A couple of weeks ago I bought 2 round trip tickets to Chicago from Cincinnati for $2.50 each for a weekend in June.  I don't even know if I can go that weekend, but I couldn't pass up $2.50 tickets.  Let's hope they're still in business then.

Sunday (June 4), en route from Cleveland back to Fort Wayne, I saw the Chicago - Cleveland megabus sitting on the eastbound shoulder of the Turnpike, about 2 miles east of the Cedar Point exit (118?). It was just before noon. Either broken down, or out of fuel, maybe.

 

I couldn't tell for sure, but it kind of looked like the driver was in his seat. I would have liked to have taken a picture, but I'm not very good at drive-by photography and I didn't see it until it was too late to grab my camera.

Well, I took my megabus trip to Chicago this past weekend.  Overall, it was a good experience and I can't complain about anything (even though it would be hard to complain when I paid $2.50 round trip).  The bus, with an interior of your typical charter bus, was clean and did not run out of fuel :-)  When we left Cincinnati on Sat. morning, there were about 10 people on the bus.  We stopped in Indy, two people got off and picked up about 10 more.  We got to Union Station in Chicago about 10-15 minutes late, but that wasn't bad at all considering the construction on the Dan Ryan...which the driver got off of as soon as he could and just took surface streets to get downtown.  On the way back on Sunday afternoon, the bus to Minneapolis that left right before the Indianapolis/Cincinnati bus looked like it was packed.  On the Indy/Cincy bus there were about 30 people--about 20 going to Indy and the rest to Cincinnati.  We got into Cincinnati right on time. 

 

I think next time I will just pick up the bus in Indy next time.  By the time you figure driving one hour to Cincinnati, 2 hours from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, and waiting about an hour in Indy, it would probably just be easier for me to drive the two hours directly to Indianapolis.

 

Looks like it should be convenient for xumelanie

 

The only clue that megabus stops here

 

Stop in Indy

 

And finally, Chicago

Have you considered driving to South Bend or Michigan City, parking the car there, and taking the South Shore trains to Chicago? Holiday/weekend service runs every 2 hours all day, fares are cheap, and the Van Buren and Randolph Street stops are right on Michigan Avenue in the loop. Parking is free at Michigan City (I prefer to use the stop at the railroad offices/shops at Carroll Avenue), and the long-term lot at South Bend airport, the easternmost stop for the trains, is fairly cheap.

 

Schedule & fare info for South Shore trains is here.

 

 

With all due respect, I would never do that.  From Cincinnati I go through Indy to Chicago on I-74 to I-65 and I have no desire to backtrack just for the purpose of taking a bus.  Even if the stop was in Indy I wouldn't bother.  I would cater the thought of using a bus from Cincinnati but if that didn't work I would drive. 

 

I was also pricing Amtrak but I have to leave at 3AM to take the Chicago trip which is crazy!

 

The South Shore line is a great electric train-line.  I grew up in Southwest Michigan and it is by far the quickest, most reasonable, clean and convenient way to get to Chi-town if you don't want to risk Amtrak or drive.  It drops you off right by the Art Institute of Chicago and has reasonable hours.  Besides, it is probably WAY cheaper than parking a car in Chicago at a hotel for the weekend which can run upwards of $50 a day. 

 

can't wait to try this bus service...sounds great...it will cost me the same to travel 2 miles on the metro as it will for me to go to chicago..... :-P crazy isn't it?

I'm takin it to the Pitchfork music fest in Chicago at the end of July.  Seems I'm not the only one, either - as my tickets were $45 round trip - I snoozed tooo long.

I'm takin it to the Pitchfork music fest in Chicago at the end of July.  Seems I'm not the only one, either - as my tickets were $45 round trip - I snoozed tooo long.

 

Interesting name for a music fest!  :)  I'd be interested to hear about your experiences with Megabus as well.  Especially with the stop so close to my future home.

I saw a Megabus stopped on the side of I-90 around 6 PM today. It was heading westbound before the West Blvd. Exit. There were a few people standing around outside, and the bus had its hazard lights on.

^ Lovely. There is a bus scheduled to depart daily from downtown Cleveland at 5 p.m. That probably was the bus you saw stopped....

Hmm...this story from the 7/4/06 Cincinnati Post doesn't even mention the fact that it's going to stop serving Columbus.

 

 

What will one dollar buy?

Maybe a ticket to Chicago.

