Megabus (North America)
Penn Station in March 2009 | |
Parent | Variant Equity Advisors |
---|---|
Founded | April 10, 2006 |
Headquarters |
|
Service area | United States Canada |
Service type | Intercity coach service |
Routes | 30 |
Hubs | |
Fleet | Motor Coach Industries single-deck coaches Van Hool single-and double-deck coaches |
Operator | Coach USA subsidiaries:
Non-Coach USA companies:
|
Chief executive | Linda Burtwistle |
Website | us ca |
Megabus is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/Coach Canada operating in the eastern, southern, midwestern, western, and Pacific United States[1] and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is the North American service equivalent to the European Megabus.
Some tickets, if purchased well in advance, are priced as low as $1, with occasional free promotions and an online booking fee of $2.50 per transaction. Megabus follows the yield management model, typically used by airlines, where the lowest fares are offered to those who book early. Only one or two seats are sold for $0 or $1 per schedule, so the less popular schedules tend to be less expensive. Bus stops may be in public streets, bus stations, outside railroad stations or transportation centers in major cities, or on college campuses or at shopping centers in other cities.
Upon ticket purchase, passengers are given a reservation number to be shown to the bus operator upon boarding. In the United States, tickets are not available from the bus operator. Due to franchise regulations, tickets are sold at stops but may be more expensive than those purchased online in Canada.
Reservations can be changed for a fee of $3-$7.50.[2] Independent to the price of ones ticket, passengers can reserve specific seats on the bus. [3]
History
On April 10, 2006,
On August 8, 2007, Megabus introduced service to the
In late May 2008, Megabus began service to/from
Megabus returned to the West Coast on December 12, 2012, initially serving
In April 2019, Stagecoach Group sold its North American operations, including Megabus, to Variant Equity Advisors.[11][12]
Destinations history
Atlanta
Megabus announced service in Atlanta, its first destination in the Southeastern United States, on October 25, 2011. On November 16, 2011, Megabus began operations out of Atlanta from the Civic Center station in Downtown Atlanta.[13][14]
Initially, Megabus offered service from Atlanta to
Megabus also has a bus line linking Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville that started on March 14, 2012.[16]
Service between Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina, Fayetteville, North Carolina and Durham, North Carolina began February 18, 2014.[17]
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge service was added on September 9, 2013, with service to New Orleans and San Antonio.[18]
Chicago
Megabus began operations in the U.S. on April 10, 2006, with routes between
On September 11, 2006, a stop in
On March 13, 2008, a stop was added in Madison, Wisconsin, on the twice-daily Chicago-Minneapolis route.[19]
Columbia, Missouri was added with one-stop daily in each direction on the Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City route; was discontinued in September 2015.[20]
On March 27, 2008, a new route was added, Chicago-Champaign-Memphis, offering two daily trips in each direction. In early 2010, the Champaign/Memphis route was cut to one daily round-trip due to poor ridership, but the second round trip has since been restored.
On May 4, 2010, a route from Chicago to
On March 14, 2012, Megabus started service from Chicago to Nashville via Indianapolis and Louisville.[16] Service was extended to Atlanta via Chattanooga. In June 2012, Megabus announced service from Chicago to Detroit via Grand Rapids and East Lansing beginning July 12.[22]
On February 2, 2015, Megabus discontinued service from Columbus, Ohio, to Cleveland.[23]
On March 1, 2017, Megabus added service between Chicago and Lincoln, Nebraska, thru Moline, Coralville, Des Moines, and Omaha.[24]
Dallas
On May 31, 2012, Megabus announced a new service to be effective June 19, 2012, to/from
On April 4, 2013, service was discontinued for the Oklahoma and Missouri state stops via Dallas.[28] Dallas-to-St. Louis is now only accessible via routing through Memphis.
Los Angeles
Service was extended to Anaheim on December 6, 2014.[29][30]
New Orleans
Service between New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee began December 17, 2013.[31]
New York
On May 30, 2008, Megabus began East Coast operations with service to and from
As of November 2008, the company ran 14 daily New York City-Washington, DC trips.[33]
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. 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 to the M22 route in December 2008, with service to Boston or New York available.
Service to/from Hartford was added on December 4, 2008, but withdrawn on September 14, 2009.[34]
Eastern Bus[35] and Today's Bus[36] were acquired by Coach USA in late 2008 and early 2009 but were divested in 2009.
On May 4, 2010, service between New York and
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.[41] Service between New York and Amherst began on December 15, 2010; extended to Burlington and Montpelier in 2014.[42] A Brattleboro stop was added in September 2016.[43]
Beginning August 1, 2012, the New York stop moved to 34th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, across the street from the
In July 2018, Megabus restarted service between Cleveland and New York City.[45] The service was again halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has not resumed.[46]
Toronto
In June 2008, Coach Canada began offering tickets from C$1 on its route between Toronto and Montreal, using the same yield management model.[47] The route was later rebranded to a Megabus route.
