Cincinnati is only a 4 hour drive from Chicago so it doesn't pay to drive and I will never take Greyhound again

 

I wish it were only four hours. I come from chicago and the shortest I've been able to make the drive is just over five ( including a lovely stop for a chat with an indiana trooper ). I loathe that drive. Any opertunity for a cost effective alternative is welcome by me. As so far, megabus is the only thing to come close (almosts breaks even).

 

P.S. For the record, the drive from Cincinnati to Chicago has taken me upwards of ten hours to make on multiple occasions.

The parking rates are an indicator of successful public policy. Sometime in the late seventies, I think, Pittsburgh inverted the property tax structure to place more of the burden on land and less on improvements. That made land too valuable for surface parking and removed the disincentive for development and renovation, and encouraged development downtown along with increased transit ridership and growth of transit service.

 

So why doesn't Cincinnati do this to get rid of those surface lots? Argh.

If I"m not mistaken, in addition to the property tax structure that Rob mentioned, Pittsburgh also has a 50% parking tax.

P.S. For the record, the drive from Cincinnati to Chicago has taken me upwards of ten hours to make on multiple occasions.

 

I can get to Lake Shore Drive/Buckingham Fountain from Cincinnati in 4 hours and 10 minutes clocked.  I usually drive between 75-80 MPH.

So you're that crazy SOB! 

75-80MPH is standard traffic around here.

I can get to Lake Shore Drive/Buckingham Fountain from Cincinnati in 4 hours and 10 minutes clocked.  I usually drive between 75-80 MPH.

 

Yeah, I guess that sounds about right. My family lives in the western suburbs so getting there adds another hour/hour half to the drive. 75-80 is usually my preferred speed as well. But its not the distance that makes me hate the drive, its other factors. Unpredictable traffic, relentless state troopers, inclament weather, tolls, trolls, my crappy car with no CD player, etc. I'd much rather be on a bus in a drug-induced slumber than have to put up with these things.

The bus is economical but there's just nothing more liberating than taking a nice car on a long road trip.

^Very true.

The bus is economical but there's just nothing more liberating than taking a nice car on a long road trip.

 

I'm to the point where I find a car anything but liberating.  To each his own...

The "freedom of the open road" is a myth, at least anywhere around a major metro area.  I love how the auto makers still do TV adds showing their latest model speeding along some deserted highway at unreal speeds.  Seen anything like that anywhere near Ohio?

 

Hey, I love to drive too!  And I've taken a lot of very good family vacations in a car.  But I think the way auto manufacturers advertise (for the most part) is archaic.  Very few show off their cars in a real world setting of crowded interstates or downtown streets.

 

As for the bus... it's still inextricably linked to that ribbon of blacktop or concrete and subject to the same delays that befall every other motor vehicle out there.

 

I want more options !!!

The bus is economical but there's just nothing more liberating than taking a nice car on a long road trip.

 

it is just the perception of freedom, the illusion of choice.

Thomas do you own a car?

yes, but as far as you drive, you never really get away

I have a study with a sample size of 3. My sister, sister-in-law and cousin now use it instead of flying to Chicago.

thanks.  I am loathe to ask this, but how was the Indiana Toll Road?  We drove it twice in 2005 and it was beyond capacity and slowed down to a crawl.  We probably lost an hour or more.  (and this was out in the countryside far from any busy exits!)

 

that area is a nightmare. I have in laws in central  Il.  that we visit. the "fastest" way would be toward Chicago and heading south.  We have sat  for hours in traffic many times (the worst was a 4 hour delay) Anyway we gave up last year and now have to drive via Indianapolis, while it add 70 miles to the trip it shaves off 3-4 hours. 

The "freedom of the open road" is a myth, at least anywhere around a major metro area.  I love how the auto makers still do TV adds showing their latest model speeding along some deserted highway at unreal speeds.  Seen anything like that anywhere near Ohio?

