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User:Alexlatham96/Megabus (North America)

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Megabus
Van Hool TD925 coach at Penn Station in March 2009
ParentCoach USA/Coach Canada
(some buses are owned by DATTCO)
Founded2006; 18 years ago (2006)
Headquarters
Service areaUnited States
Canada
Service typeIntercity coach service
Routes30
StopsSee list below
DestinationsSee list below
Hubs
FleetMotor Coach Industries single-deck coaches
Van Hool single- and double-deck coaches
OperatorCoach 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 executiveLinda Burtwistle
Websiteus.megabus.com (USA)
ca.megabus.com (Canada)

Megabus, branded as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/Coach Canada and DATTCO (under contract) operating in the eastern, southern, midwestern, and western United States and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Some tickets, if purchased well in advance, are priced at $1, in addition to an online booking fee of $2 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 $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 purchase of a ticket, 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. In Canada, owing to franchise regulations, tickets are sold at stops but may be more expensive than those purchased online.

Reservations can be changed for a fee of $3-$7.50.[1]

History

[edit]

On April 10, 2006, Stagecoach Group, operator of Megabus (Europe), introduced the Megabus brand in the United States through its Coach USA subsidiary. On March 22, 2006, Megabus started taking bookings for new routes in the United States. Service began on April 10, 2006, with daily routes between Chicago and 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.[2][3] In its first foray into California, ridership was sluggish and Megabus started to discontinue services from Los Angeles 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 service to/from Los Angeles and discontinue all related services. The final day for services from Los Angeles was June 22, 2008.[4] Megabus re-entered the market in 2012 after reacquiring some of the assets of Coach America, which had been part of Coach USA prior to a major divestiture in 2003.

In late May 2008, Megabus began service to/from New York City, with service to/from 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 although service to Hartford resumed in 2010.

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.[5][6]

In April 2019, Stagecoach Group sold its North American operations, including Megabus, to Variant Equity Advisors.[7][8]

Fleet

[edit]

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.

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 Northeastern United States with a fleet of mostly brand-new Motor Coach Industries D4505 coaches, several 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.[4] 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 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 and are operated by Trentway-Wagar. 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. 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 incurring roaming charges from the cellular carriers that provide the internet service.

Destinations

[edit]
Megabus routes as of January 2016.

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 transit routes along the East and West Coasts.

Atlanta

[edit]

Megabus announced service to 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 MARTA Station in Downtown Atlanta.[9]

Initially, Megabus offered 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, started on March 14, 2012.[10]

Chicago

[edit]

Megabus began operations in the U.S. on April 10, 2006, with routes between Chicago and Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and St. Louis, from a stop 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.

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.[11]

Columbia, Missouri was added with one stop daily in each direction on the Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City route; it was discontinued in September 2015.[12]

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.

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

On August 17, 2011, 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.[13]

On March 14, 2012, Megabus started service from Chicago to Nashville via Indianapolis and Louisville.[10] Service was later extended to Atlanta via Chattanooga.

In June 2012, Megabus announced service from Chicago to Detroit via Grand Rapids and East Lansing beginning July 12.[14]

On February 2, 2015, Megabus discontinued service from Columbus, Ohio to Cleveland.[15]

Dallas

[edit]

On May 31, 2012, Megabus announced new service to be effective June 19, 2012 to/from Grand Prairie, Texas, near 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.[16][17] 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.[18]

On April 4, 2013, service was discontinued for the Oklahoma state and Missouri state stops via Dallas.[19] Dallas-to-St. Louis is now only accessible via routing through Memphis.

New York

[edit]
Station at 9th 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 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.

As of November 2008, the company was running 14 daily New York City-Washington, DC trips.[20]

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.

Eastern Bus[21] and Today's Bus[22] were acquired by Coach USA in late 2008 and early 2009 but were divested in 2009.

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.[23]

In July 2010, Philadelphia and Boston were added as destinations.[24]

In August 2010, Providence to New York was added as a route.[25]

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.[26]

Beginning August 1, 2012, the New York stop moved to 34th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, across the street from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and the 34th Street – Hudson Yards subway station.[27]

In July 2018, Megabus restarted service between Cleveland and New York City.[28]

Toronto

[edit]

In June 2008, Coach Canada began offering tickets from C$1 on its route between Toronto and Montreal, using the same yield management model.[29] The route was later rebranded to a Megabus route.