By Greg Paeth

Post staff report

 

If you're looking for a cheap way to get to Chicago, Indianapolis or six other cities in the Midwest, megabus.com may be the answer - sometimes an incredibly cheap one.  Using a model created by discount airlines that provide the lowest fares to people who book flights well in advance of their travel dates, megabus.com sells some of its tickets for as little as $1.

 

Even if you're not lucky enough to get one of the limited number of dirt cheap promotional tickets that the company makes available, the fares can be awfully alluring.  For a trip from Cincinnati to Chicago booked a month in advance of a July travel date, megabus.com offered a price of $8 to get there and $15 for the return.  Booking with just three days advance notice, the price for the same trip was $30 to Chicago with a return fare of $20.

 

By comparison, the country's bus service icon, Greyhound, quoted a price of $90 for a Cincinnati-Chicago roundtrip that was set up a month ahead of time and $91 for a roundtrip purchased three days in advance.  megabus.com said the trip of about 300 miles will take six hours and 10 minutes; Greyhound's schedule said seven hours.

 

MORE: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060704/NEWS01/607040363/1010/RSS01

 

Hmm...this story from the 7/4/06 Cincinnati Post doesn't even mention the fact that it's going to stop serving Columbus.

 

...maybe the story's been in the can for a while, and they finally ran it on a slow news day...

I love it!

Anyone know of a non-Greyhound bus alternative to NYC?  Amtrak takes forever and has crap hours...  Greyhound did me wrong several years ago and I'm still boycotting...  I've heard there's a Chinatown bus from Asia Plaza... anyone else?

I think that Chinatown bus is the only other alternative. Whoops I just remembered you can take a Lakefront Lines bus from Cleveland at 4:45pm, arrives in Buffalo at 8 p.m. and transfer to a Trailways of New York bus to New York City. The latter has depatures from Buffalo throughout the day, including evening depatures at 8:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 10:45 p.m., 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.

 

For schedule and fare information for Lakefront Lines, click on "Route #10 - Fairfield to Buffalo" at:

http://route.lakefrontlines.com/

 

Trailways of New York:

http://www.trailwaysny.com/html/english/fares.asp

Buffalo to New York City schedule:

http://www.trailwaysny.com/html/english/fares_pdf/bufnyc.pdf

 

You may also consider driving to Buffalo and catch one of Amtrak's four daily round trips to New York City. Buffalo has two stations, one downtown at Exchange Street and one in the suburbs at Depew (near the airport). Lakefront Lines bus service does not connect to any Amtrak trains at Buffalo.

 

Here's an interesting map to show the non-Greyhound routes operating in NY state with out-of-state connections:

 

It just takes so much longer to go up north that far!

 

Thanks for the info, though, KJP!

Yeah I know. Most ground-based public transportation to NYC goes either northward through Buffalo and Albany or southward through Pittsburgh and Philly. Because of topography, the railroads don't go due east from Cleveland, and for buses on I-80, there just isn't enough enroute population along I-80 to warrant many trips to go that way.

So, I'm on the bus right now and can provide up to the minute updates :).  It was about an hour late this morning... and we're on our way to Indy right now via I-74.  Bus is almost full.  Hopefully I'll end up in Chicago as planned. 

 

Yes, I'm a geek...  I use my laptop on the bus.

^That absolutely rocks, mark...

^That absolutely rocks, mark...

 

So long as the mobile coverage holds out :). 

Walk up to the front, and check the fuel gauge. 

Walk up to the front, and check the fuel gauge. 

 

I don't know how many people get that! But that's damn funny!

Do they have movies on this bus? I know when i took Greyhound before. They had a third party going to some of the smaller towns in Colorado and they had tv's on  the bus.

That's cool, I know at least one girl in the office that will be happy.  She usually takes Amtrak home to Toledo and gets dropped off at 3:00 am or so.

 

Mark, if you need any tips let me know, although I won't be in Chicago to provide any personal tours this weekend.  Though maybe I will if my flight to NYC gets cancelled again today.  Damn O'hare....and weather.

Walk up to the front, and check the fuel gauge. 

 

I don't know how many people get that! But that's damn funny!

 

 

Hehe...  Got here just fine.

 

I'm here for the Pitchfork Music festival, so my weekend is fairly booked up.  I'm staying at the Allegro on the loop. 

 

There are TVs, but they didn't use them for anything.

 

Bargain bus service rolls in

Upstart Web-based intercity business offers novel pricing

Toledo Blade

Tom Henry

September 13, 2006

 

PHOTO: Erin Shirley of Maumee talks with driver Tammy Jones on the first day of Toledo operation.

(THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER)

 

PHOTO: Kelly Lepo of Erie, Pa., stretches her legs as the new Megabus.com makes a stop at Southwyck Shopping Center in South Toledo. Ms. Lepo, 21, was able to get a ticket to ride from Cleveland to Chicago for just $1.

(THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER)

 

TOLEDO - Kelly Lepo is an example of just how resourceful college students can be when it comes to getting a ride back to campus at an affordable price.  She traveled from Cleveland to Chicago yesterday for a mere dollar.

 

But Ms. Lepo, 21, a University of Chicago senior majoring in physics, said that getting such an amazing fare wasn't rocket science.  She found it Aug. 8 on the Internet from an upstart company called Megabus.com, which specializes in nonstop intercity express service.

 

Though she lives in Erie, Pa., she figured it was "worth it to drive to Cleveland for a $1 bus trip."  The upcoming return leg of her trip was $8.50, bringing the total cost of her round-trip ticket to $9.50.

 

MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS11/609130423/-1/NEWS

Carolyn Schermbeck, senior vice president of the Greater Toledo Convention and Visitors Bureau, welcomed Megabus.com. She said it could broaden Toledo's efforts to attract visitors from Cleveland and Chicago.

 

Honestly though, what is someone(as a visitor) to do when they are dumped at that half abandoned Southwyck Mall without a car?  As I recall, that area is really car-oriented.  Can you easily connect with PT and get to points of interest/Hotels?  That woman should have commented on that.

The company began operations in April, serving destinations including Detroit, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and St. Louis, and says it already has taken in $1.8 million in ticket sales and transported 127,000 passengers.

 

Let this be a lesson to all of our dumbass policy makers who say that there's no demand for improved inter-city travel.

says it already has taken in $1.8 million in ticket sales and transported 127,000 passengers.

 

So if I make a round trip to Chicago, I assume that I'm counted as 2 passengers.  Would that be correct?  If so, it looks like their average one-way ticket is going for $14.17 (assuming that their $0.50 booking fee is not counted as "ticket sales") 

Yes, a round trip counts as two passengers. Same as a round-trip drive in your car between Chicago and Cleveland counts as two vehicles on the turnpike.

Thanks...I figured so.

I just found a website for the cheap Chinatown buses, and I see that Cleveland isn't the only city in Ohio serving as a destination point....

 

http://www.nychinatown.org/directory/m_bus.html#ohio

 

TL Travel Bus. 1 bus daily.

pickup/dropoff: NYC, 96 Canal St. (at Eldridge St.)

to Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati

347-203-2209 (NY), 917-288-6888

 

 

 

Five Stars Travel. 1 bus daily, Sat-Thurs.

From NYC: 21 Allen St ticket office.

to Youngstown, OH.

to Canton-Akron, OH.

to Cleveland, OH. Asia Plaza, 2999 30th St

 

note: little, to no english spoken. 212-625-1925 (NY), 917-578-5861 (cell)

yes, but good luck trying to find it!  I walked around Asia Plaza around 6:00 one evening and all the shops were closed but the restaurant and there was no sign for a bus anywhere.  I'll have to go back during the daytime...

NatiJoe & I will be taken Megabus to Chicago in November for a weekend trip.  I am looking forward to it!

 

Honestly though, what is someone(as a visitor) to do when they are dumped at that half abandoned Southwyck Mall without a car?  As I recall, that area is really car-oriented.  Can you easily connect with PT and get to points of interest/Hotels?  That woman should have commented on that.

 

Excellent point.  I've been wondering about this myself.  That area IS totally car-dependent.  Not very useful if you ask me. 

 

Megabus Recommended

 

After a nice extended weekend in Chicago, I am back in the Queen City.  I would give the entire Megabus experience a score of 8 out of 10.  It is hard to complain about Megabus when it only cost us $22 round trip.  The bus picked us up from 4th & Race in downtown Cincinnati and after an hour into the drive, we stopped at a McDonald’s in Indiana.  We spent 20 minutes there and then proceeded to downtown Indianapolis to pick up more passengers.  After about 20 minutes on the road (around Zionsville, Indiana) we stopped again at a truck stop with a Popeye’s Chicken.  The bus experience started to take a negative turn when the bus driver came on board and said that he needed to turn around because a passenger was late to the bus stop in Indianapolis.  Well you can imagine that many of us weren’t happy and after our complaining, many of us called Megabus customer service and were able to convince them to turn the bus around back to Chicago.  The crowd broke out in applause.  The ride went smooth after that and we arrived at Union Station in downtown Chicago about 45 minutes late.  On the return there was a stop at the same Popeye’s Chicken Truck Stop and downtown Indianapolis and we actually got into downtown Cincinnati 15 minutes earlier then scheduled.  I would give the trip to Chicago a 6 out of 10 and the return back to Cincinnati a 10 out of 10 hence my 8 out of 10 score.  I would recommend Megabus as a great way to travel to Chicago and would take it again.  You can’t beat the cost, the bus was clean and the other passengers were well groomed.  If you drive, you are paying between $25-35 a day to park, plus gas and tolls and if you fly the cab fare alone from O’Hare Airport is $45.  I took about 250 photos on this trip and will post them shortly.  Here is a photo of the Megabus I took at the first stop.

