With gas prices continuing to soar and more people looking to travel, companies such as Megabus are providing service for travelers who are searching for cheaper fares.
Megabus is a company based in the United Kingdom that offers intercity bus service from St. Louis’s Union Station to several destinations in the Midwest, including Chicago, Columbia, Mo., Kansas City, Mo., and Normal, Ill.
Saint Louis University students are starting to take advantage of this cost-effective bus service to get to where they’re headed without emptying their pockets at the pump.
“The buses ran like clockwork, in terms of where they needed to be, and they were on time,” said senior Elizabeth Schwaab who used Megabus last summer for a trip to Chicago. “Usually, you get on buses, and they’re really loud. But this [was] really quiet,” Schwaab said, describing her experience.
“We started in 2002 in the U.K. with some smaller trips such as Oxford to London and expanded service in some of the Scottish areas,” said Bryony Chamberlain, vice president of operations for Megabus.com.
“The cost in the U.K. is ?1 with a 50-pence booking fee,” Chamberlain said. “In the United States, it’s $1 with a 50-cent booking fee.”
Megabus is affordable and, according to Chamberlain, “even our most expensive rates are still going to be the cheapest” compared to other modes of transportation.
Schwaab agreed. “I thought it was incredibly affordable at $12 round trip. And with the price of gas, you can’t beat that.”
St. Louis to Chicago is Megabus’ busiest route. “[We have] around 800 passengers per week just from St. Louis to Chicago,” Chamberlain said. “So, round trip we’re probably talking about 1,600 per week.”
“Overall, [there are] about 2,000 a week departing [St. Louis],” Chamberlain said.
Getting on and off the buses can be somewhat atypical but otherwise easy.
“They don’t actually have a designated stop. That part feels a little weird because you’re just standing outside Union Station. But there are other people there . I didn’t feel unsafe,” Schwaab said.
“The vehicles we’ve got going through St. Louis hold up to 79 people,” Chamberlain said. “And [the vehicles] are fully ADA compliant.
“Unlike the majority of vehicles, they’re very easy to get on and off of. It’s good for those who have slight mobility impairment.”
Many students are using Megabus’ services.
“I was on there with a bunch of SLU and Wash.U. students,” Schwaab said.
The number of departures the buses make are not as frequent as airline departures. However, “there are three trips a day from Chicago to St. Louis; two trips a day from Kansas City, Mo., to St. Louis; one to Normal, Ill., and one goes by Columbia, Mo.,” according to Chamberlain.
Based on its growing success in both the United Kingdom and the United States, Megabus will likely expand even more. “In June we opened up a new hub in New York and we are expanding further in the U.S.,” Chamberlain said.
Megabus is not only an efficient way to travel but also environmentally friendly too.
“Not using much extra fuel but carrying more people makes it a very green way to travel because of the low fuel consumption per passenger,” Chamberlain said.
Megabus believes that as the public’s attention turns toward being more environmentally conscious, the company is poisitioned to take advantage.
“It’s definitely greener to travel on a double-deck bus than any other way,” Chamberlain said.
“We want to push that idea for the future, with the rising price of gas.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by my experience. I recommend it,” Schwaab said.
Metrobus tickets for travel in the United States can be purchased either online at www.megabus.com or by calling 1-877-462-6342.