Pittsburgh

[edit]

On March 29, 2011, Megabus announced service to/from Pittsburgh, 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.[30][31]

Megabus also announced a route between Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor, starting March 14, 2012.[32]

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.[33]

Philadelphia

[edit]

Starting July 21, 2010, Megabus began operating service to/from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Service operates to the Pennsylvania cities of Harrisburg, State College and Pittsburgh, as well as to Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, New York City, Toronto, and Washington, D.C..[34]

In 2013, Megabus added service to and from Newark, Delaware from Philadelphia en route to Washington, D.C.[35]

Washington D.C.

[edit]

Megabus began operating to/fromWashington D.C. on December 15, 2010.[36][37] Included was service to/from Toronto.[38] In November 2011, Megabus began operating from the bus deck in Union Station.[39]

In May 2011, Megabus added service to Frederick, Maryland.[40]

In April 2017, the company began service between Washington D.C. and Virginia Beach.[41]

In October 2018, Megabus added express service between Washington D.C. and Charlottesville, Virginia.[42]

California/Nevada network

[edit]

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 and LA-Riverside-Las Vegas).[43]

In California and Nevada, Megabus 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 San Jose, Megabus stops at Diridon Station. In the Las Vegas Valley, buses utilize RTC's South Strip Transfer Terminal.[44]

A stop in Burbank was added on August 15, 2013,[45] and the route was extended down to Anaheim (serving Orange County) on December 6, 2014.[46]

Routes

[edit]

Operating services

[edit]
Route Terminal A Serves Terminal B Notes and history
M1 Chicago, IL Ann Arbor, MI
Detroit, MI
Toledo, OH New York City
  • Passengers cannot purchase tickets between Ann Arbor and Detroit.
  • Service began on April 10, 2006.
  • Ann Arbor added on April 2, 2007.
  • Grand Rapids added on July 12, 2012, as M1A.
  • East Lansing added on July 12, 2012, as M1A.
  • On July 22, 2015, route M1A was combined with route M1. (Chicago to Detroit via Grand Rapids and East Lansing)
  • In early 2016, separate service to Grand Rapids and East Lansing (M1A) was restored.
  • On September 8, 2016, Route M1A was extended to Ann Arbor.
  • In early 2017, service to Grand Rapids and East Lansing (M1A) was discontinued, and service was extended to Toledo.
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)
St. Paul, MN
Minneapolis, MN
  • Service began on April 10, 2006.[citation needed]
  • Minneapolis, MN added on April 2, 2007. Madison, WI added on March 13, 2008.
  • Service is not available wholly within Wisconsin.
M6
M6A
M6B
Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN Cincinnati, OH
  • 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, but withdrawn on January 9, 2017 due to low ridership.[47]
  • Louisville, Kentucky withdrawn September 16, 2007 due to low ridership.
  • Columbus and Cincinnati were not served in the same trip.
M7 Chicago, IL Normal, IL
St. Louis, IL
Memphis, TN
Little Rock, AR
Dallas, TX
East Transfer Center
  • Service began on March 27, 2008 from Chicago to Memphis via Champaign, IL
  • Service extended to Dallas on June 19, 2012.
  • Champaign-Urbana service removed on April 8, 2014.[48]
  • Service in Normal and St. Louis added on September 15, 2015 due to discontinuation of the M5.
M8
M8A
Chicago, IL Moline, IL
Iowa City, IA (Coralville depot)
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.
  • Service once per day to Lincoln, NE thru Moline, Coralville, Des Moines & Omaha, beginning March 1, 2017[49]
M9 Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN
Louisville, KY
Nashville, TN
Chattanooga, TN
Atlanta, GA
  • Service began on March 14, 2012.[10]
M10 Anaheim, CA
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
Los Angeles, CA (Patsaouras Transit Plaza)
Riverside, CA
Las Vegas, NV
South Strip Transfer Terminal
  • 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.
  • Route extended to Anaheim on December 6, 2014.[46]
M11 Anaheim, CA
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
Los Angeles, CA
Burbank, CA
San Jose, 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.[46]
  • Service initially operated as M12 and M13 from August 7, 2007 until June 22, 2008 when it was withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M13 San Francisco, CA Sacramento, CA
Sacramento, CA
  • Service began on December 12, 2012.
  • Service to Reno and Sparks NV ended January 10, 2018[50]
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.[51]
  • NY-Boston runs do not stop in Providence. NY-Providence runs were designated as M20 untill it was discontinued due to low ridership.
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 New York, NY Syracuse, NY
Victor (Rochester), NY
Buffalo, NY (downtown and airport)
Toronto, ON
  • Service began on May 30, 2008 as M24. Syracuse and Rochester local service began on December 4, 2008 as M26.
  • Niagara Falls, Ontario was added on December 4, 2008, but withdrawn on June 28, 2009 due to low ridership.
  • M24 and M26 merged into M24 by 2019.
M27 New York, NY Ridgewood, NJ Rensselaer (Albany), NY
Saratoga Springs, NY
  • Service began on December 4, 2008.[citation needed]
  • Passengers are carried to and from Albany-Rensselaer only.
  • Saratoga Springs service began April 2, 2012, but was discontinued on January 7, 2014.[52]
M28 New York, NY State College, PA Pittsburgh, PA
  • Service began on May 4, 2010.[53]
M29 Pittsburgh, PA Harrisburg, PA
State College, PA
Philadelphia, PA
  • Service began on July 21, 2010.[54]
  • State College added, replacing the 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.
M35

