I'm a satisfied Megabus customer!

[kafitty]

I'm tickled pink that there was a discussion on this week's show that I can chime in on!

I went on a repositioning cruise back in May, where we departed from Puerto Rico and debarked in New York City. I'm from the 'burbs of Boston, so we had a couple of options to get back to MA: air, rail, or bus. After doing some research, I decided that we'd try Megabus, with much trepidation. Hey, I figured I can suffer through anything for four hours - right?

I booked on March 24th for a trip on May 8th, and I paid $9 for the fare with the $.50 service charge. I believe my companion paid the same, although she booked separately so I'm not completely sure. If it was more, it couldn't have been too much, as she never complained to me about it - she saved that for the airfare to PR, which had jumped up almost $100 after she had waited a week after I booked mine.

There are two Megabus stations in NYC for long-distance trips (from Megabus.com): MEGABUS.COM departures are located on the west side of 9th Ave north of the intersection of 9th Ave and 31st St. MEGABUS.COM arrivals are located at the MTA bus shelter on the west side of 7th Avenue, just south of 28th Street. Naturally, since we were departing, we were at the former. We split a cab with some other folks leaving the Brooklyn cruise terminal since it's right near Penn Station, and the trip probably took about 20 minutes.

What I wasn't expecting is that the departure area is basically a giant parking lot, with zero shelter. It was HOT that day in New York, with nary a cloud in the sky, so my friend and I ate at a local diner to kill some time and stay in the shade. There were lines for each destination city and there were not any seating areas available, or any other services, really. There were street vendors around to purchase water/snacks from, but the Megabus facility itself was no more than a shack.

Once our bus pulled in, we simply showed an employee our printed tickets and boarded the bus. It is a double-decker bus and the seats are the kind you'd see in a tour/commuter bus. There is a toilet on the "ground" floor (which was and remained clean, thankfully), and while I had WiFi access for the first 20 minutes or so, it cut out before we even left the city. This made for a really fun game of watching the available WiFi networks as we drove through NYC - very interesting to see what people name their connections! Alas, it never was restored, and while I had been looking forward to some serious interneting after 8 days on a ship, I was rather engrossed in the Millenium series at that point, so it didn't bother me too much.

The ride was uneventful - nonstop through Connecticut into MA, and straight into South Station. For those who aren't from around here, South Station is the main hub for the MBTA (subway/local bus lines) and commuter rail. We elected to have someone pick us up, but we very easily could have made our way to any part of the state or NH from there.

I just wanted to share my experience on this - while the team was absolutely right in stating this was by no means a luxury experience, it was certainly a very affordable way for a couple of healthy 25 year-olds to travel. There were no gimmicks, no hassle, no forced advertising. While I'm sure there are horror stories, I think we're all well aware at this point that can and will happen everywhere and anywhere, and my own experience turned out just fine!

 

[luke]

As was mentioned in the show, Megabus is pretty popular here in the uk.
No frills, bus transport at a cheap price.
Although getting from most places to other places over here is always much quicker than anywhere in the US

 

[jeanigor]

I've taken MegaBus on multiple occasions. The first time I was leery of it as well. I find it a quite useful and cost effective way to travel to and from Chicago.

As I don't usually book super far in advance, I pay the top/most expensive rate. For my route that's $33 each way. But for $66.50, it is still cheaper than flying or driving (gas plus tolls plus wear and tear on my car) and it saves me from driving it and the possibility of getting a ticket (for some reason, my foot is awful heavy and Indiana and Illinois have very slow speed limits).

There are two stops in downtown Detroit, one at the city's main bus hub and the other on the campus of one of the universities. It makes a stop to pick up more passengers at the University of Michigan, about 30-45 minutes west of Detroit. It then stops about half way to Chicago at a service center so passengers can stretch their legs, smoke, use a toilet that is secured to a floor, grab a snack or even a meal at Hardey's. In the same amount of time that a Google direction search says it will take, we arrive at Union Station.

