Start-up launches intercity bus and rail travel website

by SUSAN on AUGUST 23, 2013

 

A start-up called Wanderu aims to become the Kayak of intercity bus and rail travel.  The site aggregates bus and train tickets for about a dozen carriers, including Amtrak, Megabus, Bolt Bus, and Concord Coach Lines.

 

The site works like a typical trip aggregator. Users enter a start and end point and Wanderu generates potential itineraries, including transit directions to the bus or train station.  Users can sort the results by price, duration, arrival time, departure time, and other features. Itineraries just cover the Northeast for now, but the company plans to expand to the Southeast next. A mobile app is also in the works.

 

Aggregating bus information has been a challenge, co-founder and CEO Polina Raygorodskaya told TechCrunch, and the team has been working on the technical aspects since October 2011. “If you look at Kayak, they pay money to license data from airlines. Within the bus industry that information’s not out there. It’s extremely outdated,” she said. “We’ve had to build it from scratch, because there are no APIs. We’ve partnered with bus companies to work with them to get access to their data.”

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.thetransitwire.com/2013/08/23/startup-launches-intercity-bus-and-rail-travel-website/

Megabus a mega-nuisance?

 

A bag who lives on the 6th floor across the street from a Megabus stop complains of sights, sounds, smells, litter, dangerous crowds....

As this system gains ridership it seems like stations would be inevitable. Seems like the Transit Center is a logical place in Cincinnati. Well, if the buses would fit.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130904/NEWS/309040054

^-That article btw is the only time I'll ever say this: Look at the enquirer comment section! ;)

 

Seriously about half the people there are refraining one line - Use the Cincinnati Transit Center.

A few observations from a regular user:

 

Catching the megabus outside Chicago's Union station is sheer pandemonium. Multiple buses without destinations arriving concurrently is a pure chaos at night. Very third world-like.

 

Catching the megabus at Stephanie Tubbs in Cleveland at night had some issues. First, at 1am to Chicago it feels dangerous. Isolated. Exposed. Just not right. Second, the transit center is locked unless you ask the transit officer to open it. However, he is not always there to open it. So what's the f'ing point.

Third, according to the transit officer the Steph Tubbs center isn't permanent yet. On a 3 month probation period. Fourth, is city tap really the closest bar open after 11? F that.

 

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130914/NEWS01/309140059/UPDATE-37-injured-bus-crash-75-Liberty-Twp-

 

A bus traveling Cincinnati-Detroit crashed early this morning on 75 south of Dayton.

 

A Greyhound bus with 51 passengers tumbled off Interstate 75 and flipped on its side in a cornfield early Saturday, injuring at least 34 and shutting down the highway’s northbound lanes for hours.

 

The crash happened shortly before 4 a.m. in Liberty Township, just north of Ohio 129.

 

Dozens of injured passengers were taken to six hospitals from Middletown to Cincinnati and at least two people suffered serious injuries, police said. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening, said Liberty Township Fire Chief Paul Stumpf.

 

“We are very lucky,” Stumpf said. “The injuries are not as serious as they could have been”

^-That article btw is the only time I'll ever say this: Look at the enquirer comment section! ;)

 

Seriously about half the people there are refraining one line - Use the Cincinnati Transit Center.

 

Most of the comments I see are attacking the woman who complained about the buses.

Cleveland...

"@GCRTA: Megabus is sticking around. RTA Board just approved a 1 yr agreement w/ Megabus to continue using Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center."

Just stumbled across this:

 

Cleveland Greyhound Terminal

 

1995 - 789,500 passengers per year (combined carriers)

 

2007 - 202,418 boardings and de-boardings for only Greyhound Bus Lines

 

Source: Page 26 at http://www.noaca.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=81

So the downfall of using the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center for Megabus reared its ugly head on Dec 24th at 4 pm when I arrived via Megabus from Chicago. Apparently they have one bus bay reserved for Megabus. Well, an earlier Megabus bus was delayed by the accident/pileup on I90 that day and was still sitting in that bay. As we pulled in RTA would not let our bus park and unload. They told the driver he needed to pull back out and sit on the side street until the other bus left. This resulted in us sitting idle on the bus about 25 minutes. Cars waiting to pick up passengers piled up double parked on 21st street. At least one passenger (who had no checked bag) started yelling at RTA personnel to let him off and they had no right to keep us on the bus. I heard a couple people comment with dismay as they watched the RTA bus they wanted to transfer to pull away. Everyone was pissed. The situation seemed silly, and made RTA look kind of stupid. No thinking outside the bureaucratic box they live in.

