Megabus (North America)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Megabus
Penn Station in March 2009
ParentVariant Equity Advisors
FoundedApril 10, 2006
Headquarters
Service areaUnited States
Canada
Service type
Intercity coach service
Routes30
Hubs
FleetMotor Coach Industries single-deck coaches
Van Hool single-and double-deck coaches
OperatorCoach USA subsidiaries:
  • Megabus USA
  • Megabus Northeast
  • Megabus Southeast
  • Megabus Southwest
  • Megabus West
  • All West Coachlines
  • American Coach Lines of Atlanta
  • Kerville Bus Company
  • Lakefront Lines
  • Olympia Trails Bus Company
  • Pacific Coast Sightseeing Tours & Charters

Non-Coach USA companies:

Chief executiveLinda Burtwistle
Websiteus.megabus.com (U.S.)
ca.megabus.com (Canada)

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,

State College.[4]

On August 8, 2007, Megabus introduced service to the

San Ysidro services in March 2008. In May 2008, Megabus decided to shut down service to/from Los Angeles and discontinue all related services. The final day for services from Los Angeles was June 22, 2008.[8]
Megabus re-entered the market in 2012 after reacquiring some of the assets of Coach America, which had been part of Coach USA before a major divestiture in 2003.

In late May 2008, Megabus began service to/from

. Niagara Falls and Hartford were later withdrawn, although service to Hartford resumed in 2010.

Megabus returned to the West Coast on December 12, 2012, initially serving

Reno, Riverside and Los Angeles. Megabus operates almost exclusively from commuter rail stations or transfer stations for local transit buses on its west coast routes.[9][10]

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

. In addition, passengers can link to the northeastern US Megabus service through Knoxville and Charlotte and to Midwestern Megabus services through Memphis and Nashville.

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

St Louis, from a stop on the curb next to Chicago Union Station
. Megabus passengers are only allowed to wait in the station if they are using other companies services. Services also began between Indianapolis and Cincinnati. A service initially offered between Indianapolis and Columbus was later withdrawn due to low ridership.

On September 11, 2006, a stop in

Louisville
via Indianapolis (since withdrawn).

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

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.[21]

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

St Louis. Passengers also have the option to connect to other Megabus routes in Memphis, from Dallas, and to New Orleans, from Houston.[25][26] On November 18, 2012, it was announced that customers would also be able to be served in Dallas downtown area as well as the Grand Prairie location. Megabus received the necessary permissions to start on the following Monday.[27]

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

Former station at Ninth Avenue in Manhattan
Dispatch desk at 34th Street in Manhattan
M21 traveling west on 23rd Street in Manhattan

On May 30, 2008, Megabus began East Coast operations with service to and from

Academy Bus), Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Toronto.[32] 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. The company claims to service Baltimore, though the stop is well outside Baltimore city limits.

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

State College began operating; Pittsburgh had previously been served by a route to and from Chicago earlier.[37][38] In July 2010, Philadelphia and Boston were added as destinations.[39] In August 2010, Providence to New York was added as a route.[40]

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

34th Street - Hudson Yards subway station.[44]

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

Akron-Cleveland (a restoration of an earlier cut), and Pittsburgh-Toledo-Detroit.[50][51]

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

Knoxville and Atlanta also started on December 15, 2010.[61]

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

Virginia Beach.[64]

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

Reno, Riverside and Los Angeles. Service runs on four routes (LA-San Jose-SF, LA-Oakland-SF, SF-Sacramento and LA-Riverside-Las Vegas).[66]

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

Anaheim (serving Orange County) on December 6, 2014.[69] Megabus subsequently ceased serving California due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed service on May 15, 2023 operating one route via Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles (El Monte Station) and Anaheim.[70] Megabus also re-launched service from Las Vegas to Barstow, Riverside, El Monte, and Anaheim on June 1, 2023.[71]
However, due to the closure of the Coach USA Anaheim yard, service terminated on September 28, 2023.

Destinations served

United States

Northeast

Texas


Canada[72]


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

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 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).