I agree with the previous poster, that WiFi on the buses is hit and miss and usually rather shoddy if it is a hit. The seats seem to be about the same as a standard touring bus seat. You are allowed one carry on/personal item and one back that is stowed in the luggage compartment of the bus.

The schedule isn't always the greatest, but it isn't too very bad. The hardest part for me is that there is no long term parking in the city near the pick up locations (without a University pass or parking on a side street--which isn't smart in Detroit....). It means finding a ride to and usually more difficult from the MegaBus pick-up/drop off location.

If it were more than just myself traveling, I would only consider taking the MegaBus if we got fares cheaper than $33 one way.

I'm not sure if it is because they pick up at universities or we just have a bad reputation, but every time I have ridden, the Chicago bound driver, during his welcome aboard spiel, states that no illegal activity is allowed on board, including but not limited to drinking, smoking or use of drugs.

 

[Cap.Steamboat Willie]

Are there outlets available by your seats so you can plug in a laptop?

 

[jeanigor]

Are there outlets available by your seats so you can plug in a laptop?

Where the call button and reading lights would be on an airplane, there are reading lights and 110 standard outlets on the MegaBus.

 

[john1928]

I've never used them myself, but I've talked to number of people at the U who had used them to go to Madison and/or Chicago from Minneapolis for $10-30. All said they were satisfied.

I'd still rather drive myself, but it seems like a nice option for those who would like it.

 

[Cap.Steamboat Willie]

Where the call button and reading lights would be on an airplane, there are reading lights and 110 standard outlets on the MegaBus.

Thanks.

I guess you could then pass the time watching a DVD, Playing a computer game, or listening to your iTunes collection.

So long as the seats are comfy, then not bad.

 

[doconeill]

Presumably Megabus is a bit better than the Fung-Wah bus or whatever it was that ran from Chinatown in Boston to NYC - I believe they had a number of issues, like catching fire, wheels falling off, etc.

If I had to go to NYC, I'd probably consider it. I've been trapped on the Acela Express for several hours in the middle of nowhere enough to not want to pay the fare, considering it's close to the price of a flight to Orlando...

 

[kaligal]

A friend of mine takes her kids places on the Megabus. They like it. One time they went about 14 hours round trip for less than $20. Can't beat that price!

 

[FireDancer]

One of my friends has done the Cleveland to Chicago trip a couple of times and said it was a good experience.

 

[Chelley00]

My exhusband lives in Chicago, so our boys have taken the Megabus from Indy there quite a few times. It's much cheaper than driving and I don't have to worry about 2 teen boys driving late at night after they get off work/out of school. They just take their laptops for movies and their Ipods for music and are fine.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

I had considered Megabus until a year ago when there was a crash locally and 4 people were killed and dozens more injured.
The bus driver got lost getting to the bus station, and was driving while using his personal GPS. He also did not have a commercial license. The bus crashed into a (very well marked) low bridge and sheared off the top deck. Such a horrible, grusome sight!
They need better drivers before I would chance it.

 

[snowy76]

I had considered Megabus until a year ago when there was a crash locally and 4 people were killed and dozens more injured.
The bus driver got lost getting to the bus station, and was driving while using his personal GPS. He also did not have a commercial license. The bus crashed into a (very well marked) low bridge and sheared off the top deck. Such a horrible, grusome sight!
They need better drivers before I would chance it.

I was going to post this exact thing - my DS saw the news coverage after it happened and we drive the parkway every week - he always mentions the damage (scrapes and whatnot) still visible on the side of the bridge. I'm leery of the training the drivers receive.

 

[lugnut33]

I had considered Megabus until a year ago when there was a crash locally and 4 people were killed and dozens more injured.
The bus driver got lost getting to the bus station, and was driving while using his personal GPS. He also did not have a commercial license. The bus crashed into a (very well marked) low bridge and sheared off the top deck. Such a horrible, grusome sight!
They need better drivers before I would chance it.

That is exactly why I'd be terrified of riding in the first few rows of the top deck.