 

The transit center had probably at least half, and maybe even 3/4 of the other bays empty. Is it really that hard for RTA management to allow an alternative unloading area for the 15 or so minutes it takes? The other Megabus was just sitting there, the passengers were long gone. I guess it was waiting on new passengers to arrive for another departure. If all of those empty bays were scheduled to suddenly fill up with RTA buses, why not just allow the Megabus to unload on a sidewalk adjacent to the transit center?

 

To put this in perspective, the Canal St/Union Station boarding area in Chicago is a chaotic mess. Tons of people milling about waiting, multiple buses pulling in and out to jockey for space, and traffic on Canal St gridlocked. To sit on a bus in Cleveland and look out the window and see empty bus bays, and blocks of empty sidewalks surrounding the center just seems dumb, however the situation seemed to throw RTA into a conundrum that they had no idea how to handle in a logical manner at this new state of the art "transit center".

 

(cross posted in RTA General thread)

 

 

My roommate waited 3 hours that day for the Chicago -to- Cleveland megabus before learning it left on time in a Coach USA bus. There was no communication to those waiting, and there were 10-15 people left stranded with my roommate.

 

Greyhound came to the rescue and he made it to Cleveland just before midnight. I personally

use Greyhound most of the time these days. It is comfy, comparable price and always leaves/arrives on time!

^oh that sucks! I have seen them use the Coach USA regular buses before, I had one on a return trip from Cleveland to Chicago once. That Canal St mess is always confusion, and the Megabus employee on site there is as surly as they come. The guy loading our bags (not the driver) told me mine was too heavy and I couldn't bring it. Limit is 50 pounds. So I took it back and was going to take something out...then he's like, "here I'll weigh it" with this little hand held thing he had. Ok, why didn't you just do that in the first place?? It wasn't over 50 lbs, and he allowed it...like he was doing me a favor.

 

Is that Greyhound Express you use?

I'm not sure if it's express technically since I always overnight it. There is usually only one bathroom stop, with Cleveland being the first among other destinations.

 

Seems pretty express to me. Hell of a deal for $35-40 each way.

 

I've completely lost faith in Megabus. The delays alone are a deal-breaker.

The Megabus Mess on Canal Street reminds me of the chaotic bus loading zone outside the Cartegena Airport in the scene from the movie "Romancing The Stone." The only thing missing from Canal Street are the pigs and chickens, but Danny DeVito was there, so....

This has to suck.

 

http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/cincinnati/megabus-passengers-say-company-left-them-stranded-in-cincinnati-cold/-/13549970/23784708/-/mt7qmf/-/index.html?utm_source=HootSuite&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=wlwt5

I happen to know for a fact that they posted the cancellations on their website.  I've also ridden Megabus enough times to know that's how they communicate and operate.  I've also experienced delays of up to 4 hours and cancellations multiple times and there's ALWAYS chat at the bus stop when a text message or e-mail gets sent so that the people that didn't think to check the website would know.  If some people were left there stranded and didn't get the memo, I partially blame them for not checking the website and I partially blame the other customers for not sharing the news.

 

Megabus is bare-bones ramshackle travel.  You have to be ready for it if you're going to pay virtually nothing to travel. 

I disagree, unless things have changed radically in the last few months. For example - and there are many - last January a 1am bus from Cleveland to Chicago was 3.5 hours late. No emails until well after 2am, and the only communication was via Twitter, in which we received pre-recorded apologies.

 

No one to answer the phone.

No live operators.

No info on the website.

No text messages

No emails until well after an hour of delays.

No one knew what to do, and we got booted out of the Renaissance (it was COLD).

 

The only compensation was a refund and one free trip.

 

The lack of communication has always been a problem with Megabus. The megabusfail twitter feed has plenty of horror stories.

I disagree completely unless things have changed radically in the last few months. For example - and there are many - last January a 1am bus from Cleveland to Chicago was 3.5 hours late. No emails until well after 2am, and the only communication was via Twitter, in which we received pre-recorded apologies.

 

No one to answer the phone.

No live operators.

No info on the website.

No text messages

No emails until well after an hour of delays.

No one knew what to do, and we got booted out of the Renaissance (it was COLD).

 

The only compensation was a refund and one free trip.

