Mar 26, 2008
Suddenly, the business of operating low-cost buses is expanding to all parts of the U.S.A.
At the airports, the delays are worse than ever, the flights are fewer and costlier, the conditions just plain dismal. At the railroad stations, die-hard train enthusiasts put up with the limited service of an Amtrak that's been starved of adequate operating funds. But who's saving the day? Buses! And though you've been alerted to some of them, you ain't see nothing yet! With this week's announcement that Megabus (www.megabus.com) will soon (May 30) be connecting New York with six other cities (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C. , Buffalo, and Toronto), and charging only $1 per seat for the first several seats on each departure ($14 for the others), the rock-bottom, low-cost bus business takes on a new dimension.
We wrote last week about the new $1 a seat (and up from there) Bolt (www.boltbus.com) operating between New York and Boston (turns out that Bolt is owned by none other than Greyhound; it was obviously formed to compete with Fung Wah and other Chinatown bus companies like DC2NY.com (www.dc2ny.com) that have revolutionized long-distance bus transportation (in addition to charging absurdly low rates, the new transports provide electric outlets at each seat, mineral water, and free Wi-Fi).
Megabus is currently doing business out of its two initial hubs: Chicago (connecting to several cities in the Midwest) and Los Angeles (connecting with other cities in California, Nevada and Arizona). By now establishing itself in Manhattan as well (from a pick-up spot at Eighth Avenue and 31st Street), Megabus begins to resemble a nationwide line, and you'd be well advised to frequently check in at its website to learn of further developments.
It's exciting that bus transportation between major U.S. cities is now available for from $1 to $14 to $20 each way; it would be more exciting still if comfortable, fuel-efficient trains made the same trips.
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Labels: bus
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