M35A

New York, NY Hartford, CT
Amherst, MA
Brattleboro, VT
Burlington, VT
Montpelier, VT
  • Service between New York and Amherst began on December 15, 2010; extended to Burlington and Montpelier in 2014.[55] A Brattleboro stop was added in September 2016.[56]
M36 Pittsburgh, PA Morgantown, WV Washington, D.C.
  • Service began on December 15, 2010[36]
  • Frederick service added May 11, 2011; subsequently withrdrawn
  • Morgantown service added on January 12, 2012[57]
M37 Washington, D.C. Richmond, VA
Durham, NC
Charlotte, North Carolina
Athens, GA
Atlanta, GA
  • Service started December 15, 2010[36]
M38 Washington, D.C. Christiansburg, VA
Knoxville, TN
Atlanta, GA
  • Service started December 15, 2010[58]
M42 Washington, D.C. Baltimore, MD
Secaucus, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Boston, MA
  • Two daily round-trips.
  • Service started December 15, 2010[36]
M44 Washington, D.C. Baltimore, MD
Philadelphia, PA
Buffalo, NY
Toronto, ON
  • One daily round-trip.
  • Service started December 15, 2010[36]
M51 Boston, MA Hartford, CT New Haven, CT
  • Service began August 17, 2011.
M52 Newton, MA New York, NY
  • Service began March 24, 2016.
  • This route is a standalone service and does not serve Boston.
M53 Boston, MA Montpelier, VT Burlington, VT
  • Service began August 17, 2011 between Boston and Burlington; a stop in Montpelier was added in 2014.
M54 Burlington, VT Saratoga Springs, NY New York, NY
M56 Fairhaven, MA Dartmouth, MA
Newport, RI
Kingston, RI (Univ. of Rhode Island)
New Haven, CT
New York, NY
  • Service began in 2015.
  • Operates Fridays and Sundays only.
M71 Dallas, TX
East Transfer Center
Houston, TX
  • Service began June 19, 2012[16]
M72 Dallas, TX
East Transfer Center
Austin, TX San Antonio, TX
  • Service began June 19, 2012[16]
M74 New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
Baton Rouge, LA
Houston, TX
San Antonio, TX
  • Service began June 19, 2012[16]
  • Baton Rouge service added September 9, 2013[59]
M77 San Antonio, TX Austin, TX
Katy, TX or US 290/FM 1960 in Northwest Houston
Houston, TX
  • Service began June 19, 2012[16]
  • Stops in La Grange (half of the time), and Giddings, Brenham, and Prairie View (the other half of the time) removed in October 2013 due to low ridership; stops in Katy and northwest Houston added instead.[60]
M85 Orlando, FL Tampa, FL Miami, FL
  • Service began May 15, 2014[61]
M86 Orlando, FL Miami, FL
  • Service began May 15, 2014[61]
M91 Atlanta, GA Chattanooga, TN Knoxville, TN
  • Service began November 16, 2011[62]
M92 Atlanta, GA Chattanooga, TN Nashville, TN
  • Service began November 16, 2011[62]
M93 Atlanta, GA Birmingham, AL Memphis, TN
  • Service began November 16, 2011[62]
M94 Atlanta, GA Montgomery, AL
Mobile, AL
New Orleans, LA
  • Service began November 16, 2011[62]
  • Service extended to New Orleans on April 2, 2012.
M95 Atlanta, GA Charlotte, NC
  • Service began November 16, 2011[62]
M96 Atlanta, GA Jacksonville, FL or Gainesville, FL Orlando, FL
  • Service began November 16, 2011[62]
M97 Atlanta, GA Athens, GA