 

The lack of communication has always been a problem with Megabus. The megabusfail twitter feed has plenty of horror stories.

 

This all supports with ProkNo5 posted.  It's a no thrills roach coach.  You are getting what you're paying for...NOTHING!  These buses are dirt cheap and they probably want to keep their cost very low so customer service is non existent.

Nonsense. Greyhound is roughly the same price (at least comparing roundtrip Cleveland to Chicago) and has exponentially better customer service (plus shelter). Perhaps if megabus had standard $5-$10/one-way trip weekend prices, the poor communication would be excusable.

 

However, $25-$40/one-way trip weekend prices (when buying a few weeks in advance) are too close to Greyhound's standard $35-$40/one-way trip general price. It just isn't worth it at their price point.

 

^ Isn't Greyhound subsidized, though?

 

Edit: Yes, I realize all buses use socialist roads! But you know what I mean, I hope.

^ Isn't Greyhound subsidized, though?

 

Edit: Yes, I realize all buses use socialist roads! But you know what I mean, I hope.

 

Some bus routes (like airline routes) get grants to operate in lighter-traffic services in more rural areas. New York state has an extensive pubicly funded rural intercity bus network, for example. This is on top of using public supported roadways, unlike Amtrak which uses privately owned rail corridors.

Good customer service can't cost that much in the grand scheme of their costs. Megabus fails because of lousy management fundamentally, though not all experiences have been bad by any means.

Good customer service can't cost that much in the grand scheme of their costs. Megabus fails because of lousy management fundamentally, though not all experiences have been bad by any means.

And lousy management is why they have no CS.  You've got to pay for it.  Mega bus has no customer service standard or protocol.  The lack of CS and terminals is a major part of their negative image.

 

Again, they are banking on it being cheap and hoping people will say, "It's cheap, I'll suffer inconveniences because the fares are so low".  If they find terminals for their buses IE rent, institute customer service standards ie payroll and office space (some can tele commute, but there would need to be training and equipment purchases) those cheap fares will cease to exist.  Their entire business model will change.

 

MegaBus will fail over time, because the bus industry is trying to build a low cost carrier inside of another.  Just like legacy Airlines tried to build LCC - Delta's Song and United's Ted  - to compete with Southwest and then upstart, JetBlue.

 

 

 

MegaBus will fail over time, because the bus industry is trying to build a low cost carrier inside of another.  Just like legacy Airlines tried to build LCC - Delta's Song and United's Ted  - to compete with Southwest and then upstart, JetBlue.

 

 

I disagree. The trend is there will be more. The reason why the trend exists is because personal and household incomes aren't keeping up with the rising costs of living and traveling. So I think there will be more of these bargain express bus services, and even more of the Chinatown bus services that operate outside of the law. Unless we do something as a nation to protect workers, their jobs and their incomes, we will see more third-world services because more of us will not be able afford much of anything else.

I have travelled with Megabus many times and still support their service. It's not ideal for parents with kids, people with tight deadlines that they absolutely cannot miss, or those who aren't as tech savvy. Unfortunately a lot of these people take Megabus and then complain when it isn't what they need. Greyhound is a more reliable service. Megabus is great for college students and those looking for the cheapest way to get from A to B. Overall though, I haven't had a bad experience riding Megabus. My bus has been substantially late twice, but I can't really complain when I pay an average of $5-10 to get to Chicago from Cincinnati.

 

MegaBus will fail over time, because the bus industry is trying to build a low cost carrier inside of another.  Just like legacy Airlines tried to build LCC - Delta's Song and United's Ted  - to compete with Southwest and then upstart, JetBlue.

 

 

I disagree. The trend is there will be more. The reason why the trend exists is because personal and household incomes aren't keeping up with the rising costs of living and traveling. So I think there will be more of these bargain express bus services, and even more of the Chinatown bus services that operate outside of the law. Unless we do something as a nation to protect workers, their jobs and their incomes, we will see more third-world services because more of us will not be able afford much of anything else.

KJP, a bus company owns Mega Bus.  A travel conglomerate owns the company that owns Mega Bus.  That means company owns competing businesses.  One a regular coach service and mega bus a "low cost" coach service.  It the EXACT same thing as legacy airlines creating LC carriers such as TED and SONG.

