Update: the bus exploded
February 21, 2016 3:20 PM Subscribe
New York Times' Frugal Traveler columnist Lucas Peterson was frugal travelin' on a Megabus from Chicago to Milwaukee (average fare $10) today when the coach burst into flames. He livetweeted the entire ordeal.
No one was injured, but many passengers lost their luggage — later learning the company only claims liability for up to $250 in damages. One passenger says he was in the process of moving cities, and lost most of his possessions, as well as his birth certificate and credit cards. Another says she lost around $1,700 worth of stuff, including her laptop.
Federal regulators currently only inspect curbside bus services once every three years. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced a few weeks ago that it is considering increasing that to an annual inspection — Megabus protested, claiming it already follows "the most stringent safety standards in the industry."
No one was injured, but many passengers lost their luggage — later learning the company only claims liability for up to $250 in damages. One passenger says he was in the process of moving cities, and lost most of his possessions, as well as his birth certificate and credit cards. Another says she lost around $1,700 worth of stuff, including her laptop.
Federal regulators currently only inspect curbside bus services once every three years. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced a few weeks ago that it is considering increasing that to an annual inspection — Megabus protested, claiming it already follows "the most stringent safety standards in the industry."
Megabus protested, claiming it already follows "the most stringent safety standards in the industry."
(violent coughing)
When I saw this on Twitter I did a search trying to uncover a more substantive page about the story. I discover this isn't the first time it's happened, on camera no less.
posted by JHarris at 3:29 PM on February 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
(violent coughing)
When I saw this on Twitter I did a search trying to uncover a more substantive page about the story. I discover this isn't the first time it's happened, on camera no less.
posted by JHarris at 3:29 PM on February 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
They are reporting it right now on WGN in Chicago! Now that's the power of the intarwebs!
posted by Max Power at 3:31 PM on February 21, 2016
posted by Max Power at 3:31 PM on February 21, 2016
A few months ago, I was looking for cheap bus tickets from Boston to New York. I'd settled on Megabus and decided to do an image search to see what the seats looked like. Flaming buses; overturned buses; buses that looked like they'd been used to film scenes from a Jason Statham movie. The grinning mug of their bus driver mascot a charred deaths-head rising above the burned out remains of the back of the bus.
I paid about twice as much for tickets on a different carrier. No regrets!
posted by prewar lemonade at 3:48 PM on February 21, 2016 [13 favorites]
I paid about twice as much for tickets on a different carrier. No regrets!
posted by prewar lemonade at 3:48 PM on February 21, 2016 [13 favorites]
Isn't it cool how you can escape all liability by just saying the magic words "we are only liable for $250 [no matter how gross the negligence]"? Kind of reminds me of Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy.
posted by indubitable at 3:50 PM on February 21, 2016 [18 favorites]
posted by indubitable at 3:50 PM on February 21, 2016 [18 favorites]
There was a similar incident on a BoltBus on the Boston-New York route this spring, video here.
posted by mr vino at 3:52 PM on February 21, 2016
posted by mr vino at 3:52 PM on February 21, 2016
It seems like barely a month or two goes by here in Indiana that one of those Megabusses are involved in some calamity on one of our Interstates.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:57 PM on February 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 3:57 PM on February 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Isn't it cool how you can escape all liability by just saying the magic words "we are only liable for $250 [no matter how gross the negligence]"?
And you don't even have to worry about whether the flags have fringes or not...
posted by ennui.bz at 4:00 PM on February 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
And you don't even have to worry about whether the flags have fringes or not...
posted by ennui.bz at 4:00 PM on February 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
"The grinning mug of their bus driver mascot a charred deaths-head rising above the burned out remains of the back of the bus. "
Hertzog is Everywhere!
posted by djrock3k at 4:00 PM on February 21, 2016 [9 favorites]
Hertzog is Everywhere!
posted by djrock3k at 4:00 PM on February 21, 2016 [9 favorites]
I made the mistake of getting Megabus tickets for my family from New York to Philadelphia. They were really cheap. Here's what happened: 200 people standing there under a bridge at 11th Avenue, waiting for a bus that never came. No Megabus employee on-site, nobody you could contact, no way to find out whether the bus was ever coming. Eventually I had to shell out for the Amtrak. Yeah, it's the cheapest way to get from city to city, but looked at another way, it's a pretty expensive way to not get from city to city.