In March 2023, Megabus announced a Toronto-Detroit route would begin operations in April. There will be four stops en route between the two cities.[48]
Ottawa
On May 14, 2021, Megabus said they would start routes between Toronto, Scarborough, Kingston, and Ottawa. This was in response to Greyhound Canada's announcement that they would shut down all their operations in Canada.[49]
Pittsburgh
On March 29, 2011, Megabus announced service to/from Pittsburgh, operating service out of the
Megabus also announced a route between Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor, starting March 14, 2012.[52]
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 the 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.[53]
Megabus routes operating from Pittsburgh will occasionally use an alternate stop on 10th Street and Penn Avenue, right outside of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, if the convention center is holding a large event. This alterative stop is visible from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center underpass.
Philadelphia
Starting July 21, 2010, Megabus began operating service to/from
In 2013, Megabus added service to and from Newark, Delaware from Philadelphia en route to Washington, D.C.[56]
Washington D.C.
Megabus began operating to/from
In May 2011, Megabus added service to Frederick, Maryland.[62]
Service to/from Morgantown, West Virginia was added on January 12, 2012.[63]
In April 2017, the company began service between Washington D.C. and
In October 2018, Megabus added express service between Washington D.C. and Charlottesville, Virginia.[65]
California/Nevada network
Megabus re-entered California on December 12, 2012, serving
Megabus operates almost exclusively in California and Nevada from commuter rail stations or transfer stations for local transit buses. In Los Angeles, the buses utilized
A stop in
Destinations served
United States
Northeast
- Atlanta
- Baltimore
- Burlington
- Harrisburg
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Providence
- State College
- Washington, D.C.
Texas
Canada[72]
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- London
- St. Catharines
- Belleville
- Brockville
- Cornwall
- Fort Erie
- Grimsby
- Kingston
- Kirkland
- Napanee
- Niagara Falls
- Oakville
- Port Hope
- Trenton
- Whitby
Fleet
The Megabus fleet has 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 also has 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 Academy Bus livery.
Megabus service began with used Motor Coach Industries 102EL3 Renaissance coaches, often transferred from other Coach USA operations, with some services utilizing Chicago- and Wisconsin Coach Lines 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
All Megabus coaches 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 (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 operated by Trentway-Wagar. All of the Canadian 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. On these runs, the buses will typically only have Wi-Fi 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 roaming charges from the cellular carriers that provide internet service.
Notable incidents
Megabus vehicles have been involved in several crashes. (This list does not include Megabus vehicles operated by DATTCO or Concord Coach Lines on services to and from Boston and services on the M25, which are operated separately).
- On September 1, 2008, a Detroit-bound M1 coach was pulled over by Michigan State police after officers noticed the bus swaying and speeding outside blood alcohol level of .07, well above the .04 limit for commercial bus operators. It was the first drunk driving incident in Coach USA history. A replacement driver was brought in to bring the 30 passengers to their final destination.[73]
- On September 11, 2010, around 2:30 a.m., a Toronto-bound M34 double-decker coach missed an exit to the Syracuse, NY, and hit a railway overpass carrying the St. Lawrence Subdivision along NY Route 370 2 miles (3.2 km) farther away. Four passengers were killed, all in the front of the upper deck, crushed into the lower deck in the crash, and 17 others were injured.[74][75] Megabus settled the resulting lawsuits, including one for $3.1 million.[76]
- On August 2, 2012, a St. Louis-bound M5 service Megabus coach with 64 passengers slammed into a concrete bridge pillar on Interstate 55 near Litchfield, Illinois. At least one passenger was killed, and 30 were hurt. Police attributed the crash to a blown tire.[77][78]
- On February 21, 2016, a double-decker Megabus traveling from Chicago to Milwaukee turned around an hour into its trip citing a need to "change buses" to its passengers.[79][80] Shortly after turning around, the bus stopped on the side of U.S. Route 41 in Lake Forest with a flat tire and caught fire before exploding.[81] All passengers, including the driver, had evacuated the bus before the explosion and were unharmed, but all passenger belongings still stowed on the bus were destroyed.[79] The incident was liveblogged by then-The New York Times columnist Lucas Peterson.
- On May 22, 2022, a Megabus carrying 47 passengers traveling from Washington, DC rolled over on its right side on Interstate 95 northeast of Baltimore, injuring 27 people, 15 of whom went to the hospital.[82]
- On August 9, 2022, a Megabus from New York City to Philadelphia hit a pickup truck on the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). They lost control, causing the double-decker bus to crash into barriers and roll over on its right side at the ramp for the Thomas Edison Service Area. The crash killed two passengers and seriously injured two others and the bus driver.[83]
The safety of curbside bus services came under scrutiny in 2011 after the World Wide Tours bus crash caused 14 fatalities.[84] 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.[85][86]
References
- ^ "Megabus | Low cost bus tickets from $1".
