN
  • Service started December 15, 2010 [31]
M42 Washington, D.C. Baltimore, MD
Secaucus, NJ
Philadelphia, PA		 Boston, MA
  • Two daily round-trips.
  • Service started December 15, 2010 [29]
M44 Washington, D.C. Baltimore, MD
Philadelphia, PA
Buffalo, NY		 Toronto, ON
  • One daily round-trip.
  • Service started December 15, 2010 [29]
M51 Boston, MA Hartford, CT New Haven, CT
  • Service began August 17, 2011.
M53 Boston, MA Burlington, VT
  • Service began August 17, 2011.
M54 Burlington, VT Saratoga Springs, NY New York, NY
M71 Dallas, TX Houston, TX
  • Service began June 19, 2012 [32]
M72 Dallas, TX Austin, TX San Antonio, TX
  • Service began June 19, 2012 [32]
M74 New Orleans, LA Baton Route, LA Houston, TX
  • Service began June 19, 2012 [32]
  • Baton Rouge service added September 9, 2013 [33]
M76 Dallas, TX Little Rock, AR Memphis, TN
  • Service began June 19, 2012 [32]
M91 Atlanta, GA Chattanooga, TN Knoxville, TN
  • Service began November 16, 2011 [34]
M92 Atlanta, GA Chattanooga, TN Nashville, TN
  • Service began November 16, 2011 [34]
M93 Atlanta, GA Birmingham, AL Memphis, TN
  • Service began November 16, 2011 [34]
M94 Atlanta, GA Montgomery, AL Mobile, AL
New Orleans, LA
  • Service began November 16, 2011 [34]
  • Service extends to New Orleans on April 2, 2012
M95 Atlanta, GA Charlotte, NC
  • Service began November 16, 2011 [34]
M96 Atlanta, GA Jacksonville, FL or Gainesville, FL Orlando, FL
  • Service began November 16, 2011 [34]
M97 Atlanta, GA Athens, GA

Columbia, SC
Fayetteville, NC

 Durham, NC
  • Service began February 18, 2014[35]
M98 New Orleans, LA Jackson, MS or Oxford, MS Memphis, TN
  • Service began December 17, 2013[36]
TOR-
MTL		 Toronto, ON Kingston, ON Montreal, QC

Megabus stop locations

City Route Stop location(s)
Midwest network
Ann Arbor M1 University of Michigan State St. Commuter Lot
Champaign M7 Illinois Terminal
Chicago M1-M4,
M5-M8		 Union Station
Cincinnati M6, M47 Gest Street, Queensgate. Univ of Cincinnati
Cleveland M3 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center
Columbia M5 Columbia Transit Wabash Station
Columbus M6, M47 W Hickory St and N Ludlow St Ohio State University
Ohio Union
Des Moines M8 Center St Park & Ride at 830 6th Ave
Detroit M1, M46 Rosa Parks Transit Center Wayne State University
East Lansing East Lansing Amtrak Station Michigan State University
Indianapolis M6 Indianapolis City-County Building
Iowa City M8 Dubuque St and Court St
Kansas City, MO M5 3rd & Grand Metro Center Park & Ride
Madison M4 University of Wisconsin–Madison
Memorial Union		 Dutch Mill park-ride
(West Beltline Highway, Exit 266)
Memphis M7 MATA North End Terminal
Milwaukee M4 Milwaukee Intermodal Station
Minneapolis M4 318 3rd Avenue North (near Target Field)
Normal M5 Bloomington-Normal train station
Omaha M8A Crossroads Mall
(next to parking deck at N 72nd St between Dodge and Cass Sts)
St. Louis M5 St. Louis Union Station
St. Paul M4 240 East Kellogg Blvd. (St. Paul Union Depot)
Toledo M3, M46 University of Toledo, South Entrance, Transit Center Building
Northeast network
Atlantic City M25
Baltimore M21, M31 White Marsh Mall
Boston M22, M32, M51 South Station
Buffalo M24, M34, M64 Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center, Gate 13
Burlington M53, M54 Royall Tyler Theater, University of Vermont, 116 University Place
Camden M29, M30 ABC Bus Yard, 194 Admiral Wilson Blvd
Cheektowaga M24 Buffalo Niagara International Airport
International Arrivals
Christiansburg M38 I-81 Exit 118 Falling Branch Park and Ride Lot
Erie M64 Presque Isle Downs & Casino
Harrisburg, PA M29, M30 Harrisburg Mall
Hartford New Route Columbus Blvd & Morgan St
New York City M21-M28 Megabus service:
  • W 34th St. between 11th and 12th Ave. (departures)
  • 7th Ave & W 28th St (arrivals)
 Academy Bus service:
Philadelphia M21, M23,
M29-M32, M34		 30th Street Station 6th and Market Sts (M23 only)
Pittsburgh M28, M29, M36, M45-M47, M64 David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Providence M22 Fountain St at City Hall Park
(two blocks from the Kennedy Transportation Center)
Portland, ME New Route Portland Transportation Center
Rensselaer
(Albany)		 M27 Albany-Rensselaer train station
Ridgewood M27 Route 17 park-ride
(near Racetrack Rd exit)
Rochester M24 Pitkin St. between E Broad St. and Savannah St.
State College M28, M30 Wal-Mart, 1665 N Atherton St
Syracuse M24, M34 William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center
Toronto M24, M34 Toronto Coach Terminal
Washington, D.C. M21, M31, M38 Union Station, top level above Amtrak.
Toronto-Montreal service
Toronto TOR-MON Toronto Coach Terminal, Bay St & Dundas St Scarborough Town Centre
Whitby TOR-MON Whitby GO Station
Kingston TOR-MON Kingston Bus Terminal
Brockville TOR-MON Stewart Blvd & Jefferson Dr
Cornwall TOR-MON Irving 24 Service Centre, 3250 Brookdale Ave
Kirkland-
West Island		 TOR-MON Dépanneur Beausoir, 2875 St. Charles Blvd
Montreal TOR-MON South side of Le 1000 de La Gauchetière building.
California/Nevada network
Anaheim, CA M11, M12 Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) Bus Bay #11, 2626 E Katella Avenue
Burbank, CA M11, M12 Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station Bus Bay #2, 201 N. Front St
Las Vegas, NV M10 RTC South Strip Transfer Terminal Bay 9, 6675 Gilespie St
Los Angeles, CA M10, M11, M12 Los Angeles Union Station, Patsaouras Transit Plaza Bay 8
Reno, NV M13 Silver Legacy Resort and Casino, W 5th St between N Sierra & N Virginia Sts
Riverside, CA M10 Riverside-Downtown Station, 4066 Vine St
Sacramento, CA M13 University / 65th Street Station, 6740 Q St
San Francisco, CA M11, M12, M13 San Francisco Caltrain Station, Townsend St between 4th & 5th Sts
San Jose, CA M12 Diridon Station, Crandall St between Cahill St and S Montgomery St
Sparks, NV M13 RTC Centennial Plaza Bay A, 1421 Victorian Ave
Oakland, CA M11 West Oakland BART Station, 1451 7th St