I have travelled with Megabus many times and still support their service. It's not ideal for parents with kids, people with tight deadlines that they absolutely cannot miss, or those who aren't as tech savvy. Unfortunately a lot of these people take Megabus and then complain when it isn't what they need. Greyhound is a more reliable service. Megabus is great for college students and those looking for the cheapest way to get from A to B. Overall though, I haven't had a bad experience riding Megabus. My bus has been substantially late twice, but I can't really complain when I pay an average of $5-10 to get to Chicago from Cincinnati.

 

I recall saying just that earlier!  This is exactly what they want.  We (Mega Bus) provide a bare bones service.  Take it or leave it.  They wont corporate business so they'll never have to worry about contracts and sticking to a real time schedule or having leased "terminal to terminal" service.

You get what you pay for.

 

That said, I had a friend on that unfortunate trip a few days ago. He has a "smartphone" and received zero notification from Megabus on his bus being delayed. And there were no updates to speak of on the website or really anywhere else.

 

It's also important to remember that not everyone has a "smartphone." There are millions who still have plain ol' mobile phones and millions more that don't even have that. Seeing that a significant share of bus riders tends to be low-income, mobile phone usage will be even less.

 

Their problems are well known:

http://www.whas11.com/news/local/MegaBus-breaks-down-strands-passengers-in-Indiana-Hardees-238738051.html (3 days ago, stranding people without heat or water for 6+ hours - part of the same issue that left Cincinnati passengers waiting in the cold)

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/18558798/megabus-mix-up-leaves-nashville-passengers-steaming (zero communication)

And just a general search pulls up hundreds more.

 

I had a friend (lurker on here) who took it frequently between Cincinnati and Chicago until earlier in the year, when the bus broke down, the driver walked away and the passengers left on the side of the interstate. No communication from Megabus, nothing. She ended up having to call for the police to search for the missing driver, and she personally had to ask a friend a few hours away for a ride.

 

Their drivers are often undertrained and poorly paid. The whole "yield driven" bus system - unlike Greyhound, is underregulated and poorly managed. They skimp out on amenities - like bus shelters, and expect cities to put up with the fuss and fumes. That's why the stop was relocated from 4th Street in downtown, where the diesel exhaust was just awful, to a remote location on the outskirts.

It's also important to remember that not everyone has a "smartphone." There are millions who still have plain ol' mobile phones and millions more that don't even have that. Seeing that a significant share of bus riders tends to be low-income, mobile phone usage will be even less.

 

That's how Megabus succeeds in attracting the cream of the crop of the demographic. Drug dealers using cash, and chronic low income users with no computer or smart phone flock to Greyhound. Megabus gets the broke college kid, underemployed young professional, and the budget minded middle class for the most part.

 

It's too bad they are so mismanaged, there may be a market for an actual higher class bus service given the popularity of megabus. Drop the $1 gimmick and go to a decent standard fare each way like the "first class" buses all over Mexico and it would probaly be successful. I've used Megabus because the fares since the United merger to Cleveland have doubled. That coupled with United cancelling short haul flights frequently at peak periods, the hassle of O'Hare, TSA rules...etc have made flying stressful and awful. Amtrak is no option at this point either.

Both are completely wrong characterizations of who takes these buses.

^Not really, it exists. And the anonymity of Greyhound makes it very attractive to drug smugglers. Less of a paper trail than even Megabus

 

Why Drug Traffickers Love Buses

 

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/10/why-drug-traffickers-love-buses/7433/

I guess with that, Greyhound is the bus of choice if you want to behead someone too. I think it goes with the perception. Some Greyhound stations can be quite beautiful and nice. Huntington, WV's is an Art Deco beauty between Marshall University and downtown, and is frequented by lots of college kids and young professionals. I've taken it from there a few times.

 

Compare that to Cincinnati's, which is dim inside, generally unattractive, and in a poor location. I've never had a good experience there. That said, I've never had a good Megabus experience, either. The Megabus, on my three trips with it so far, have been excessively tardy. Greyhound has generally been reliable.

 

I don't feel tardy...

It's also important to remember that not everyone has a "smartphone." There are millions who still have plain ol' mobile phones and millions more that don't even have that. Seeing that a significant share of bus riders tends to be low-income, mobile phone usage will be even less.

 

That's how Megabus succeeds in attracting the cream of the crop of the demographic. Drug dealers using cash, and chronic low income users with no computer or smart phone flock to Greyhound. Megabus gets the broke college kid, underemployed young professional, and the budget minded middle class for the most part.