Columbia, SC
Fayetteville, NC

Durham, NC
  • Service began February 18, 2014[63]
M98 New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
Jackson, MS or Oxford, MS Memphis, TN
  • Service began December 17, 2013[64]
TOR-
MTL
Toronto, ON Kingston, ON Montreal, QC

Discontinued services

[edit]
Route Terminal A Served Terminal B Begun Withdrawn Notes
M2 Chicago, IL Milwaukee, WI or Madison, WI Minneapolis, MN April 10, 2006 By 2010
  • Withdrawn because of redundancy with the M4.
M5 Chicago, IL Normal, IL (some trips)
St Louis, MO
Columbia (some trips)
Kansas City, MO April 10, 2006 September 15, 2015
  • Service began from Chicago to St. Louis on April 10, 2006.
  • Kansas City, MO added on April 2, 2007.
  • Columbia, MO added on March 13, 2008.
  • Columbia and Normal were not served on the same trip.
  • Section from St Louis via Columbia to Kansas City eliminated due to low ridership; rest replaced by additional stops on the M7.
M10 Los Angeles, CA Phoenix, AZ Tempe, AZ August 7, 2007 January 7, 2008
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[4]
M12 Anaheim, CA
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
Los Angeles, CA
Burbank, CA
San Jose, CA
San Francisco, CA December 12, 2012 December 6, 2014
  • Service initially operated as M14 from August 7, 2007 until June 8, 2008 when it was withdrawn because of poor ridership.
  • Service began on December 12, 2012.
  • Stop in Burbank added on August 15, 2013.
  • Merged with the M11 on December 6, 2014.[46]
M15 Los Angeles, CA San Diego, CA August 7, 2007 March 2008
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[4]
M20 New York, NY Providence, RI
Fall River, MA
Dartmouth, MA
Fairhaven, MA
Hyannis, MA May 30, 2008 September 2018
  • Providence added on July 21, 2010.
  • Service extended to Hyannis during the summer season only starting on May 25, 2011. Service ran only between Fairhaven/Providence and New York all other times.
  • Some service was operated using DATTCO configured equipment.
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.
M25 New York, NY Atlantic City, NJ May 30, 2008 September 10, 2017
  • Operated by Academy Bus.
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[65]
M26 New York, NY Syracuse, NY Victor (Rochester), NY December 4, 2008 by 2019
  • Syracuse and Rochester local service began on December 4, 2008.
  • Binghamton was added to on June 6, 2008, but withdrawn on December 3, 2008 because of low ridership.
  • Merged with the M24
M30 Pittsburgh, PA Harrisburg, PA State College, PA July 21, 2010 Unknown Date
  • Merged with the M29
M33 Philadelphia, PA Camden, NJ Atlantic City, NJ July 21, 2010 September 8, 2010
M34 Philadelphia, PA Syracuse, NY
Buffalo Airport, NY
Buffalo, NY
Toronto, ON July 21, 2010 Unknown Date
  • Withdrawn in favor of Route M44
M45 Pittsburgh, PA Akron, OH May 11, 2011 March 13, 2012
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[66]
M46 Pittsburgh, PA Cleveland, OH
Toledo, OH
Detroit, MI
Ann Arbor, MI May 11, 2011 May 6, 2014
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[33]
M47 Pittsburgh, PA Columbus, OH Cincinnati, OH May 11, 2011 March 13, 2012
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.[66]
M64 Pittsburgh, PA Erie, PA
Buffalo, NY
Toronto, ON May 11, 2011 March 13, 2012
  • Withdrawn because of poor ridership.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
M84 New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
Mobile, AL
Tallahassee, FL
Orlando, FL May 15, 2014[61] By 2019
  • Withdrawn by September 15, 2019, when Valdosta service was created and Tallahassee service was eliminated.[67]

