The Megabus.com - $1 rides to the Bay Area and beyond
Get On The Bus!
*** UPDATE *** It was too good to be true. As of June 22, 2008, Megabus halts service in L.A. See the LATimes article. May the post below help you plan Megabus trips in other cities. RIP West Coast Megabus service. *** (thanks to UserD for the tip)
My friends’ eyes lit up over dim sum when I told them about the Megabus, a $1 bus ride to downtown San Francisco from Los Angeles. They were incredulous - a $1 one-way fare to SF from LA, a $2 roundtrip ticket?! I saw visions of sugarplums dance in their heads. The thought of their Korean grandmas being able to easily transport themselves to Vegas for gambling trips just sounded too good to be true.
Megabus.com launched in Los Angeles last August, offering fares from $1 to $35 from Union Station to the Bay Area (San Jose, Oakland, SF), Vegas, Tempe/Phoenix, and San Diego. The SF route even stops at Millbrae for those who need to connect to the SFO airport (leaves LA at 7:00 am and arrives in Millbrae at 1:55 pm). To get the $1 fares you need to book about 45 days in advance. Right now on their site www.megabus.com, I was able to book $1 rides to Vegas in December. Impress your friends by paying for their passage. The company guarantees that there will always be a few seats at the buck rate and then prices gradually increase to $35 depending on how late you book. You could get a seat for $8, $15, $25; it varies. The LA to SF ride takes about 7 hours and leaves at 7:00 am, 2:30 pm., and 11:45 pm.
I took the 11:45 pm red eye and got to SF by 7:00 am. It gets to Oakland a half hour before. The ride was pretty bumpy - it’s a bus after all, but it was still good. The seats are a tight squeeze, like airplane seats, and quite firm. The buses are new and the bathroom is clean, so that’s all good - no sink though just wet wipes. For roomier seating, go towards the back. Yes, sitting near the bathroom sounds gross, but it wasn’t. To make the trip more comfortable, bring pillows and a blanket. The bus’s 57 or seats were half empty; people sprawled out, legs extending across the aisles to the opposite seats. Going to the bathroom involved me hurdling over a few legs. This is why I recommend just sitting near the bathroom anyways. The bus does not have TVs or amenities.
Don’t be late - the S.F. bus left right on time, maybe even a minute early. Luggage can be stored overhead or in the bus’ ample storage space beneath. The luggage restriction of one large suitcase and one carry-on was not observed on my trip; I had a suitcase and several bundles with me. The bus stops midway through the trip for 15 minutes for people to grab some fast food.
Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by my ride. I thought taking an overnight bus would mean sketchy people skulking in the back and such. Nah, it wasn’t like that at all. There were college students, grandparents, professionals, and granola-ish looking hitchhiker types. If you’re worried, sit near the driver. I did read on one message board that a user predicted once Kaiser finds about the $1 fare, they’d probably choose this route and dump their patients in Vegas rather than Skid Row.
Megabus.com is operated by Coach USA and has already been operating in the Midwest and the U.K. The prices are kept low because there is no brick and mortar operation: Tickets can only be bought on-line and the bus pick-up locations are not at terminals, but on the street near major transportation stations. The bus theoretically can take 57 cars off the road, and with gas prices as they are now, that’s really something to consider. If I would have flown to SF from LA, the whole experience door to door probably would have taken me just as long. And bonus - there’s no security hassles like at an airport - you just show your confirmation number and board the bus. The only negative - it was very hard for me to sleep (others seemed to do just fine) because the ride is bumpy, but surprisingly I didn’t get motion sickness. It was fun watching the scenery go by through the large windows, as if I were on a moving aquarium. Soon the company will be rolling out double-decker buses too, which I guess will be even more cost-effective for them. Personally though I’d worry about tipping over.
Even if you pay $35 for a ticket, this is still cheaper than Greyhound, Amtrak, and other bus companies. I do hear the Asian buses have TVs and are more luxurious, but they charge more. So it really all depends what you want. I chose the no-frills buck ride and I was happy.
Hey, I really appreciate this. But how is it possible?
Comment by userdoesnotexist — October 30, 2007 @ 11:59 pm
There’s little overhead, no brick and mortar costs. The bus doesn’t operate out of a terminal. It picks you up on the street, near other mass transpo terminals, but not at its own terminal. It’s the real deal!
Comment by UnHip LA — October 31, 2007 @ 1:38 am
I’m so taking this when I get back!