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

  1. ^ "Megabus | Low cost bus tickets from $1".
  2. ^ "Changing Reservations". Megabus.
  3. ^ "Reserved seats". Megabus.
  4. On Stage
    issue 62 April 2006 page 7
  5. ^ Raine, George (August 2, 2007). "Bargain bus company riding into Bay Area next week". San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ^ "Megabus.com launches $1 bus service on West Coast" (Press release). Coach USA. August 2, 2007.
  7. ^ Megabus drives ahead in States On Stage issue 68 October 2007 page 1
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Roberts, Chris (November 28, 2012). "$1 Buses to Los Angeles Return". KNTV.
  10. ^ "Megabus.com begins new service to/from Los Angeles, San Francisco and six cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. December 12, 2012.
  11. ^ "Sale of North America Division for Estimated Enterprise Value of US$271M" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. December 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Stagecoach sells off North American division for $271m". Coach & Bus Week. December 21, 2018.
  13. ^ "Megabus to open Atlanta Hub". American City Business Journals. October 24, 2011.
  14. ^ Seventh USA hub for meagbus.com On Stage issue 88 November 2011 page 7
  15. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service to/from Atlanta and 11 Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. October 25, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Snyder, Eric (January 17, 2012). "Megabus.com expands Nashville service". American City Business Journals.
  17. ^ "Megabus.com expands service to/from South Carolina" (Press release). PR Newswire. February 6, 2014.
  18. ^ "Megabus.com adds three daily arrivals/departures to/from Baton Rouge". The Gonzales Weekly Citizen. September 9, 2013.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ Thorsen, Leah (September 15, 2015). "MegaBus ending service in Columbia, Kansas City; Mizzou senior petitioning to save it". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  21. ^ "Megabus.com expands Chicago service to Omaha". Facebook. August 4, 2011.
  22. Booth Newspapers
    .
  23. ^ Glaser, Susan (February 2, 2016). "Megabus cuts service between Cleveland and Columbus, Cincinnati, cites declining gas prices as the reason why". The Plain Dealer.
  24. ^ Davis, Andy (February 21, 2017). "Megabus, Windstar Lines partnership brings bus service back to area". Iowa City Press-Citizen.
  25. ^ "STAGECOACH EXPANDS MEGABUS.COM NORTH AMERICAN NETWORK TO TEXAS" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. May 31, 2012.
  26. Dallas Morning News
    . May 31, 2012.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "Oklahoma business briefs for April 2, 2013". The Oklahoman. April 2, 2013.
  29. ^ "Megabus returns to California with stops in several major cities". May 22, 2023.
  30. ^ Forgione, Mary (November 19, 2014). "Megabus to begin Anaheim–San Francisco service in December". Los Angeles Times.
  31. ^ "Megabus.com expands service to/from Mississippi" (Press release). PR Newswire. December 6, 2013.
  32. ^ Megabus heads east in the USA On Stage issue 70 April 2008 page 2
  33. ^ HARMON, SONIA (November 13, 2008). "DC to NYC: Which Bus Line Is Best?". Washingtonian.
  34. ^ "New York to Boston is now express!". August 27, 2009 – via Facebook.
  35. ^ "Stagecoach Group PLC and Coach USA, Inc., et al.-Acquisition of Control-Eastern Travel & Tour, Inc., 54202-54203 [E8-21733]". Justia. September 18, 2008.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ McNally, Brendan (April 15, 2010). "MegaBus service offers cheap routes". Daily Collegian.
  38. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service in Midwest and Northeast" (Press release). PR Newswire. April 13, 2010.
  39. ^ "Megabus adds Philadelphia service". The Boston Globe. June 11, 2010.
  40. ^ Nickerson, Jef (August 4, 2010). "Megabus Coming to Providence". Greater City Providence.
  41. ^ STACOM, DON (November 16, 2010). "Megabus Rolls Back Into Hartford Market". Hartford Courant.
  42. ^ "Megabus.com Expands New York Service". Metro. November 19, 2010.
  43. ^ "Letter: Megabus not all it's cracked up to be". Brattleboro Reformer. October 4, 2016.
  44. ^ Swidler, Kim Stuart (July 23, 2012). "Megabus pickup location in NYC changing as of August 1st". Times Union.
  45. ^ Glaser, Susan (July 23, 2018). "Megabus restarts Cleveland-New York route with some $1 fares". The Plain Dealer.
