New Bus Service a ÔMega' Value for Early Birds
A recently launched express bus service is now operating in 10 Midwestern cities.
By: Chad Hudnall | October 12, 2006
With today's fuel prices, who wouldn't want to ride for a buck?
If you book early enough, that's the deal on Megabus.com, an express bus service operating in 10 Midwestern cities.
Gwendolyn Osborne, 57, of Chicago used Megabus.com to attend a conference in Indianapolis. "It cost me $1 to get there, plus a 50-cent reservation fee, and $8 to get back. It was clean and fast and dropped me off right downtown in a safe, central area."
The Stagecoach Group of Perth, Scotland, launched the line in April, having run a similar operation in the United Kingdom since 2003. "We want to break the stigma of taking a bus," says Dale Moser, chief operating officer and president of Coach USA, the North American subsidiary of Stagecoach Group. "We're trying to get people out of their automobiles, and people seem to like the idea so far."
Ticket prices are based on availability and run as low as $1 one way when purchased early—two to three weeks before the travel date—but increase as the travel date nears.
Megabus.com holds down costs by selling tickets only online and scheduling on-street departures and arrivals, which eliminates terminal fees.
The service operates daily from Chicago to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Toledo.
Osborne plans to use Megabus.com again when she travels to Detroit. "My round-trip fare last time was less than the cab ride I took from my hotel to where I got on the bus."
For more information, visit megabus.com.
Additional Related Links
State-by-State Guide to Transportation Assistance
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