 

[kafitty]

I had considered Megabus until a year ago when there was a crash locally and 4 people were killed and dozens more injured.
The bus driver got lost getting to the bus station, and was driving while using his personal GPS. He also did not have a commercial license. The bus crashed into a (very well marked) low bridge and sheared off the top deck. Such a horrible, grusome sight!
They need better drivers before I would chance it.

Not that I begrudge you of your opinion in ANY way, but I think it's interesting that you base it on one singular experience, however horrible it admittedly was.

I am a firm believer that accidents happen, and while it certainly seems like this was an incident that could have been avoided, I feel like one incident in what must be hundreds of thousands of successful rides is kind of just "one of those things"...

I'm sure that the accident led to all sorts of re-training and better scrutiny by the company. At least, I sure hope it did!

Again - I do not say this to condescend or begrudge your opinion in ANY way, it's just a phenomenon I find interesting...

 

[columnwest]

I took the Megabus last week from Montreal to Toronto, about 5 hours one-way.

As Pete mentioned on the show, the $1 fares are there, but you're probably not going to be getting them (unless it's a special promotion for their first few days of operation in Florida) since they get snapped up as soon as they're available. And, as perviously also mentioned, the seats get more expensive as the bus fills up, so early bookers or people travelling on less-popular routes or at less-popular times get the better deals.

In my case, that meant choosing a departure time out of Montreal at the crack of dawn (literally), because it was about $25 versus about $45 for one later in the morning or afternoon.

The bus is huge. It is a double-decker, and fits basically double the number of people you'd have on a regular bus. The seats are comfortable (better than Greyhound, I think) and there are reading lights for each seat, and a standard 110v power outlet below the window for each row of seats. (I can't remember if there were two outlets or just one though. I think just one per row.) I plugged in my laptop and did work. But, there are no fold-down seat trays, so I did have to sort of balance my computer on my lap.

There was free wifi on board, but it can be spotty, depending (I'm theorizing) on where you are geographically (like, in a city versus the middle of nowhere).

There was a bathroom on board, but I didn't use it. I understand it's like a typical bus bathroom (ie: all plastic, no sink). From what I saw, the bus was very clean and well maintained, and there didn't seem to be any crazy people on board. (The city bus terminal however was another story, but that's outside of their control.)

As for safety, our driver was certainly competent. We traveled through very busy city streets, through freeway interchanges and through open highway. Never saw him make any weird turns or speeding or anything. I was impressed with how he moved through the crowded city streets, because the bus is huge, and must take some getting used to, even if you are an experienced driver. Also, the suspension on the bus was surprisingly good. I didn't feel the road much at all. (I was sitting on the upper level.)

So, it is real. The $1 fare, not so real, but the actual fares are still pretty cheap. The bus is fairly nice. You get the power port and the free wi-fi. It is very no-frills though, and you are on a bus. Be sure to bring a book or a portable DVD player or something, since there's no on-board entertainment. I would do it again, but probably not for any trip longer than 5 hours.

 

[snowy76]

Not that I begrudge you of your opinion in ANY way, but I think it's interesting that you base it on one singular experience, however horrible it admittedly was.

I know you didn't quote me but since I shared the PP's sentiment...

After the Syracuse crash, other stories of overtired and under-trained drivers surfaced - this article ran in the Philly paper (the bus was doing the Philly-TO route) and then ran in our local paper shortly after. So for me it's not a one-time thing. It's consistent enough to make me pause.

http://archive.chicagobreakingbusin...sh-raises-questions-about-megabus-safety.html

So while we're all free to travel how we like... it's too sketchy for me to save some money on travel, IMO.

 

[jeanigor]

Do you still ride the buses at Disney World? How many incidences have surfaced lately with that form of transport?

 

[sixbits8]

I'm not sure, but this may be a Megabus!

 

[Mr. Plutes]

I'm not sure, but this may be a Megabus!

Yes it is . They run out of Secaucus train station here. They go to WashIngton, Baltimore,Philly,Boston.