 

My favorite is the GM commercial showing their cars lifting up out of the stifling traffic congestion and "flying" above all the other stopped cars. I need to videotape that commercial for posterity, and to remember it for the ridiculous lengths the automakers are willing to go to convince people that, even when stuck in a horrific traffic jam, they are still free.

nice summary of megabus as well as the info about their new routes

 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/03/20/cheap.bus.ap/index.html

I saw a Megabus on the Ohio Turnpike west of Toledo on my way home to Ohio last week and then  on the return trip this past Sunday I passed one near I-69 in Indiana...............they are so tacky looking...........but heck, I may try it someday :)

"The bus is economical but there's just nothing more liberating than taking a nice car on a long road trip."

 

Okay, if we're talking a leisurely scenic drive through some majestic national park, I could see that. But the areas in question are usually nothing but flat (or flat-ish) fields of corn. I think that's more mind-numbing than liberating. And as others have said - sitting in congested traffic, or dealing with 80mph bumper-to-bumper maniacs is hardly some idyllic adventure via the auto.

Megabus sets run to Columbus

March 29, 2007 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

 

A low-cost bus service that made its debut in Cincinnati this past year has added a route to Columbus.  Beginning April 2, Megabus is expanding its Midwestern reach to five more cities, the company said in a news release.  That includes a direct route between Cincinnati and Columbus, as well as service to Ann Arbor, Mich.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville; and Pittsburgh.

 

Megabus also operates a direct route from Cincinnati to Chicago, with a stop in Indianapolis.  Passengers can connect to 13 Midwestern cities from Megabus' hub at Union Station in Chicago.  Megabus has a unique pricing system in which customers buy tickets online at www.megabus.com.  Prices start at $1 per trip; the closer to the departure date the trip is booked, the higher the price.

 

The bus stops daily at Fourth and Race streets, and Seventh and Vine streets in downtown Cincinnati.  On the Columbus route, it will arrive at Ohio State University's McCorkle Aquatics Center and the COTA Express Transit Terminal.  Megabus is operated by Coach USA, which is part of the United Kingdom-based Stagecoach Group.  It also offers routes from Chicago to Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St, Louis and Toledo.

 

MORE: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/03/26/daily49.html

They are probably focused on the "Chinese Buses" more than Megabus.  This Chinese bus system sprung up to move Chinese restaurant employees around the country.  -Boreal

 

ADVOCATES TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS ON SAFETY OF CURBSIDE MOTORCOACHES

Safety Group Calls for Report to Congress on Maverick Buses and

Urges Dramatic Improvements in Weak Federal Agency Oversight

 

Washington, D.C. -- Jacqueline S. Gillan, Vice President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), testified today before the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit, and Pipelines, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives, on the safety of what are called "curbside" buses.

 

This is a relatively new transportation phenomenon of bargain-fare, inter-city motorcoaches that pick up and discharge passengers on urban, downtown street corners instead of bus terminals. While curbside buses are subject to federal regulation, and their drivers must have a commercial drivers license (CDL) with a special bus endorsement, they have gained a reputation for sub-standard vehicle and traffic safety practices. Some operators do not even have federal registration.

 

Gillan testified that little is known about curbside motorcoach operations, including how many companies are evading federal and state safety requirements, and how much oversight the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the states conduct, especially regarding dangers associated with their operation. "At the top of our list of recommendations," she said, "is for this committee to require a detailed oversight report on curbside motorcoach operating safety. The federal government should conduct an in-depth evaluation of these motorcoach operations to identify how many there are, how they successfully evade federal and state safety compliance and inspection, and what needs to be done to ensure a high level of public safety."

 

Her statement also criticized the lack of FMCSA oversight activity, including the absence of regular and thorough inspections and adequate bus driver training, and stated that the agency "suffers from major data deficiencies that limit identification of unsafe motorcoach carriers and drivers." Gillan emphasized that "Despite the widespread use of motorcoach transportation in our everyday lives, the public is completely in the dark about the safety of motorcoach operators because of chronic and continuing failures by the FMCSA to exercise its legal authority to regulate the safety of this industry."