Incidents and accidents

Below is a list of notable incidents and accidents involving Megabus vehicles (not counting Megabus vehicles operated by DATTCO or Concord Coach Lines on services to and from Boston, and services on the M25, which are operated separately).

According to federal records, since August 2007, Chicago hub drivers have been cited 54 times by police: 21 times for not maintaining driver logs, 20 times for speeding, three times for following too closely, 2 times for improper lane changes, and 2 for windshield violations. There were 6 other violations of local laws.[52] Also, New York hub drivers have been cited 29 times by police: 14 times for speeding, five times for not maintaining driver logs, two times for failing to obey a traffic control device, two times for defects (windshield cracked and other), and 1 time for falsifying a log book. There were 5 other violations of local laws.[52] There have been four other accidents involving Megabus vehicles.[52]

The safety of curbside bus services came under scrutiny after a 2011 crash in New York caused 14 fatalities.[53] The National Transportation Safety Board conducted a six-month study and found that while bus travel was considerably safer than by car, curbside buses had seven times the fatality rates of traditional bus lines.[54][55]

Discontinued services

Route Terminal A Served Terminal B Begun Withdrawn Notes
M10 Los Angeles, CA Phoenix, AZ Tempe, AZ August 7, 2007 January 7, 2008
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[3]
M15 Los Angeles, CA San Diego, CA August 7, 2007 March 2008
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[3]
M33 Philadelphia, PA Atlantic City, NJ July 21, 2010 September 8, 2010
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M45 Pittsburgh, PA Akron, OH May 11, 2011 March 13, 2012
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M46 Pittsburgh, PA Cleveland, OH
Toledo, OH
Detroit, MI		 Ann Arbor, MI May 11, 2011 May 6, 2014
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership. [18]
M47 Pittsburgh, PA Columbus, OH Cincinnati, OH May 11, 2011 March 13, 2012
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M64 Pittsburgh, PA Erie, PA
Buffalo, NY		 Toronto, ON May 11, 2011 March 13, 2012
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.