  46. ^ 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.
  47. ^ "Coach Canada Offers $1 Tickets To Montreal". CityNews. January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009.
  48. ^ "New bus route launched between Ontario, U.S." March 6, 2023.
  49. ^ "Megabus coming to Ottawa following Greyhound shutdown". CTV News. May 14, 2021. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021.
  50. ^ "MegaBus Names Pittsburgh As New Hub". KDKA-TV. March 29, 2011.
  51. ^ "Here comes Megabus". Niagara Gazette. Associated Press. March 29, 2011.
  52. ^ "Megabus.com ending service to Cincinnati, Columbus". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 29, 2012.
  53. ^ Novak, Stephanie (April 18, 2014). "Megabus cancels route from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Detroit". American City Business Journals.
  54. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Philadelphia Service to and From Nine Northeast Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. June 10, 2010.
  55. ^ "NEW ROUTES FOR MEGABUS.COM NETWORK IN NORTH AMERICA" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. June 11, 2010.
  56. ^ 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.
  57. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Washington D.C. Service To and From 10 Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. November 16, 2010.
  58. ^ Miranda, Kristen (December 15, 2010). "Megabus rolls into Charlotte". WBTV.
  59. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Toronto Service to/from Washington D.C." Judi McLeod. December 15, 2010.
  60. ^ Thomson, Robert (July 29, 2011). "Union Station to become intercity bus center". The Washington Post.
  61. ^ "MegaBus brings daily routes from Christiansburg to DC and Knoxville". Montgomery County, Virginia. November 24, 2010.
  62. ^ Welsch, Adrienne (May 5, 2011). "Hop On the Megabus - to Frederick". WRC-TV.
  63. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service to Morgantown". Facebook. January 6, 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015.
  64. ^ HANKERSON, MECHELLE (April 19, 2017). "Megabus is coming to Virginia Beach, and a Norfolk stop is in the works". The Virginian-Pilot.
  65. ^ 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.
  66. ^ 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.
  67. ^ "Megabus returning with trips between Las Vegas and L.A." Las Vegas Sun. November 28, 2012.
  68. ^ "'Megabus' Begins Daily Service From Burbank To Northern Calif". CBS News. August 15, 2013.
  69. ^ "Megabus returns to California with stops in several major cities". May 22, 2023.
  70. ^ Dotson, Nijzel (May 15, 2023). "Megabus returns to Sacramento and other major cities across California". KCRA. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  71. ^ "Megabus launches L.A. to Las Vegas service". KTLA. May 22, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  72. ^ "Bus Stops | megabus".
  73. ^ Skoller, Jenna (September 3, 2008). "MegaBus driver arrested on DUI charges in Southwest Mich". The Michigan Daily.
  74. ^ Lisi, Nicholas (September 11, 2010). "Megabus passengers awake to crash, blood and cries for help". The Post-Standard.
  75. ^ Chen, Peter (September 11, 2010). "Canadians not among 4 killed in bus crash". The Globe and Mail. Associated Press.
  76. ^ O'Brien, John (July 9, 2013). "Megabus settles lawsuits over crash that killed 4 near Syracuse". The Post-Standard.
  77. ^ "Police: Blown tire likely caused Megabus crash". CBS News. Associated Press. August 3, 2012.
  78. ^ Jaffe, Matthew (August 3, 2012). "Megabus Crash in Illinois: At Least 1 Dead, 30+ Injured". ABC News.
  79. ^ a b Peterson, Lucas (February 22, 2016). "The Day My Megabus Caught Fire". The New York Times.
  80. ^ 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.
  81. ^ "Megabus Catches Fire on Illinois Highway". ABC News. February 22, 2016.
  82. ^ Sims, Barry (May 23, 2022). "27 injured after Megabus crashes, rolls onto its side on I-95". WBAL-TV.
  83. ^ Mele, Jillian; Gallagher, Bryanna (August 11, 2022). "2 dead after Megabus traveling to Philadelphia crashes on New Jersey Turnpike; 17 injured". 6abc/WPVI-TV.
  84. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (March 12, 2011). "Carnage on I-95 After Crash Rips Bus Apart". The New York Times.
  85. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 31, 2011). "High Fatality Rate Found for Low-Cost Buses". The New York Times.
  86. Journalist's Resource
    .

External links