 

"Both FMCSA and the states are failing to properly oversee and evaluate motorcoach safety at every level of analysis - company, driver, and vehicle," an irate Gillan continued. "It is unimaginable that this kind of government dereliction of public safety assurance and oversight would be tolerated for commercial airline travel."

 

Citing several examples of severe motor coach crashes in recent years and state data deficiencies, Advocates' testimony ended with additional recommendations (besides the report to Congress): Require stringent state bus inspection programs; upgrade safety data reporting; increase compliance reviews; improve testing requirements on the knowledge and skills needed to operate a motorcoach; and require behind-the-wheel training.

 

A complete copy of the testimony is available on Advocates' website: www.saferoads.org

 

 

###

 

For further information, contact Jeremy Gunderson, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety,

202-408-1711 or [email protected]

http://www.saferoads.org/press/press2006/CurbsideBusPressRelease030206.htm

yeah these independent busses are something  else . there is one in ChinaTown in NY, that goes to Boston, no stops for around 8.  I think Megabus is a little different. I may be trying it out in June, esp if these gas prices stay the way they are!

Been in China for the past 6 months and I rode these type of buses all the time connecting cities and they are typically sub American standard but they still work really well.

From the 7/15/07 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette:

 

Megabus offers cheap trips around the Midwest

By NIKKI G. BANNISTER

The Eagle-Gazette Staff

 

COLUMBUS - Intercity bus company Megabus is reaching out to central Ohio for a second time, offering cheap service with faster travel times throughout Midwestern cities.  "I think it's about time," said Joni Goldberg, of Blacklick.  "With the gas prices the way they are, the ordinary person would be able to travel."

 

Megabus began in April 2006 and initially had service from Columbus.  However, executives did not see a demand from central Ohio as its other bus stops, so Megabus discontinued service.  A recent jump in interest prompted the bus company to start service again from Columbus this past April.  According to Megabus executives, starting the Columbus service again was a good move.

 

"Within the first eight weeks, we didn't see the demand that we saw in the rest of the cities," said Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer of Megabus.  "It wasn't until after we discontinued the service that we began seeing more inquiries. We heard enough outcry to revamp it and put more marketing dollars into it."

 

MORE: http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070715/NEWS01/707150312/1002/rss01

 

I took the Hound from Cleveland to Columbus and Back on Fri/Sat.  On the way down, they put us in a Lakefront Lines coach.  I heard the driver at one point say something about how Greyhound sub-contracts with them sometimes, but I couldn't here the details.  It also sounded like she was saying that Lakefront was looking to expand some of their common carrier services, but I'm not sure.

 

Anyone have any details on any of this?

 

 

I haven't heard, but if there are any changes, they would be posted among all of Lakefront's routes and schedules. They are posted at: http://www.lakefrontlines.com/

 

 

Megabus.com

Cheap seats luring riders

Double-deck buses to serve Columbus

Thursday, September 6, 2007

By Paul Wilson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

It looks like megabus.com's second try in central Ohio is working out a lot better than its first attempt.  Columbus is one of several cities where the discount bus company will start using double-decker vehicles in the next few months.  The extra seats will help handle increasing numbers of passengers for megabus.com, which sells tickets for as little as $1.

 

From Columbus, passengers can travel to Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.  The company also serves customers in other Midwest cities and recently added routes serving the Los Angeles area.  Megabus.com came to Columbus in 2006 but left after two months as fewer passengers than expected used the service.

 

"Business has been better the second time around," said Dale Moser, megabus.com's president and chief operating officer.  "We're pleased to be back in the Columbus market."  Business in Columbus has improved about 50 percent this year compared with last year, he said.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2007/09/06/megabus.ART_ART_09-06-07_C12_U97QQA6.html?sid=101

If Megabus starts offering more service to other areas they will clean the clock of the miserable excuse for a bus service that Greyhound is.  I was waiting in the Atlanta Greyhound station over the weekend and people waiting for the bus to Cincy, Cbus, and Cleveland were talking about how Megabus is much better than the crappy Greyhound service.  I’m glad that at least Midwest travelers at least have another option.