On the bright side, I guess now I know what happened to our bus.
posted by escabeche at 4:08 PM on February 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
On the bright side, I guess now I know what happened to our bus.
posted by escabeche at 4:08 PM on February 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
One of Frugal Traveler's tweets about passengers belongings getting incinerated on the bus:
"Darnell McKinney says he was moving STL to MIL and lost most of his possessions, SS & credit cards, birth certif."
I have some really bad news for McKinney about what's going to happen when he tries to cast his perfectly legal vote in Wisconsin.
posted by escabeche at 4:14 PM on February 21, 2016 [22 favorites]
"Darnell McKinney says he was moving STL to MIL and lost most of his possessions, SS & credit cards, birth certif."
I have some really bad news for McKinney about what's going to happen when he tries to cast his perfectly legal vote in Wisconsin.
posted by escabeche at 4:14 PM on February 21, 2016 [22 favorites]
eschabeche: that is exactly what I thought--last election, I was a volunteer with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under the Law doing election protection. I'm in Chicago, but they sent most of us to Wisconsin because Wisconsin is particularly bad for polling place shenanigans. That poor guy--for lots of reasons--but man.
posted by crush-onastick at 4:19 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by crush-onastick at 4:19 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
When I hear megabus actually went smoothly in its time table I'm surprised.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:35 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Here's the thing about Megabus and their claims of already following the most stringent safety standards/precautionary measures/inspection rules: they don't seem to be working. When their buses seem to stop exploding or getting into serious accidents on a regular basis, then we can talk about government over-regulation.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:37 PM on February 21, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:37 PM on February 21, 2016 [7 favorites]
Last time I rode Greyhound, I was transported into a terrifying hell dimension, so maybe Megabus does have the most stringent safety procedures after all.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:45 PM on February 21, 2016 [18 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:45 PM on February 21, 2016 [18 favorites]
Airlines offer similarly cheap reimbursements for bags. Which sucks because my carryon bag alone would cost $600 to replace. Not because I'm rich, but because I travel a lot on planes and in cars and to go camping/cabbining so sometimes my bag is riding in the back of pickups in the rain or snow. I replaced my suitcases every two to three years until I finally spent the money to get awesome luggage.
Filson. "Might as Well Have the Best." And after 10-15 years of travel with a Filson carry-on and a larger bag they don't even make anymore I have been perfectly happy. I would hate to lose those bags.
posted by ITravelMontana at 4:53 PM on February 21, 2016
Filson. "Might as Well Have the Best." And after 10-15 years of travel with a Filson carry-on and a larger bag they don't even make anymore I have been perfectly happy. I would hate to lose those bags.
posted by ITravelMontana at 4:53 PM on February 21, 2016
Megabus protested, claiming it already follows "the most stringent safety standards in the industry."
They may not be wrong.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 4:55 PM on February 21, 2016 [23 favorites]
They may not be wrong.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 4:55 PM on February 21, 2016 [23 favorites]
Is this where I can talk about being on a charter bus from France to Scotland for 40 hours?
It was crowded. Long. A lot of people were obnoxiously intoxicated. And whomever was controlling the VCR **loved** slasher flicks.
And then the other bus broke down. And caught fire. And everybody piled onto our bus because we couldnt exactly just leave them stranded in the French countryside.
When we got to British customs, I seriously thought that the rest of the bus were going to murder me (Saw V was playing) when they found out that I was the only non-Briton on board, thus forcing the bus through passport control (which is an insane policy in its own right).
Buses are great in cities. A civilized society should not force its people to sit on a bus for more than an hour.
posted by schmod at 5:09 PM on February 21, 2016 [18 favorites]
It was crowded. Long. A lot of people were obnoxiously intoxicated. And whomever was controlling the VCR **loved** slasher flicks.
And then the other bus broke down. And caught fire. And everybody piled onto our bus because we couldnt exactly just leave them stranded in the French countryside.
When we got to British customs, I seriously thought that the rest of the bus were going to murder me (Saw V was playing) when they found out that I was the only non-Briton on board, thus forcing the bus through passport control (which is an insane policy in its own right).