 

It's too bad they are so mismanaged, there may be a market for an actual higher class bus service given the popularity of megabus. Drop the $1 gimmick and go to a decent standard fare each way like the "first class" buses all over Mexico and it would probaly be successful. I've used Megabus because the fares since the United merger to Cleveland have doubled. That coupled with United cancelling short haul flights frequently at peak periods, the hassle of O'Hare, TSA rules...etc have made flying stressful and awful. Amtrak is no option at this point either.

 

That is MBs target audience.

KJP, a bus company owns Mega Bus.  A travel conglomerate owns the company that owns Mega Bus.  That means company owns competing businesses.  One a regular coach service and mega bus a "low cost" coach service.  It the EXACT same thing as legacy airlines creating LC carriers such as TED and SONG.

 

I'm aware. And there will be more of these. A conglomerate can influence electeds and regulators to not enforce safety. Meanwhile smaller, fly-by-night bus operators can pop up, disappear and reappear again to avoid regulators. So we have returned to practice of "buyer beware" with the burden placed on prospective customers, as was common practice 100+ years ago.

A Megabus caught on fire on I-74 this morning just before the Ohio/Indiana border in Harrison, OH.

 

 

Wonder if Megabus will get billed for the emergency response (as railroads do)? Good luck collecting on that bill!

While driving back from Lancaster yesterday I saw a billboard for something called the GoBus that offers $10 fares between Athens and Columbus. Sort of a higher capital-intensive version of that guy who used to drive people back and forth that I've heard about on here.

It also goes from Athens to Cincinnati and Athens to Marietta (I think)

Cross-posted in the Amtrak thread.....

 

Everywhere you can get on intercity transit in America, in one map

by Dan Malouff  •  February 3, 2014 12:50 pm

 

This map, from the American Intercity Bus Riders Association, attempts to show all the major intercity transit routes in America. It includes Amtrak, Greyhound, and several other bus carriers.

 

It's probably impossible for this kind of map to be 100% accurate all the time. In all likelihood there are some missing links, and missing carriers. But it's still quite an impressive undertaking, and a useful tool to bookmark.

 

READ MORE AND SEE MAP AT:

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/21600/everywhere-you-can-get-on-intercity-transit-in-america-in-one-map/

Passengers hurt when Megabus flips on Indiana highway

 

GREENWOOD, Ind. — A double-decker tour bus that flipped onto its side early Tuesday on I-65 injured about 40 people and shut down the highway for hours.

 

The crash involving a double-decker Megabus on a route from Georgia to Chicago occurred around 4:25 a.m. in the north lanes of I-65 .

 

The bus carrying between 50 and 60 people crashed when its driver apparently swerved to avoid a minor crash that had occurred about 10 minutes earlier, state police Sgt. Shawn O'Keefe said.

Passengers hurt when Megabus flips on Indiana highway

 

GREENWOOD, Ind. — A double-decker tour bus that flipped onto its side early Tuesday on I-65 injured about 40 people and shut down the highway for hours.

 

The crash involving a double-decker Megabus on a route from Georgia to Chicago occurred around 4:25 a.m. in the north lanes of I-65 .

 

The bus carrying between 50 and 60 people crashed when its driver apparently swerved to avoid a minor crash that had occurred about 10 minutes earlier, state police Sgt. Shawn O'Keefe said.

 

Typical, the Enquirer only mentions the Megabus when something bad happens.

 

It's too bad they are so mismanaged, there may be a market for an actual higher class bus service given the popularity of megabus. Drop the $1 gimmick and go to a decent standard fare each way like the "first class" buses all over Mexico and it would probaly be successful. I've used Megabus because the fares since the United merger to Cleveland have doubled. That coupled with United cancelling short haul flights frequently at peak periods, the hassle of O'Hare, TSA rules...etc have made flying stressful and awful. Amtrak is no option at this point either.

 

I've seen saying this for YEARS.  Wish someone with capitol would make this happen - its even worse for those of us who have to go to Cincy as CVG is a terrible terrible mess and one of the most expensive airports in the country :( - I couldn't find a roundtrip to Chicago for less than $400, I'd spend about half that to go to Columbus.