Megabus stop locations

[edit]
City Route Stop location(s)
Midwest network
Ann Arbor M1 University of Michigan State St. Commuter Lot
Champaign M7 Illinois Terminal
Chicago M1, M3, M4,
M6-M8
Union Station
Cincinnati M6 Gest Street, Queensgate. Univ of Cincinnati
Cleveland M3 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center
Detroit M1 Rosa Parks Transit Center Wayne State University
East Lansing M1 East Lansing Amtrak Station Michigan State University
Grand Rapids M1 Grand Rapids Amtrak Station
Indianapolis M6 Indianapolis City Market
Iowa City M8 Dubuque St and Court St
Madison M4 University of Wisconsin–Madison
Memorial Union
Dutch Mill park-ride
(West Beltline Highway, Exit 266)
Memphis M7 MATA American Way Transit Center
Milwaukee M4 Milwaukee Intermodal Station
Minneapolis M4 Ramp C Transit Center (near Target Field)
Normal M7 Bloomington-Normal train station
Omaha M8A Crossroads Mall
(next to parking deck at N 72nd St between Dodge and Cass Sts)
St. Louis M7 St. Louis Union Station
St. Paul M4 Union Depot
Toledo M3 University of Toledo, South Entrance, Transit Center Building
Northeast network
Albany M27 SUNY Albany - Collins Circle
Annapolis, Maryland at Riva Road
Baltimore M21, M31 White Marsh Mall
Boston M22, M32, M51 South Station
Buffalo M24, M34 Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center, Gate 13
Burlington M53, M54
  • Drop-off only: University of Vermont, Main Street at University Heights
  • Regular stop at Downtown Transit Center, 119 Pearl Street
Cheektowaga M24 Buffalo Niagara International Airport
International Arrivals
Christiansburg M38 I-81 Exit 118 Falling Branch Park and Ride Lot
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 David L. Lawrence Convention 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 Scarborough Centre Bus Terminal
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 Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) Bus Bay #11, 2626 E Katella Avenue
Burbank, CA M11 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 Los Angeles Union Station, Patsaouras Transit Plaza Bay 8
Riverside, CA M10 Riverside-Downtown Station, 4066 Vine St
Sacramento, CA M13 University / 65th Street Station, 6740 Q St
San Francisco, CA M11, M13 San Francisco Caltrain Station, Townsend St between 4th & 5th Sts
San Jose, CA M11 Diridon Station, Crandall St between Cahill St and S Montgomery St
Oakland, CA M11 West Oakland BART Station, 1451 7th St

Incidents

[edit]

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).

  • 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 Benton Township, Michigan. The bus's driver was arrested when he was found to have a 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.[68]
  • On September 11, 2010, around 2:30 a.m., a Toronto-bound M34 double-decker coach missed an exit to the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center in 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, which was crushed into the lower deck in the crash, and 17 others were injured.[69][70] Megabus settled the resulting lawsuits, including one for $3.1 million.[71]
  • 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.[72][73]

According to federal records, since August 2007, Chicago 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. Also, New York 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. There have been four other accidents involving Megabus vehicles.