Buses are great in cities. A civilized society should not force its people to sit on a bus for more than an hour.
posted by schmod at 5:09 PM on February 21, 2016 [18 favorites]
A civilized society should not force its people to sit on a bus for more than an hour.
Surely in this case though, the only person that actually forced you was your own skinflint self?
If the journey is longer than two hours, no way in hell am I getting on any bus.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:18 PM on February 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
Surely in this case though, the only person that actually forced you was your own skinflint self?
If the journey is longer than two hours, no way in hell am I getting on any bus.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:18 PM on February 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
When Megabus started operations in Canada, they did a big push for their service between Montreal and Toronto which could be had for as little as one dollar (that said, it is usually more, but still about half Greyhound's rates). I wondered how Greyhound Canada would deal with the competition. It turned out "by abandoning the field" -- there is no longer a direct Greyhound service between the two biggest cities in the country, some five hours apart by road. Ah.
As pointed out above, they do not have kiosks or counters or anything and as far as I can determine are a purely online operation here. They also -- last time I looked at their website, anyway -- maintain a European-style calendar where the week runs Monday through Sunday. If you are booking a trip for next Monday, let us say, you might well pull upgrade calendar and click on the second day of next week, this securing yourself a ticket for Tuesday instead. I have known more than one person who has inadvertently done this, and saving fifty bucks on a bus ticket is overbalanced by then having to pay three hundred for a same-day ticket on VIA Rail to get home in time to go to work the next day.
As there is no such thing as a ticket counter, you really have nowhere to go to appeal the decision. This may be a feature, not a bug.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:19 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
As pointed out above, they do not have kiosks or counters or anything and as far as I can determine are a purely online operation here. They also -- last time I looked at their website, anyway -- maintain a European-style calendar where the week runs Monday through Sunday. If you are booking a trip for next Monday, let us say, you might well pull upgrade calendar and click on the second day of next week, this securing yourself a ticket for Tuesday instead. I have known more than one person who has inadvertently done this, and saving fifty bucks on a bus ticket is overbalanced by then having to pay three hundred for a same-day ticket on VIA Rail to get home in time to go to work the next day.
As there is no such thing as a ticket counter, you really have nowhere to go to appeal the decision. This may be a feature, not a bug.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:19 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I often take Megabus between here and Toronto, or here and Montreal. I shell out the extra $5 for better seats and I don't really mind (I did not care for having to spend an extra 90 minutes on my birthday ride from Toronto to Kingston, while my husband waited at home with presents and a hot meal, but a sudden rainstorm happened and getting out of Toronto was difficult). I don't own a car anymore so I don't drive to any other major city because parking would be a hassle in its own right; Via Rail is only inexpensive if you catch it at the right time for when you need it, but Megabus is still a $100 cheaper anyway. Needs must as the devil drives for those of us who rely on urban transport.
posted by Kitteh at 5:31 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 5:31 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I want to know why the Megabus travelling from Chicago to Minneapolis was on southbound 41. (Heck, they usually don't even take 41. But maybe they finally realised you can bypass the tolls going that way.)
If the journey is longer than two hours, no way in hell am I getting on any bus.
The number of people buying Megabus tickets because they're afraid of flying is dwarfed by the people who travel by Megabus because can't afford a plane ticket or a car.
posted by hoyland at 5:38 PM on February 21, 2016 [34 favorites]
If the journey is longer than two hours, no way in hell am I getting on any bus.
The number of people buying Megabus tickets because they're afraid of flying is dwarfed by the people who travel by Megabus because can't afford a plane ticket or a car.
posted by hoyland at 5:38 PM on February 21, 2016 [34 favorites]
Let's not throw the entire long-distance bus industry in the trash. It gets better than Megabus -- I travel between Madison and Chicago all the time and would never bother to drive, when I can take the cheap, comfortable, sometimes wi-fi enabled, always on time Van Galder bus.
On the other hand, the last time I needed to go to Urbana, I took the LEX bus; two weeks later the entire company was shut down by the federal government for repeated unaddressed safety violations.
posted by escabeche at 5:39 PM on February 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
On the other hand, the last time I needed to go to Urbana, I took the LEX bus; two weeks later the entire company was shut down by the federal government for repeated unaddressed safety violations.
posted by escabeche at 5:39 PM on February 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
Surely in this case though, the only person that actually forced you was your own skinflint self?