- ^ "Changing Reservations". Megabus.
- ^ "Reserved seats". Megabus.
- On Stageissue 62 April 2006 page 7
- ^ Raine, George (August 2, 2007). "Bargain bus company riding into Bay Area next week". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Megabus.com launches $1 bus service on West Coast" (Press release). Coach USA. August 2, 2007.
- ^ Megabus drives ahead in States On Stage issue 68 October 2007 page 1
- ^ a b Chang, Andrea (May 17, 2008). "Megabus to halt service in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (November 28, 2012). "$1 Buses to Los Angeles Return". KNTV.
- ^ "Megabus.com begins new service to/from Los Angeles, San Francisco and six cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Sale of North America Division for Estimated Enterprise Value of US$271M" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Stagecoach sells off North American division for $271m". Coach & Bus Week. December 21, 2018.
- ^ "Megabus to open Atlanta Hub". American City Business Journals. October 24, 2011.
- ^ Seventh USA hub for meagbus.com On Stage issue 88 November 2011 page 7
- ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service to/from Atlanta and 11 Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. October 25, 2011.
- ^ a b Snyder, Eric (January 17, 2012). "Megabus.com expands Nashville service". American City Business Journals.
- ^ "Megabus.com expands service to/from South Carolina" (Press release). PR Newswire. February 6, 2014.
- ^ "Megabus.com adds three daily arrivals/departures to/from Baton Rouge". The Gonzales Weekly Citizen. September 9, 2013.
- ^ BALOUSEK, MARV (February 28, 2008). "MEGABUS IS A NEW OPTION TO CHICAGO THE BUS SERVICE WILL LINK CHICAGO, MADISON AND MINNEAPOLIS BEGINNING MARCH 13". Wisconsin State Journal.
- ^ Thorsen, Leah (September 15, 2015). "MegaBus ending service in Columbia, Kansas City; Mizzou senior petitioning to save it". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ "Megabus.com expands Chicago service to Omaha". Facebook. August 4, 2011.
- Booth Newspapers.
- ^ Glaser, Susan (February 2, 2016). "Megabus cuts service between Cleveland and Columbus, Cincinnati, cites declining gas prices as the reason why". The Plain Dealer.
- ^ Davis, Andy (February 21, 2017). "Megabus, Windstar Lines partnership brings bus service back to area". Iowa City Press-Citizen.
- ^ "STAGECOACH EXPANDS MEGABUS.COM NORTH AMERICAN NETWORK TO TEXAS" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. May 31, 2012.
- Dallas Morning News. May 31, 2012.
- ^ "Megabus resumes service to Dallas | wfaa.com Dallas-Fort Worth". Wfaa.com. November 18, 2012. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ^ "Oklahoma business briefs for April 2, 2013". The Oklahoman. April 2, 2013.
- ^ "Megabus returns to California with stops in several major cities". May 22, 2023.
- ^ Forgione, Mary (November 19, 2014). "Megabus to begin Anaheim–San Francisco service in December". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Megabus.com expands service to/from Mississippi" (Press release). PR Newswire. December 6, 2013.
- ^ Megabus heads east in the USA On Stage issue 70 April 2008 page 2
- ^ HARMON, SONIA (November 13, 2008). "DC to NYC: Which Bus Line Is Best?". Washingtonian.
- ^ "New York to Boston is now express!". August 27, 2009 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Stagecoach Group PLC and Coach USA, Inc., et al.-Acquisition of Control-Eastern Travel & Tour, Inc., 54202-54203 [E8-21733]". Justia. September 18, 2008.
- ^ Novikoff, Josh (February 17, 2009). "Today's Bus Now Part of Eastern Coach/Coach USA". WAMU. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ McNally, Brendan (April 15, 2010). "MegaBus service offers cheap routes". Daily Collegian.
- ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service in Midwest and Northeast" (Press release). PR Newswire. April 13, 2010.
- ^ "Megabus adds Philadelphia service". The Boston Globe. June 11, 2010.
- ^ Nickerson, Jef (August 4, 2010). "Megabus Coming to Providence". Greater City Providence.
- ^ STACOM, DON (November 16, 2010). "Megabus Rolls Back Into Hartford Market". Hartford Courant.
- ^ "Megabus.com Expands New York Service". Metro. November 19, 2010.
- ^ "Letter: Megabus not all it's cracked up to be". Brattleboro Reformer. October 4, 2016.
- ^ Swidler, Kim Stuart (July 23, 2012). "Megabus pickup location in NYC changing as of August 1st". Times Union.
- ^ Glaser, Susan (July 23, 2018). "Megabus restarts Cleveland-New York route with some $1 fares". The Plain Dealer.
