Amtrak vs. Megabus

[RRUserious]

Just did a price comparison. One pair of points, Megabus does it for $16, Amtrak for $133. Leaves open the question, does Megabus make its schedule? I need to find a forum where people have experience (or maybe someone has already tried it here.)

 

[MrFSS]

Just did a price comparison. One pair of points, Megabus does it for $16, Amtrak for $133. Leaves open the question, does Megabus make its schedule? I need to find a forum where people have experience (or maybe someone has already tried it here.)

We have had a number of discussions about Megabus in the Non-Rail part of this form where I will move this for more answers for you.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Some people like to shop at Macy's, some at Wal-Mart.

 

[Anderson]

Just did a price comparison. One pair of points, Megabus does it for $16, Amtrak for $133. Leaves open the question, does Megabus make its schedule? I need to find a forum where people have experience (or maybe someone has already tried it here.)

What's the time range for those points?

 

[RRUserious]

Just did a price comparison. One pair of points, Megabus does it for $16, Amtrak for $133. Leaves open the question, does Megabus make its schedule? I need to find a forum where people have experience (or maybe someone has already tried it here.)

What's the time range for those points?

What does "time range" mean? Of course, you can't get Megabus between any two points. But where it does run, it certainly is an option to consider.

 

[MusicManSamwise]

I just got back from a rather long trip through the Northeast using both Amtrak and Megabus, so I got to compare them both. In general, Megabus is quite competitive with Amtrak as far as schedule and pricing goes. I rode Megabus from NYC to Boston for $30 each way, while a Northeast Regional would've been at least $100 OW, booking the same distance out (the Acela was well into "if you have to ask..." territory...).

Buses on major routes in the NEC depart every hour or so, about the same as Amtrak. We were also more-or-less on time for arriving each way, despite heavy traffic in and around Manhattan, which was nice...I've heard some horror stories about other Megabus rides that were 2+ hours late, though, so take that with a grain of salt. Additionally, Megabus frequently overbooks, so make sure to get to the stop early or else you may have to wait another hour (or more) for the next bus.

I have yet to ride Megabus outside the NEC, but it looks like their schedules--at least in my area--are MUCH better than Amtrak in most cases. For example, the Megabus from Pittsburgh to Cleveland departs at 7:00AM and arrives at 9:30AM...the Capitol Limited for the same route departs at 11:59PM and arrives at 2:53AM. Easy choice to make there, regardless of the fare.

Amtrak's main advantages seem to be, as always, comfort and flexibility. Amtrak coach class seats have lots of legroom and a comfortable footrest...Megabus is more comparable to coach seating on an airline. Not UNcomfortable, and still much better than Greyhound, but not a whole lot of space to stretch one's legs. Passengers can also get up and move around the train, or switch seats if other pax are being disruptive (as happened when I rode the NE Regional from NYC-WAS)...on Megabus, you'd better hope your fellow pax are well-behaved, because there isn't much room to move around. Also, needless to say, there is no lounge or dining car on Megabus, though the driver will make rest stops along the way on longer routes. There is free wifi on both services, and I found both to be equally slow and spotty.

Then there are the departure and arrival points. Larger Amtrak stations will, of course, have a fairly spacious climate-controlled area, and even the smaller stops usually have at least a shelter. Megabus doesn't have stations...they pick you up at curbside only to cut costs...so if it's raining or snowing, too bad. (Although they do use South Station Bus Terminal in Boston.)

Also, Megabus doesn't do guaranteed connections...if you book two separate tickets and your first bus is late, missing the second, you're SOL. Amtrak will also usually issue fully refundable tickets...Megabus is "use-them-or-lose-them."

Basically, it all boils down to the best schedule for your needs and how much you value personal comfort and safety. As always, you make your choices and take your chances...

 

[Rms492]

How many lavatories on a double decker megabus?

 

[AlanB]

Megabus doesn't have stations...they pick you up at curbside only to cut costs...so if it's raining or snowing, too bad. (Although they do use South Station Bus Terminal in Boston.)

That's because the city of Boston got tired of Megabus freeloading off of others and passed an ordinance prohibiting street pickups and requiring that they use a proper facility and pay their fair share to provide facilities for their passengers.

 

[Anderson]

Just did a price comparison. One pair of points, Megabus does it for $16, Amtrak for $133. Leaves open the question, does Megabus make its schedule? I need to find a forum where people have experience (or maybe someone has already tried it here.)

What's the time range for those points?

What does "time range" mean? Of course, you can't get Megabus between any two points. But where it does run, it certainly is an option to consider.

Ok, let me rephrase. Is this a 90-minute ride that the prices are being quoted for? A 3-hour ride? An 8-hour ride? This is relevant to choosing a mode of travel given the lack of OBS on buses (and, in the case of Megabus, the lack of stops)...if I'm taking an 8-10 hour trip, the presence of a dining car or cafe car makes a substantial difference in how strongly I'm willing to consider other modes.

