I had that classic Who song running in my head this morning at before six, as I made my way via light rail to my first encounter with Megabus. This is the newish bus service that promises direct-to-San Francisco-and-back-travel for really cheap (One dollar like they advertise? Come on, I thought!) In most of my previous jaunts to the Bay Baghdad, I took Amtrak to Richmond, hopping on BART to whisk me in to the city proper. As much as I love trains, I'm looking for a cheaper alternative, as are so many other people in this economy. I saw one of their garish buses on the freeway (with the logo of a portly driver), looked them up on the Google machine, and decided, OK, I'll bite. Let's see what this is about and if it compares to my other ways of getting to one of my favorite cities on the planet.
I bought the tickets online earlier in the week. Their fares work not unlike those of other long-distance travel providers - pricing is influenced by the time of day (demand) and distance. The trips I took, had I decided to get unreserved seats (anywhere I wish on the double-decker bus), the entire trip would have cost about $13. That isn't bad - at all. I decided, however, that I could afford the $7/surcharge per way for reserved, premium seats - this brought the price, in total, to $34. Greyhound, on the other hand, would have cost $18 for the same round trip, but if I wanted priority boarding and reserved seating, I would have paid $5 extra each way. So, to take Megabus, you have to be willing to pay a $6 premium for the round trip. What does that six dollars get you? Unlike Greyhound, which has stops along the way, Megabus was an express trip - Sacramento straight to San Francisco, with the destination stop being two blocks away from AT&T Park. But, there is a catch - no refunds for Megabus. You can't "cancel" a trip, but you can use the value already paid for another trip in the future. Both Amtrak and Greyhound have limitations on their refund policies, but if you purchase the right kind of ticket, you can get your money back. Considering the relative value to me between Greyhound and Megabus, then - I consider it a bit of a wash.
I got on the bus, climbed the staircase to the second deck (my first time on a double-decker!), and made my way to the seat reserved for me. I thought that I was going to be inundated with advertising on every available inch of space in the interior - how else do they make money if their fares are so cheap? That was not the case, however. In fact, the interior was reminiscent of most of the charter-type buses I have been on. Wi-Fi service is included, and there is a plug-in for your laptop or your cell phone underneath the seat. What I had never seen on a bus before, however, was the introductory video, which is highly reminiscent of many of the videos you see on planes these days and replace the "show and tell" instructions for how to buckle a safety belt. Once finished, it was speed-limit travel, contending with the expected slowdowns, all the way down to the destination.
The verdict? Greyhound takes you to more places but makes more stops along the way. Megabus is an express service for just a bit over the price of a Greyhound ticket. (By the way, Greyhound operates the BoltBus in some cities, which is designed to compete directly with Megabus in the cheapo express bus market.) Neither one offers much in the way of frills, save for the stations Greyhound uses as opposed to Megabus' use of existing infrastructure. If you need to get to where you want to go and are willing to pay just a bit more for express service with no in-between stops, then Megabus is the ticket. If you're willing to sacrifice a bit of time for a few extra bucks' savings, then stick with the venerable 'Hound.
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