- ^ Glaser, Susan; clevel; .com (August 4, 2020). "Lakefront Lines closure signals bus industry struggle; Cleveland Megabus service remains on hold". cleveland. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Coach Canada Offers $1 Tickets To Montreal". CityNews. January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009.
- ^ "New bus route launched between Ontario, U.S." March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Megabus coming to Ottawa following Greyhound shutdown". CTV News. May 14, 2021. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021.
- ^ "MegaBus Names Pittsburgh As New Hub". KDKA-TV. March 29, 2011.
- ^ "Here comes Megabus". Niagara Gazette. Associated Press. March 29, 2011.
- ^ "Megabus.com ending service to Cincinnati, Columbus". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 29, 2012.
- ^ Novak, Stephanie (April 18, 2014). "Megabus cancels route from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Detroit". American City Business Journals.
- ^ "Megabus.com Expands Philadelphia Service to and From Nine Northeast Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. June 10, 2010.
- ^ "NEW ROUTES FOR MEGABUS.COM NETWORK IN NORTH AMERICA" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. June 11, 2010.
- ^ Shannon, Josh (September 6, 2012). "THE BUS STOPS HERE: Megabus to run $1 trips from UD campus to D.C., N.Y.C." Newark Post.
- ^ "Megabus.com Expands Washington D.C. Service To and From 10 Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. November 16, 2010.
- ^ Miranda, Kristen (December 15, 2010). "Megabus rolls into Charlotte". WBTV.
- ^ "Megabus.com Expands Toronto Service to/from Washington D.C." Judi McLeod. December 15, 2010.
- ^ Thomson, Robert (July 29, 2011). "Union Station to become intercity bus center". The Washington Post.
- ^ "MegaBus brings daily routes from Christiansburg to DC and Knoxville". Montgomery County, Virginia. November 24, 2010.
- ^ Welsch, Adrienne (May 5, 2011). "Hop On the Megabus - to Frederick". WRC-TV.
- ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service to Morgantown". Facebook. January 6, 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015.
- ^ HANKERSON, MECHELLE (April 19, 2017). "Megabus is coming to Virginia Beach, and a Norfolk stop is in the works". The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ Freedman, Emmy (October 8, 2018). "Megabus to Begin Express Service from Charlottesville to D.C." WVIR-TV. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ William-Ross, Lindsay (November 28, 2012). "$1 Express Bus Service From L.A. To Bay Area and Vegas is Back!". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "Megabus returning with trips between Las Vegas and L.A." Las Vegas Sun. November 28, 2012.
- ^ "'Megabus' Begins Daily Service From Burbank To Northern Calif". CBS News. August 15, 2013.
- ^ "Megabus returns to California with stops in several major cities". May 22, 2023.
- ^ Dotson, Nijzel (May 15, 2023). "Megabus returns to Sacramento and other major cities across California". KCRA. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Megabus launches L.A. to Las Vegas service". KTLA. May 22, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Bus Stops | megabus".
- ^ Skoller, Jenna (September 3, 2008). "MegaBus driver arrested on DUI charges in Southwest Mich". The Michigan Daily.
- ^ Lisi, Nicholas (September 11, 2010). "Megabus passengers awake to crash, blood and cries for help". The Post-Standard.
- ^ Chen, Peter (September 11, 2010). "Canadians not among 4 killed in bus crash". The Globe and Mail. Associated Press.
- ^ O'Brien, John (July 9, 2013). "Megabus settles lawsuits over crash that killed 4 near Syracuse". The Post-Standard.
- ^ "Police: Blown tire likely caused Megabus crash". CBS News. Associated Press. August 3, 2012.
- ^ Jaffe, Matthew (August 3, 2012). "Megabus Crash in Illinois: At Least 1 Dead, 30+ Injured". ABC News.
- ^ a b Peterson, Lucas (February 22, 2016). "The Day My Megabus Caught Fire". The New York Times.
- ^ Peterson, Lucas [@frugaltraveler] (February 21, 2016). "An hour into trip, turning around to "switch buses." Currently learning that on @megabus, you get what you pay for" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Megabus Catches Fire on Illinois Highway". ABC News. February 22, 2016.
- ^ Sims, Barry (May 23, 2022). "27 injured after Megabus crashes, rolls onto its side on I-95". WBAL-TV.
- ^ Mele, Jillian; Gallagher, Bryanna (August 11, 2022). "2 dead after Megabus traveling to Philadelphia crashes on New Jersey Turnpike; 17 injured". 6abc/WPVI-TV.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (March 12, 2011). "Carnage on I-95 After Crash Rips Bus Apart". The New York Times.
- ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 31, 2011). "High Fatality Rate Found for Low-Cost Buses". The New York Times.
- Journalist's Resource.