 

[jis]

Incidentally Amtrak's stated position on bus services on the NEC is that they are not competing with them on price because each passenger they lose to buses is replaced by someone who is willing to pay the Amtrak fare. If and when such a time comes when buses start making a discernible impact on revenue and returns they might change their attitude. But the time is not now.

 

[benjibear]

Megabus doesn't have stations...they pick you up at curbside only to cut costs...so if it's raining or snowing, too bad. (Although they do use South Station Bus Terminal in Boston.)

That's because the city of Boston got tired of Megabus freeloading off of others and passed an ordinance prohibiting street pickups and requiring that they use a proper facility and pay their fair share to provide facilities for their passengers.

Good for city of Boston. I hope other cities soon follow. It gets bad when you are trying to walk down a sidewalk and you can't get through becuase there are alot of people waiting for buses. Also, the buses are taking away parking or blocking streets when they can't pull to the side. I know alot of people say, well public transportation buses do the same thing. Yes, that is true but they are usually only dropping a handful of people on or off, they don't have nearly the impact of Megabus.

 

[jebr]

Just did a price comparison. One pair of points, Megabus does it for $16, Amtrak for $133. Leaves open the question, does Megabus make its schedule? I need to find a forum where people have experience (or maybe someone has already tried it here.)

Comparing MSP - CHI? If so, that doesn't surprise me...there's very limited capacity on the Empire Builder, and those seats are expensive to get.

Megabus tends to make schedule, though. Sometimes it'll be a bit late, but they try to build in some padding.

How many lavatories on a double decker megabus?

One. There's also a rest break about halfway through most routes, and most people wait until then to use the restroom.

Megabus doesn't have stations...they pick you up at curbside only to cut costs...so if it's raining or snowing, too bad. (Although they do use South Station Bus Terminal in Boston.)

That's because the city of Boston got tired of Megabus freeloading off of others and passed an ordinance prohibiting street pickups and requiring that they use a proper facility and pay their fair share to provide facilities for their passengers.

Good for city of Boston. I hope other cities soon follow. It gets bad when you are trying to walk down a sidewalk and you can't get through becuase there are alot of people waiting for buses. Also, the buses are taking away parking or blocking streets when they can't pull to the side. I know alot of people say, well public transportation buses do the same thing. Yes, that is true but they are usually only dropping a handful of people on or off, they don't have nearly the impact of Megabus.

The problem is that most cities don't have any viable place to put buses. DC has rebuilt their ramp to support it, but Chicago has no easy place other than the Greyhound station to have intercity buses board. While it could be argued that Megabus could be required to build their own facilities, that's a requirement that neither Amtrak nor the airlines are required to make. Instead, both are required to pay a rental fee for the gate, and the DC Union Station bus setup is much the same way. (I'm not sure how Greyhound works, but they do sometimes receive funding for new buses, so they're still subsidized.)

I have no problem with buses being required to stay off the street, but if they want to use a parking lot with permission/paying a parking fee from the owner, why not? That's what they do in Minneapolis.

 

[Anderson]

I don't have too much of a problem if they use a parking lot that they rent, though I'd be inclined to require some sort of "shelter" as well just to deal with inclement weather. Mind you, a slightly enlarged bus shelter would be sufficient for these purposes...though I would expand the requirements if they're running multiple buses per day to/from a given location and generating the associated traffic. This would actually be on par with some of the local Chinatown operators in VA.

Basically, require them to have a "facility", defined as an area that they have permission to park the bus for at least 30 minutes (I know a bus can load faster than this, but I think 30 minutes is a good "buffer" to account for passengers being slow and/or baggage issues) without blocking traffic on a street plus permission to have the crowd of folks waiting there, as well as some sort of "cover" that is accessible at any time a bus is to come in. I'd be inclined to require them to make some sort of arrangement for a restroom to be available (either their own or another business's) in the event that they end up running an hour or two late for some reason.

Now, what this might amount to is that they rent a small storefront from a shopping center to obtain the permission to operate plus the restroom. Not free, true, but also not the most expensive thing in the world in some cases (since I know a lot of shopping centers do have space to fill).

 

[MrFSS]

I don't have too much of a problem if they use a parking lot that they rent, though I'd be inclined to require some sort of "shelter" as well just to deal with inclement weather. Mind you, a slightly enlarged bus shelter would be sufficient for these purposes...though I would expand the requirements if they're running multiple buses per day to/from a given location and generating the associated traffic. This would actually be on par with some of the local Chinatown operators in VA.

Basically, require them to have a "facility", defined as an area that they have permission to park the bus for at least 30 minutes (I know a bus can load faster than this, but I think 30 minutes is a good "buffer" to account for passengers being slow and/or baggage issues) without blocking traffic on a street plus permission to have the crowd of folks waiting there, as well as some sort of "cover" that is accessible at any time a bus is to come in. I'd be inclined to require them to make some sort of arrangement for a restroom to be available (either their own or another business's) in the event that they end up running an hour or two late for some reason.

Now, what this might amount to is that they rent a small storefront from a shopping center to obtain the permission to operate plus the restroom. Not free, true, but also not the most expensive thing in the world in some cases (since I know a lot of shopping centers do have space to fill).