The safety of curbside bus services came under scrutiny after the World Wide Tours bus crash caused 14 fatalities.[74] 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.[75][76]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Changing Reservations". Megabus.
  2. ^ Raine, George (August 2, 2007). "Bargain bus company riding into Bay Area next week". San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ^ "Megabus.com launches $1 bus service on West Coast" (Press release). Coach USA. August 2, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d Chang, Andrea (May 17, 2008). "Megabus to halt service in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008.
  5. ^ Roberts, Chris (November 28, 2012). "$1 Buses to Los Angeles Return". KNTV.
  6. ^ "Megabus.com begins new service to/from Los Angeles, San Francisco and six cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. December 12, 2012.
  7. ^ "Sale of North America Division for Estimated Enterprise Value of US$271M" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. December 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Stagecoach sells off North American division for $271m". Coach & Bus Week. December 21, 2018.
  9. ^ "Megabus to open Atlanta Hub". American City Business Journals. October 24, 2011.
  10. ^ a b c Snyder, Eric (January 17, 2012). "Megabus.com expands Nashville service". American City Business Journals.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Thorsen, Leah (September 15, 2015). "MegaBus ending service in Columbia, Kansas City; Mizzou senior petitioning to save it". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  13. ^ "Megabus.com expands Chicago service to Omaha". Facebook. August 4, 2011.
  14. ^ McMillin, Zane (June 22, 2012). "All aboard: Megabus unveils start date, ticket sales for new Michigan route". Booth Newspapers.
  15. ^ Glaser, Susan (February 2, 2016). "Megabus cuts service between Cleveland and Columbus, Cincinnati, cites declining gas prices as the reason why". The Plain Dealer.
  16. ^ a b c d e "STAGECOACH EXPANDS MEGABUS.COM NORTH AMERICAN NETWORK TO TEXAS" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. May 31, 2012.
  17. ^ "Megabus begins express service in Dallas on June 19". The Dallas Morning News. May 31, 2012.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "Oklahoma business briefs for April 2, 2013". The Oklahoman. April 2, 2013.
  20. ^ HARMON, SONIA (November 13, 2008). "DC to NYC: Which Bus Line Is Best?". Washingtonian.
  21. ^ "Stagecoach Group PLC and Coach USA, Inc., et al.-Acquisition of Control-Eastern Travel & Tour, Inc., 54202-54203 [E8-21733]". Justia. September 18, 2008.
  22. ^ Novikoff, Josh (February 17, 2009). "Today's Bus Now Part of Eastern Coach/Coach USA". WAMU. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012.
  23. ^ McNally, Brendan (April 15, 2010). "MegaBus service offers cheap routes". Daily Collegian.
  24. ^ "Megabus adds Philadelphia service". The Boston Globe. June 11, 2010.
  25. ^ Nickerson, Jef (August 4, 2010). "Megabus Coming to Providence". Greater City Providence.
  26. ^ STACOM, DON (November 16, 2010). "Megabus Rolls Back Into Hartford Market". Hartford Courant.
  27. ^ Swidler, Kim Stuart (July 23, 2012). "Megabus pickup location in NYC changing as of August 1st". Times Union.
  28. ^ Glaser, Susan (July 23, 2018). "Megabus restarts Cleveland-New York route with some $1 fares". The Plain Dealer.
  29. ^ "Coach Canada Offers $1 Tickets To Montreal". CityNews. January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009.
  30. ^ "MegaBus Names Pittsburgh As New Hub". KDKA-TV. March 29, 2011.
  31. ^ "Here comes Megabus". Niagara Gazette. Associated Press. March 29, 2011.
  32. ^ "Megabus.com ending service to Cincinnati, Columbus". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 29, 2012.
  33. ^ a b Novak, Stephanie (April 18, 2014). "Megabus cancels route from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, Detroit". American City Business Journals.
  34. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Philadelphia Service to and From Nine Northeast Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. June 10, 2010.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ a b c d e "Megabus.com Expands Washington D.C. Service To and From 10 Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. November 16, 2010.
  37. ^ Miranda, Kristen (December 15, 2010). "Megabus rolls into Charlotte". WBTV.
  38. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Toronto Service to/from Washington D.C." Judi McLeod. December 15, 2010.
  39. ^ Thomson, Robert (July 29, 2011). "Union Station to become intercity bus center". The Washington Post.
  40. ^ Welsch, Adrienne (May 5, 2011). "Hop On the Megabus - to Frederick". WRC-TV.