I agree. For the most part, it's a better-run service. They still do stupid stuff, like not training bus drivers how to find the bus stops (they don't offer stations), or some drivers not helping load/unload luggage, or leaving passengers behind at en route food/bathroom stops. But it does attract a more middle-class clientele since all reservations are made and paid via the Internet.

Isn't Greyhound's big problem that it is required to stop at every podunk town, thus making it incredibly slow and costly?

Who requires Greyhound to do that?

I thought Congress.  It's quasi public isn't it?

Megabus.com is dropping service to Louisville and adding another stop to Cincinnati! It must be doing quite well. From Cincinnati, you can go to Chicago, Indy and CBus.

I thought Congress.  It's quasi public isn't it?

 

No, it's owned by Laidlaw International, which was (is?) a stockholder-owned corporation. Earlier this year, Laidlaw was bought by FirstGroup, Britain's largest public transportation company (bus and rail).

I thought Congress.  It's quasi public isn't it?

 

No, it's owned by Laidlaw International, which was (is?) a stockholder-owned corporation. Earlier this year, Laidlaw was bought by FirstGroup, Britain's largest public transportation company (bus and rail).

 

Which if I remember correctly, is a Cincinnati company.  BLIZ-OW!

Wow.  Cincinnati can claim Greyhound.  You go!

 

Anyways, thanks for the correction KJP.

Wow.  Cincinnati can claim Greyhound.  You go!

 

Anyways, thanks for the correction KJP.

 

Actually, Greyhound USA's offices are in Dallas. Greyhound Canada's offices are in Calgary.

Megabus To Bring Bigger Buses To Cincinnati

September 7, 2007 | YAHOO NEWS

 

CINCINNATI - Starting next year, Megabus passengers from Cincinnati will have an even bigger bus to ride.  The company has purchased 17 wheelchair-accessible double-decker buses and will integrate them into already scheduled routes beginning later this month.  The new buses will hold 78 passengers.  The Cincinnati route is expected to include some of these buses next year.

 

"Megabus.com strives to introduce new concepts in intercity, express bus travel in the United States," said Dale Moser, president for Megabus.com in a news release.  "The double-decker buses megabus.com operates in the UK have been a huge hit with customers."

 

The new buses reduce the overall height one might expect from such a bus by putting luggage storage in the back, rather than under the bus.  The bus company has enjoyed some popularity since its start in 2006 by offering ticket prices as low as $1 one way.

Has anybody spotted Dave Mustiane on a MEGABUS? I think Megadeth could do something with this considering that the band was conceptualized during Mustiane's long bus ride from NY to LA after being kicked out of Metallica.

I don't know if Megabus would like the association with Megadeth!

I wouldn't think so either, especially after a friend of mine in Chicago had a couple of bad experiences on Megabus, I started calling it Megadeth whenever he or I brought up the subject .

ok .what happened? I have been recommending this thing like crazy, and am hoping to ride myself one day

Yeah, my buddy's brother took it to Chicago and came back calling it the Megabust. I guess the experience was what you'd expect for $10.

ok .what happened? I have been recommending this thing like crazy, and am hoping to ride myself one day

 

He says it's gotten better the last few times he's used it. But early on he experienced:

 

> the heat wasn't on in the bus in winter (he could see his breath inside);

> the driver was listening to music and singing;

> on the overnight run from Chicago, some fellow passengers talked on their cell phones almost the entire time;

> buses broke down on the highway on a couple of trips;

> the driver left him behind at a service plaza on the Indiana Turnpike, but my friend chased down the bus on the other side of a looping driveway;

 

Those are the ones I recall.