Anyone know where the buses refuel and have any maintenance issues fixed? Do they stop in truck stops for fuel along the way and combine it with being a rest stop for the passengers?

 

[AlanB]

While it could be argued that Megabus could be required to build their own facilities, that's a requirement that neither Amtrak nor the airlines are required to make. Instead, both are required to pay a rental fee for the gate, and the DC Union Station bus setup is much the same way. (I'm not sure how Greyhound works, but they do sometimes receive funding for new buses, so they're still subsidized.)
I have no problem with buses being required to stay off the street, but if they want to use a parking lot with permission/paying a parking fee from the owner, why not? That's what they do in Minneapolis.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that Mega be forced to put up a facility. But they should have to pay something towards any facility that they use. Back when Mega was picking up right outside Chicago Union Station and encouraging its passengers to use Union Station restrooms and to keep warm, they should have been paying something to Amtrak for that privilege. And they weren't!

Now perhaps Amtrak might say, "we don't want them here no matter what" and that would be their prerogative I believe. But they key point here is that Mega had no intentions of paying, they were encouraging their passengers to freeload so that Mega could hold down expenses.

 

[jebr]

I don't have too much of a problem if they use a parking lot that they rent, though I'd be inclined to require some sort of "shelter" as well just to deal with inclement weather. Mind you, a slightly enlarged bus shelter would be sufficient for these purposes...though I would expand the requirements if they're running multiple buses per day to/from a given location and generating the associated traffic. This would actually be on par with some of the local Chinatown operators in VA.

Basically, require them to have a "facility", defined as an area that they have permission to park the bus for at least 30 minutes (I know a bus can load faster than this, but I think 30 minutes is a good "buffer" to account for passengers being slow and/or baggage issues) without blocking traffic on a street plus permission to have the crowd of folks waiting there, as well as some sort of "cover" that is accessible at any time a bus is to come in. I'd be inclined to require them to make some sort of arrangement for a restroom to be available (either their own or another business's) in the event that they end up running an hour or two late for some reason.

Now, what this might amount to is that they rent a small storefront from a shopping center to obtain the permission to operate plus the restroom. Not free, true, but also not the most expensive thing in the world in some cases (since I know a lot of shopping centers do have space to fill).

Anyone know where the buses refuel and have any maintenance issues fixed? Do they stop in truck stops for fuel along the way and combine it with being a rest stop for the passengers?

In Chicago, I believe they have a bus garage outside of town where they do their servicing and refueling. I've only been on one Megabus trip out of quite a few that has required a refueling of the bus.

I'll be honest, I'm more of a libertarian than most. As such, I tend to hesitate against any more regulation than is absolutely necessary. I don't see it necessary to provide a shelter or bathroom, so long as people know that those services don't exist at the stop. Personally, I'd rather hit the restroom beforehand when I stop to get water, pop, or snacks anyways (based on Greyhound's station bathrooms, avoiding them is not a bad option.) I can bring my own umbrella if I want shelter, too, so long as I'm not expecting shelter when I get there.

 

[Anderson]

I don't have too much of a problem if they use a parking lot that they rent, though I'd be inclined to require some sort of "shelter" as well just to deal with inclement weather. Mind you, a slightly enlarged bus shelter would be sufficient for these purposes...though I would expand the requirements if they're running multiple buses per day to/from a given location and generating the associated traffic. This would actually be on par with some of the local Chinatown operators in VA.

Basically, require them to have a "facility", defined as an area that they have permission to park the bus for at least 30 minutes (I know a bus can load faster than this, but I think 30 minutes is a good "buffer" to account for passengers being slow and/or baggage issues) without blocking traffic on a street plus permission to have the crowd of folks waiting there, as well as some sort of "cover" that is accessible at any time a bus is to come in. I'd be inclined to require them to make some sort of arrangement for a restroom to be available (either their own or another business's) in the event that they end up running an hour or two late for some reason.

Now, what this might amount to is that they rent a small storefront from a shopping center to obtain the permission to operate plus the restroom. Not free, true, but also not the most expensive thing in the world in some cases (since I know a lot of shopping centers do have space to fill).

Anyone know where the buses refuel and have any maintenance issues fixed? Do they stop in truck stops for fuel along the way and combine it with being a rest stop for the passengers?

In Chicago, I believe they have a bus garage outside of town where they do their servicing and refueling. I've only been on one Megabus trip out of quite a few that has required a refueling of the bus.

I'll be honest, I'm more of a libertarian than most. As such, I tend to hesitate against any more regulation than is absolutely necessary. I don't see it necessary to provide a shelter or bathroom, so long as people know that those services don't exist at the stop. Personally, I'd rather hit the restroom beforehand when I stop to get water, pop, or snacks anyways (based on Greyhound's station bathrooms, avoiding them is not a bad option.) I can bring my own umbrella if I want shelter, too, so long as I'm not expecting shelter when I get there.

Well, as I think I said (though I may not have been clear), it's more that the facility exist and be "taken care of" than that Megabus own/operates them.