  41. ^ HANKERSON, MECHELLE (April 19, 2017). "Megabus is coming to Virginia Beach and a Norfolk stop is in the works". The Virginian-Pilot.
  42. ^ Freedman, Emmy (October 8, 2018). "Megabus to Begin Express Service from Charlottesville to D.C." WVIR-TV.
  43. ^ 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.
  44. ^ "Megabus returning with trips between Las Vegas and L.A." Las Vegas Sun. November 28, 2012.
  45. ^ "'Megabus' Begins Daily Service From Burbank To Northern Calif". CBS News. August 15, 2013.
  46. ^ a b c d Forgione, Mary (November 19, 2014). "Megabus to begin Anaheim–San Francisco service in December". Los Angeles Times.
  47. ^ https://www.columbusunderground.com/megabus-quietly-discontinues-columbus-service. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  48. ^ http://www.smilepolitely.com/culture/traveling_the_big_ten_on_megabus/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  49. ^ Davis, Andy (February 21, 2017). "Megabus, Windstar Lines partnership brings bus service back to area". Iowa City Press-Citizen.
  50. ^ https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/megabus-ends-sacramento-to-reno-sparks-routes/103-508572951. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  51. ^ "New York to Boston is now express!". Facebook. August 27, 2009.
  52. ^ https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2014/01/07/megabus-slashes-service-on-burlington-nyc-route. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  53. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service in Midwest and Northeast" (Press release). PR Newswire. April 13, 2010.
  54. ^ "NEW ROUTES FOR MEGABUS.COM NETWORK IN NORTH AMERICA" (Press release). Stagecoach Group. June 11, 2010.
  55. ^ "Megabus.com Expands New York Service". Metro. November 19, 2010.
  56. ^ "Letter: Megabus not all it's cracked up to be". Brattleboro Reformer. October 4, 2016.
  57. ^ "Megabus.com Expands Service to Morgantown". Facebook. January 6, 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015.
  58. ^ "MegaBus brings daily routes from Christiansburg to DC and Knoxville". Montgomery County, Virginia. November 24, 2010.
  59. ^ "Megabus.com adds three daily arrivals/departures to/from Baton Rouge". The Gonzales Weekly Citizen. September 9, 2013.
  60. ^ The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/by-cutting-rural-routes-megabus-leaves-a-void.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  61. ^ a b c https://bungalower.com/2014/05/01/megabus-add-service-downtown-orlando-miami-tallahassee-tampa/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  62. ^ a b c d e f "Megabus.com Expands Service to/from Atlanta and 11 Cities" (Press release). PR Newswire. October 25, 2011.
  63. ^ "Megabus.com expands service to/from South Carolina" (Press release). PR Newswire. February 6, 2014.
  64. ^ "Megabus.com expands service to/from Mississippi" (Press release). PR Newswire. December 6, 2013.
  65. ^ http://tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29750-i78-k10803930-Looks_like_Academy_bus_is_bailing_on_AC-Atlantic_City_New_Jersey.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  66. ^ a b https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2012/02/22/megabus-to-end-akron-erie-service.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  67. ^ https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/another-one-rides-the-bus-megabus-launches-service-in-valdosta/article_245cb05a-29d6-5410-af96-82c0f0d48e96.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  68. ^ SKOLLER, JENNA (September 3, 2008). "MegaBus driver arrested on DUI charges in Southwest Mich". The Michigan Daily.
  69. ^ Lisi, Nicholas (September 11, 2010). "Megabus passengers awake to crash, blood and cries for help". The Post-Standard.
  70. ^ Chen, Peter (September 11, 2010). "Canadians not among 4 killed in bus crash". The Globe and Mail. Associated Press.
  71. ^ O'Brien, John (July 9, 2013). "Megabus settles lawsuits over crash that killed 4 near Syracuse". The Post-Standard.
  72. ^ "Police: Blown tire likely caused Megabus crash". CBS News. Associated Press. August 3, 2012.
  73. ^ JAFFE, MATTHEW (August 3, 2012). "Megabus Crash in Illinois: At Least 1 Dead, 30+ Injured". ABC News.
  74. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (March 12, 2011). "Carnage on I-95 After Crash Rips Bus Apart". The New York Times.
  75. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 31, 2011). "High Fatality Rate Found for Low-Cost Buses". The New York Times.
  76. ^ Kille, Leighton Walter (February 27, 2013). "National Transportation Safety Board: Report on Curbside Motorcoach Safety". Journalist's Resource.

Further reading

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[edit]