See also

References

  1. ↑ George Raine (2007-08-02). "Bargain bus company riding into Bay Area next week". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
  2. ↑ Kerry Fehr-Snyder (August 2, 2007). "Phoenix-LA bus service for as low as $1.50". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chang, Andrea (2008), "Megabus to halt service in L.A.", Los Angeles Times (2008-05-17): C3, retrieved 2008-05-18
  4. ↑ "Buying tickets". Megabus.com. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  5. ↑ Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board thread (must be logged in to view), cptdb.ca, retrieved on 2009-08-18
  6. ↑ "Megabus to open Atlanta Hub". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Megabus.Com Expands Service In Tennessee". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Megabus.com expands service to Omaha". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Megabus.com $1, Daily, Express Bus Service Returns to Louisville". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ "All aboard: Megabus unveils start date, ticket sales for new Michigan route". mlive.com. 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  11. ↑ "Megabus.com expands service to/from Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and five cities". Megabus.com. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "Megabus resumes service to Dallas | wfaa.com Dallas-Fort Worth". Wfaa.com. 2012-11-18. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  13. ↑ "Oklahoma business briefs for April 2, 2013 | NewsOK.com". M.newsok.com. 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  14. ↑ "Coach USA acquires Eastern Travel & Tour". justia.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  15. ↑ Novikoff, Josh (2009-02-17). "Today's Bus Now Part of Eastern Coach/Coach USA". DCist.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  16. ↑ "New York City Departure Stop Change". Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  17. ↑ "Coach Canada begins offering $1 fares from Toronto to Montreal". CityNews.ca. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Megabus cancels route from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Detroit". Pittsburgh Business Times. April 18, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Megabus.com Expands Philadelphia Service to and From Nine Northeast Cities". Press release. Pennsylvania: PRNewsWire.com. June 10. Retrieved 2012-02-10. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ↑ "Bus Stops". megabus.com. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  21. ↑ Lindsay William-Ross (2012-11-28). "$1 Express Bus Service From L.A. To Bay Area and Vegas is Back!". LAist. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  22. ↑ VEGAS INC staff. "Megabus returning with trips between Las Vegas and L.A.". VegasInc.com. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Forgione, Mary (November 19, 2014). "Megabus to begin Anaheim–San Francisco service in December". Los Angeles Times.
  24. ↑ "Megabus.Com Expands Service To/From Nashville". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  25. ↑ "New York to Boston is now express!". Facebook. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  26. ↑ "Megabus.com Expands Service in Midwest and Northeast". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Megabus.com Expands Philadelphia Service to and from Nine Northeast Cities". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Megabus.com Expands New York Service". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 "Megabus Expands Washington DC Service to and from 11 Cities". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Megabus.Com Expands Service To Morgantown". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Megabus.com Expands Washington D.C. Service to Christiansburg/Blacksburg/Roanoke". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3
  33. ↑ "Megabus.com adds three daily arrivals/departures to/from Baton Rouge". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 34.5 "Megabus.com expands service to/from Atlanta and 11 cities". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Megabus.com expands service to/from South Carolina". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Megabus.com expands service to/from Mississippi". Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  37. ↑ "MegaBus driver arrested on DUI charges in Southwest Mich.". The Michigan Daily. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  38. ↑ "Toronto bound bus tips in NY Storm". The Globe and Mail (Toronto).
  39. ↑ "Megabus Accident Outside Buffalo, NY". wgrz.com. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  40. ↑ "Toronto-bound bus accident injures 12". CBC News. December 10, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Citations for driver of Megabus that killed pedestrian". http://chicagopressrelease.com. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  42. ↑ "Bus Accidents". http://www.chicagocaraccidentattorneysblog.com. 2010-04-09. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  43. ↑ "4 passengers in Megabus crash file lawsuits - NewsChannel 9 WSYR". 9wsyr.com. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  44. ↑ Nicholas Lisi / The Post-Standard. "Megabus passengers awake to crash, blood and cries for help". syracuse.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  45. ↑ The Globe and Mail (Toronto) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/canadians-not-among-4-killed-in-megabus-crash/article1703804/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  46. ↑
  47. ↑ "1 dead, 3 dozen injured after Megabus slams into concrete pillar on I-55". KMOV kmov.com. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Woman struck, killed by Megabus 'a favorite in the neighborhood'". http://www.chicagotribune.com. 2012-08-07. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  49. ↑ Ryckaert, Vic (14 October 2014). "Passengers hurt when Megabus flips on I-65". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  50. ↑ Adams, Sabrina. "UPDATE: 68 passengers on board MegaBus that crashed in Seymour". Fox 59 News. Fox 59 News. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  51. ↑ http://fox59.com/2015/04/13/megabus-crashes-in-johnson-county/
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 "SMS - Safety Measurement System". Ai.fmcsa.dot.gov. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  53. ↑ "Carnage on I-95 After Crash Rips Bus Apart", New York Times, March 12, 2011
  54. ↑ "High Fatality Rate Found for Low-Cost Buses," New York Times, October 31, 2011
  55. ↑ "National Transportation Safety Board: Report on Curbside Motorcoach Safety". JournalistsResource.org, retrieved February 2, 2012

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Megabus (USA).