Megabus goes supersize

Service adding double-deckers

BY MARGARET A. MCGURK | [email protected]

 

A popular discount long-distance bus service will soon be able to carry 40 percent more passengers on each of its three daily trips to Chicago.  Megabus will begin running double-decker coaches on its Cincinnati routes in January.  The company launches its first U.S. two-story bus today from Chicago to Minneapolis.  The new buses can hold 79 passengers, 23 more than the 56 that can fit onto the regular coaches now in use.

 

Megabus sells advance tickets from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, Chicago and Columbus for as little as $1 each way.  Prices rise as the departure date nears.  The highest one-way price to Chicago is $35.  Tickets are available online only.

 

President and chief operating officer Dale Moser said the company carried between 40,000 and 45,000 passengers to or from Cincinnati in the past year.

 

MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070907/BIZ01/709070344/1076/BIZ

ok .what happened? I have been recommending this thing like crazy, and am hoping to ride myself one day

 

He says it's gotten better the last few times he's used it. But early on he experienced:

 

> the heat wasn't on in the bus in winter (he could see his breath inside);

> the driver was listening to music and singing;

> on the overnight run from Chicago, some fellow passengers talked on their cell phones almost the entire time;

> buses broke down on the highway on a couple of trips;

> the driver left him behind at a service plaza on the Indiana Turnpike, but my friend chased down the bus on the other side of a looping driveway;

 

Those are the ones I recall.

other than the breakdowns, it still not sounding worse than driving or flying. which both stink too. leaving your friend at the service plaza is almost comical, esp since it turned out ok

I remember having to schlep back-'n-forth to college on Greyhound on dirty buses packed with noisy people and crying babies and said NEVER AGAIN!... I'm intrigued by Megabus and will probably try them out sometimes; sounds like the buses are high quality.  Shoot, they really catch my eye when I see the big blue, fancy, state-of-the-art things tooling around downtown Cleveland streets ... Until we can get Amtrak's Ohio Hub up and running (pro'ly a decade away, at least), I think Megabus.com has a nice little thing going on, and is worth checking out.

>Isn't Greyhound's big problem that it is required to stop at every podunk town, thus making it incredibly slow and costly?

 

No, in fact most Greyhound routes are more or less express because the company has cut back on those types of routes.  If you've ridden Greyhound more than 3 or 4 times you get used to the nonsense and it's usually not bad at all on short trips.  I've taken a few 20+ hour bus trips with 6 hour layovers and it definitely sucks.  The worst is that seemingly every locker in every station is broken so if you're by yourself you have to carry your stuff around if you want to go for a walk.   

 

I checked Megabus and am I correct in seeing that they only have one bus per day and that it's at like 4am?  That's what I'm seeing on the website although I've seen the Megabus in action in Columbus during the daytime.  Maybe this is the Indianapolis bus.  The prices are cheap as hell, obviously, with the potential to buy 10 round trip bus fares for $20 or $30.  But I don't think those arrival and departure times will work at all.  Leaving Cincinnati at 4:35am to arrive in Columbus at 7am means the whole next day is wasted sleeping. 

 

 

I checked Megabus and am I correct in seeing that they only have one bus per day and that it's at like 4am?  That's what I'm seeing on the website ....  But I don't think those arrival and departure times will work at all.  Leaving Cincinnati at 4:35am to arrive in Columbus at 7am means the whole next day is wasted sleeping. 

I checked trips on Oct 26 and still only found one night bus in each direction.  I was thinking the near-term trips were sold out already. :shrug:

Megabus extends booking time

October 26, 2007 | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

 

Megabus.com, an express bus service that offers $1 tickets on every trip, is extending booking on its Web site for travel through Jan. 6.

 

In the past, customers could book tickets just 45 days in advance. Megabus.com offers service between Chicago and 12 other Midwest cities, including Ann Arbor, Mich.; Bloomington- Normal, Ill.; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Mo.; Minneapolis; Milwaukee; St. Louis; and Toledo, Ohio.

 

Prices depend on how early customers book and the demand on each trip. Booking for megabus.com travel is done solely via the Internet at www.megabus.com.