Megabus (North America)
Van Hool TD925 coach at Penn Station in March 2009 | |
| Parent | Renco Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 10, 2006 |
| Headquarters |
|
| Service area | United States Canada |
| Service type | Intercity bus service |
| Routes | 30 |
| Hubs | |
| Fleet | Motor Coach Industries single-deck coaches Van Hool single-and double-deck coaches |
| Operator | Coach USA |
| Chief executive | Derrick Waters |
| Website | us ca |
Megabus is an intercity bus service operating in the United States and Canada.
History
Megabus was launched in April 2006 by the UK-based Stagecoach Group through its subsidiary Coach USA.[1] It began in Chicago as its first North American hub on April 10, 2006, initially serving seven Midwestern cities with budget fares and a curbside pickup model.[2][3] Early adoption was strong, within two years Megabus had served about one million riders and started investing in new double-decker coaches to expand capacity.[3] In 2007, Megabus briefly extended service to the West Coast (California and Arizona), but those routes were discontinued in 2008 due to low ridership.[4][5] Instead, Megabus concentrated on the Midwest and Northeast, launching a New York City hub in May 2008 amid growing demand for curbside bus travel between major eastern cities.[6] By late 2008, Megabus had expanded from its Midwestern base into Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.[3]
In August 2009, Stagecoach introduced Megabus in Canada via its Coach Canada division.[7] A $16 million investment launched routes linking Toronto with Kingston and Montreal and soon added cross-border services from Toronto to U.S. cities including New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.[7] The network continued to grow, establishing additional hubs: for example, an Atlanta hub opened in 2011 with routes to 11 cities in the Southeast (from Washington, D.C. down to Florida).[8] Megabus also re-entered California in 2012, opening a hub in Los Angeles and later a stop in Burbank, to run routes connecting southern California with the Bay Area and Las Vegas.[9][10]
In 2019, Stagecoach Group sold Coach USA (and Megabus) to a private equity firm, Variant Equity, for $271 million.[11]
In November 2024, Coach USA (including the Megabus brand and its remaining retail operations) was acquired by affiliates of The Renco Group.[12]
Operations
In the United States, primary hubs have included Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, and Los Angeles.[1] The Canadian network is centered in Toronto, servicing routes into Quebec and cross-border connections to the United States.[7] At its peak operation, the network extended to over 500 destinations across approximately 30 U.S. states and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.[13] While the majority of stops are located on public streets, certain operations have been integrated into central transit facilities; notably, New York City pickups relocated to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in 2024 under the management of Peter Pan Bus Lines.[14]
To expand service coverage, Megabus has established interline partnerships with regional carriers. In 2022, the company initiated a booking partnership with Trailways of New York.[15] Subsequent agreements with carriers such as Burlington Trailways and Fullington Trailways expanded the network's reach in the Midwest and Appalachia.[16] Under this partnership model, Megabus serves as the ticketing platform while the partner entities operate the specific route segments. In Canada, operations are managed by Coach Canada divisions, including Trentway-Wagar.[7]
Megabus effect
Megabus is often credited with revitalizing intercity bus travel in the United States during the 2000s.[17] The rapid growth of Megabus and similar curbside carriers led industry observers to coin the term the "Megabus effect," referring to the way cheap, tech-enabled bus services stimulated demand and even boosted ridership on competitors like Greyhound.[18][19]
Fleet
The Megabus North American fleet used to consist of single-deck and double-deck motorcoaches. Initial operations in 2006 utilized 45-foot MCI D4500 series single-level coaches.[20] In late 2007, the company introduced the MCI J4500 single-deck and Van Hool TD925 Astromega double-deck motorcoaches.[21] By 2011, over 100 Van Hool double-deck units were in service across the network.[20] The Canadian fleet comprises 15 2009-model Van Hool TD925 buses operated by Trentway-Wagar. For cross-border routes, such as New York to Toronto or Philadelphia to Toronto, Canadian and U.S. fleets are pooled.
Operational incidents involving the fleet have included a driver arrest for intoxication in 2008[22] and fatal collisions in 2010 (Syracuse, New York)[23][24] and 2012 (Litchfield, Illinois).[25][26] In 2016, a vehicle fire occurred in Illinois without passenger injury.[27][28] Two rollover incidents occurred on Interstate 95 in 2022, resulting in injuries near Baltimore and two fatalities on the New Jersey Turnpike.[29][30]
References
- ^ a b Wright, Harley (May 14, 2013). "Megabus.com Reaches 25 Million Passengers".
- ^ Baxter, Annie (July 2, 2006). "Megabus -- you get what you pay for?". MPR News.
- ^ a b c "The Rise of the Budget Bus - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. December 11, 2008.
- ^ Chang, Andrea (May 17, 2008). "Megabus to halt service in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008.
- ^ Raine, George (August 2, 2007). "Bargain bus company riding into Bay Area next week". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Battle of the Bus | BU Today". November 17, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Coach Canada rolls on with renewed vision". October 29, 2010.
- ^ "Megabus to launch express bus service in Atlanta". ajc.
- ^ "'Megabus' Begins Daily Service From Burbank To Northern Calif. - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. August 15, 2013.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (November 28, 2012). "$1 Buses to Los Angeles Return". KNTV.
- ^ "Stagecoach sells off North American division for $271m". Coach & Bus Week. December 21, 2018.
- ^ https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/megabus-canada-coach-chapter-11-bankruptcy-1.7233757
- ^ "Megabus owner Coach USA files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy | Smart Cities Dive". www.smartcitiesdive.com.
- ^ Conde, Ximena (August 31, 2024). "What to know about Peter Pan takeover of Megabus' Philly routes". Inquirer.com.
- ^ Oklobzija, Kevin (November 18, 2022). "Trailways creates partnership with Megabus | Rochester Business Journal".
- ^ "Megabus Partners with Fullington Trailways to Expand Pennsylvania Services". Metro. August 31, 2022.
- ^ "UrbanCincy – Page 228 – Connecting the region to its urban core".
- ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-04-07/the-megabus-effect
- ^ https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/print-edition/2011/08/05/rarely-used-rtc-could-be-bus-terminal.html
- ^ a b "Megabus.com announces new options in North America". March 1, 2011.
- ^ https://www.toledoblade.com/frontpage/2007/12/14/Megabus-introduces-double-decker-coaches.html
- ^ Skoller, Jenna (September 3, 2008). "MegaBus driver arrested on DUI charges in Southwest Mich". The Michigan Daily.
- ^ Lisi, Nicholas (September 11, 2010). "Megabus passengers awake to crash, blood and cries for help". The Post-Standard.
- ^ Chen, Peter (September 11, 2010). "Canadians not among 4 killed in bus crash". The Globe and Mail. Associated Press.
- ^ "Police: Blown tire likely caused Megabus crash". CBS News. Associated Press. August 3, 2012.
- ^ Jaffe, Matthew (August 3, 2012). "Megabus Crash in Illinois: At Least 1 Dead, 30+ Injured". ABC News.
- ^ Peterson, Lucas (February 22, 2016). "The Day My Megabus Caught Fire". The New York Times.
- ^ Peterson, Lucas [@frugaltraveler] (February 21, 2016). "An hour into trip, turning around to "switch buses." Currently learning that on @megabus, you get what you pay for" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Sims, Barry (May 23, 2022). "27 injured after Megabus crashes, rolls onto its side on I-95". WBAL-TV.
- ^ Mele, Jillian; Gallagher, Bryanna (August 11, 2022). "2 dead after Megabus traveling to Philadelphia crashes on New Jersey Turnpike; 17 injured". 6abc/WPVI-TV.