Bad news for regular riders to downtown Cincinnati:

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/10/14/megabus-moves-stop/17274813/

 

If you ride regularly please send a mail to David Mann about this and provide rationale as to why this is a bad stop even if temporary:

 

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/council-members/vice-mayor-david-mann/

 

A good suggestion of stopping next to Horseshoe casino as there are 24 hour restroom facilities and the area is in a good spot in regards to getting transit / being in an active area (perhaps that giant inappropriate for being next to OTR back lawn could be a good spot for the bust to stop)

 

There was quite the scene by the Cleveland Greyhound Sunday at 11:15pm. Outside the station a coked out, frat boy, Dawg Pound type was pounding on the front of a car, screaming for the driver to come out and fight. 20 minutes later he storms inside the station and goes ballistic. I couldn't tell if he was messing with anyone in particular or just calling us all f-gs. Either way, hell of a charmer.

 

The girl on the intercom summoned security (with a noticeably panicked voice), and at least 3 big guys charged the fool. I couldn't see what happened next since I was boarding, but the station was buzzing. Good stuff.

 

The only downside was the German beerhouse closed at 7 that night even though midnight on Sundays is the norm. I just can't believe that place is across the street! Perfect for my monthly Greyhound pilgrimages.

I suggested the Firefighter's Memorial on Central Avenue. Far enough away from any property owners so there won't be any issues. A park space that is very underutilized. Still in the downtown grid. The spot on Gest is practically unusable.

This could force MegaBus to actually... you know, be a good corporate citizen. They are scavengers for the lowest expense and screw cities over by putting their "stations" on the corners of downtown blocks and then refusing to shut off their idling buses. Diesel fumes and exhaust is not great to be around - there are a lot of particulates that can cause long-term health issues. Mann had a good idea of using the underused Riverfront Transit Center - for a fee. If MegaBus wants its riders, then it's going to have to play fair.

I suggested the Firefighter's Memorial on Central Avenue. Far enough away from any property owners so there won't be any issues. A park space that is very underutilized. Still in the downtown grid. The spot on Gest is practically unusable.

 

I agree, that's a terrible location. Why not somewhere like like Freedom Way West for now until they find something permanent?

This could force MegaBus to actually... you know, be a good corporate citizen. They are scavengers for the lowest expense and screw cities over by putting their "stations" on the corners of downtown blocks and then refusing to shut off their idling buses. Diesel fumes and exhaust is not great to be around - there are a lot of particulates that can cause long-term health issues. Mann had a good idea of using the underused Riverfront Transit Center - for a fee. If MegaBus wants its riders, then it's going to have to play fair.

 

Stated this on Reddit as well, but maybe the city should keep the center open and view it as an investment for tourism, particularly since CVG is so moribund right now, for a lot of people (myself included) megabus is the most sensible way to get to Cincinnati.

Well it looks like we now know why Megabus operates out of Buffalo's transit center and not Cincinnati's:

 

Megabus officials say they're willing to pay for the transit center, just not Metro's asking price. Metro runs the transit center, and the agency's former CEO Terry Garcia Crews originally asked Megabus to pay $20,000 a month to lease the facility, Metro spokeswoman Sallie Hilvers said.

 

Megabus officials scoffed. In cities where Megabus operates out of a transit center, it typically pays $1,000 a month for rent, said director of operations Bryony Chamberlain. Rental costs for the Riverfront Transit Center would have to cover security, utilities and facility maintenance, Hilvers said.

 

From: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/02/13/cheap-megabus-service-thriving-despite-problems/23348859/

 

Any speculation on why SORTA would be asking such a gigantic amount of money for this?

 

I found another investigative report (pretty darn sensationalist of course) that mentioned that some money is flowing to SORTA due to some of the area beign used for parking leasing  :x

 

 

Finally for those of us who regularly use Megabus, please write Metro and the City to get this resolved:

 

http://www.go-metro.com/contact-us

 

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/contact-us/

 

Other cities subsidize their transit facilities to encourage Megabus and other charter operators to use them. There's no way that $1,000/mo. actually covers the full cost of Megabus using those facilities. SORTA is asking for $20,000/mo. because that's how much it would actually cost to run the exhaust fans full time, staff the facility (likely using SORTA's unionized employees), open and maintain the restrooms, etc. Now if the city were to step in and provide 90% of the funding so that Megabus could only pay $1,000/mo., that would be great. But SORTA doesn't have that in their budget.

The parking is the best use after actually using it as a transit station. At least it is breaking even or turning a small profit on the facility instead of just draining resources.

 

And yeah, Megabus wouldn't pay $20,000 and SORTA would pay $18,000 to allow Megabus to use it.

 

Basically, either the city needs to help out, or SORTA needs to use it on a daily basis and then charge Megabus a typical usage fee.