Comment by Jayna — October 31, 2007 @ 4:23 am
maybe i’ll take a 10 hr megabus ride up to norcal for t-giving.
Comment by ben — November 5, 2007 @ 6:05 am
jayna - yah, it’s a great way to travel.
ben - are you serious about taking the bus? it’s 7 hours to SF. wouldn’t you get off before then?
Comment by UnHip LA — November 5, 2007 @ 6:46 am
Did you take the Union Station stop? If you did, where do you meet the bus?
Comment by Userdoesnotexist — November 18, 2007 @ 12:59 am
You meet it behind Union Station by a bench. There’s sign that has the Megabus logo (the conductor) on it. It’s close to the tracks, easy to find once you see the people waiting. Are you going to take it?
Comment by UnHip LA — November 18, 2007 @ 9:59 am
Behind Union Station? Haha, it’s one huge place. How safe is it at midnight? ya know, for a small, wimpy girl? Yea, I’m thinking about it, I’m excited about the fares.
Comment by userdoesnotexist — November 18, 2007 @ 11:08 pm
While facing Union Station, drive to the right. The road curves around, going past a big building (I think the power building; it’s on the Megabus.com site.) You’ll see parking spots facing a fence. Opposite them is a bench where the Megabus picks people up. Have a friend wait with you at the stop if you’re scared and then on the bus sit near the driver if you’re concerned. I guess it could all seem scary but I didn’t have a problem with it. Just be aware of your surroundings and don’t talk to weirdos. OR just ride it during the day. The LATimes also covered a night-time red-eye to SF; you should google for that article.
Comment by UnHip LA — November 19, 2007 @ 4:38 am
This is a late comment (I just stumbled onto your blog this morning- love it), but I wanted to share that I took Megabus for the first time this past weekend to SF and I absolutely loved it. It’s amazing. I could easily become addicted to Megabus-ing. The trip was very comfortable (definitely moreso than a drive, even when I’m not the driver) and my red-eye back to Union Station got there in time for the first DASH D. It was perfect.
Comment by Narinda — March 12, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
Narinda - thanks for the comment! Yah, the Megabus is a great ride. How much did your tix cost?
Comment by UnHip LA — March 18, 2008 @ 5:28 am
Thanks to your comment about sitting near the bathroom, saved me stumbling over everybody.
Comment by User Existence — April 9, 2008 @ 9:27 pm
Hey User E,
Glad my tip helped you. Did it smell back there? How was your Megabus experience overall?
Comment by UnHip LA — April 11, 2008 @ 5:52 pm
No smells. Had less than 10 busmates riding to SF and about 24 on the way back. Def taking the midnight rides next time, the long ride got a lil boring being wide awake. Anyway, thanks for the tip! I loved bragging about my $11.50 round trip fare to my friends.
Comment by Userdoesnotexist — May 20, 2008 @ 3:01 am
Megabus halts services in the west coast:
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/17/business/fi-megabus17
Comment by userdoesnotexist — May 31, 2008 @ 2:40 am
OMG! Thanks for the newsflash. Megabus was just too good to be true.
Comment by UnHip LA — June 1, 2008 @ 5:28 am
I took it from San Jose the weekend they decided to stop the service … it’s a shame, because even though they had a problem overheating on the drive back, they got a replacement bus in an hour’s time - otherwise, everything ran very smoothly. I’m sure Megabus couldn’t continue to operate on the business model unless they consistently filled up their buses.
There’s a company jumping on the opportunity to take Megabus’ place: California Shuttle Bus, which has operated for six years. I haven’t taken it myself, but they have briefly stopped their service in order to upgrade their buses (which sometimes were merely vans). They’ve been quoting $45 for each way.
Another service to consider is Xe Do Hoang Transportation. I believe it might be a little cheaper and faster, although it appears to be a cultural experience. But I’m all for culture … I think their ticket vary from $35 to $45, it’s hard to tell.
Both of these service have been run by “the little guys”, small companies that have been around for a few years, committed to servicing these routes. They might not be as cheap as Megabus, but they’re better than Greyhoudn, and they have to have a viable business plan to exist.
Comment by Alan Brown — June 1, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
Alan,
Welcome and thanks for the informative post. One of my summer goals is to ride one of those cheap Chinese-operated bus trips to the Grand Canyon. The LATimes did a story on it.
Comment by UnHip LA — June 3, 2008 @ 1:37 am