 

Sounds like you had a good trip.  I can't believe they were really going to head back for someone who missed the bus.  When I took it, my only real complaints was that we were stopped in Indy about about an hour, then we get on the road for another 20 minutes, and then stop for 20-30 minutes at the truck stop.  The people from Cincy just had a stop in Indy and the Indy people didn't need a break after just 20 minutes. 

Im gonna start going to Chicago a lot to visit my friends and I'd love to ride this bus as a cheap alternative to flying but since most of the time I'd be going there with a few friends that can pitch in for gas money, the megabus would actually probably cost more. I went to their website and it was 30 bucks for a ticket, and that was for a ticket that was like a month in advance. I can park a car at Northwestern for free so I think it's still better for me to drive but megabus overall sounds like a nice efficient way to get to Chicago from other midwestern cities. If I was going by myself I would definitely do it.

Thanks for the review Monte. Are the seats big and comfortable? That's my only concern for an 8 hour trip.

I haven't yet ridden Megabus.  How would those of you who have used it compare it to Greyhound? 

 

Megabus > Greyhound.

 

Greyhound costs more, stops more, takes longer and uses older buses.  Greyhound has given bus transportation a bad name, Megabus has given it a good name.

 

Does that help?

yes that helps.  thanks!

 

 

Saw the Chicago-bound Megabus loading on Huron Road in downtown Cleveland this morning. I don't know how in the world they got all those people to squeeze into that 40- or 50-seat bus. It was quite a crowd.

^ I believe the Cleveland bus also stops in Toledo too, right?

Yes, at a suburban location nearer to the Turnpike.

My in-law cousins took it into Cleveland. No complaints.

Seats are now free with this promotion:

 

http://vacations.travelzoo.com/north-american-vacations/272290

 

$0.50 -- Bus Fares between Chicago & 8 Cities

Chicago to/from 8 Midwest Cities

Travel dates: January 17-March 20

  Top 20 deal - sells out quickly!

By Michael Stitt

Travelzoo Staff

 

Just when you thought a $1 deal couldn't get any better, Megabus.com announced that they'll be giving away 25,000 "FREE" seats from January 17-March 20. The only thing you'll pay is their standard $0.50 reservation fee. Your morning cup of coffee probably costs three times as much!

 

Megabus.com is a bus service between Chicago and 8 Midwest cities, with already-fantastic $1 each way fares available on non-stop routes.

 

Having launched April 10 of this year, and already wildly popular overseas in the U.K., here's how it works:

 

Service is available between Chicago and Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. Service is also offered between Indianapolis and Cincinnati and between Toledo and Cleveland.

The first few seats on every bus will be FREE, plus a $.50 reservation fee. Each bus has 55 seats.

Free seats are limited to 2 per booking on selected dates and routes.

Once those are sold, prices go up to $1, $5, then $8, then $10 and so on, until the bus is full.

All routes are non-stop and most connect in Chicago with NO stops at smaller cities.

You must book your tickets online 4 weeks in advance at Megabus.com to get the lowest prices. There are no walkup fares.

For more information, schedules, terminal locations, and a route map click here. When you're ready to book, visit Megabus.com.

Travelzoo Tip: We found many free seats traveling midweek, Monday-Thursday. Currently, their Web site will only allow reservations to be made through February 1. However, with each passing day, one additional day will become available.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought they did away with the Columbus route?!?

^ Hmm me too.  It would be nice if they added Dayton to the Columbus route.

I looked it up on their site and it looks like COlumbus did get the axe, as its not on their list of Departure/arrival cities.

Unfortunetly the tourism and travel industry struggles with providing credible/reliable/up-to-date information

Megabus' site does not say if they take bicycles in cargo.  I wonder what they do if a bus gets held up in the snow and you miss your connection.  Or maybe the service is not designed for connections.  Something makes me want to go to Minneapolis for $2 + change just because I can.