TYPED WITH GRITTED TEETH: Not everyone can afford to travel otherwise.
posted by JHarris at 6:01 PM on February 21, 2016 [88 favorites]
TYPED WITH GRITTED TEETH: Not everyone can afford to travel otherwise.
posted by JHarris at 6:01 PM on February 21, 2016 [88 favorites]
?not particularly surprised?
I had been taking the Chinatown bus NYC-Boston for over a decade, and these stories are fairly common (thankfully not personally, but I have been on a Fung Wah bus that passed another one of theirs, engine on fire on the side of the road, all passengers stranded outside.)
the last few years I don't have any experience with that, although I have seen plenty of Bolt and Mega buses in Boston South Station - seems like the new(er) popular/cheap/haven't-been-sued-quite-enough - I was hoping their service was better.
(these days I take Bonanza/PeterPan from $my_random_island to Boston, and it is not inexpensive but their schedules are ok and there is actual-quality)
the Chinese bus companies were forced (I think mostly by complaint of the "legitimate" bus companies) to move from Boston-Chinatown side streets, to South Station. I think they still get away with moving around random Manhattan side streets, though - it was always entertaining to try to find the bus. the price hasn't been too unduly influenced.
the most recent connections I've had were Boston->NYC->Atlantic City. and honestly it was the AC connections that were the absolute worst - Academy and Greyhound. maybe ages-older or more historical/traditional, but just truly, simply, awful.
posted by dorian at 6:23 PM on February 21, 2016
I had been taking the Chinatown bus NYC-Boston for over a decade, and these stories are fairly common (thankfully not personally, but I have been on a Fung Wah bus that passed another one of theirs, engine on fire on the side of the road, all passengers stranded outside.)
the last few years I don't have any experience with that, although I have seen plenty of Bolt and Mega buses in Boston South Station - seems like the new(er) popular/cheap/haven't-been-sued-quite-enough - I was hoping their service was better.
(these days I take Bonanza/PeterPan from $my_random_island to Boston, and it is not inexpensive but their schedules are ok and there is actual-quality)
the Chinese bus companies were forced (I think mostly by complaint of the "legitimate" bus companies) to move from Boston-Chinatown side streets, to South Station. I think they still get away with moving around random Manhattan side streets, though - it was always entertaining to try to find the bus. the price hasn't been too unduly influenced.
the most recent connections I've had were Boston->NYC->Atlantic City. and honestly it was the AC connections that were the absolute worst - Academy and Greyhound. maybe ages-older or more historical/traditional, but just truly, simply, awful.
posted by dorian at 6:23 PM on February 21, 2016
I have some really bad news for McKinney about what's going to happen when he tries to cast his perfectly legal vote in Wisconsin.
actually you have to be a resident for 28 days anyway
posted by desjardins at 6:38 PM on February 21, 2016
actually you have to be a resident for 28 days anyway
posted by desjardins at 6:38 PM on February 21, 2016
hoyland: I want to know why the Megabus travelling from Chicago to Minneapolis was on southbound 41
I've Megabussed from Minneapolis to Milwaukee/Chicago a few times. Once the driver just didn't stop in downtown Milwaukee and then dropped me off at a random Park & Ride on the south side. Another time a driver missed the 94 exit in Madison and headed south for a good 10 minutes before someone said something. This seems like stuff someone you hire to drive a bus from Minneapolis to Chicago should know...
To be fair, I did have one driver that screened a bootleg copy of Taken before it was in theaters, but that doesn't make up for the one that a played a Mariah Carey greatest hits CD front-to-back three times in a row.
posted by substars at 6:39 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've Megabussed from Minneapolis to Milwaukee/Chicago a few times. Once the driver just didn't stop in downtown Milwaukee and then dropped me off at a random Park & Ride on the south side. Another time a driver missed the 94 exit in Madison and headed south for a good 10 minutes before someone said something. This seems like stuff someone you hire to drive a bus from Minneapolis to Chicago should know...
To be fair, I did have one driver that screened a bootleg copy of Taken before it was in theaters, but that doesn't make up for the one that a played a Mariah Carey greatest hits CD front-to-back three times in a row.
posted by substars at 6:39 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
ricochet biscuit: They also -- last time I looked at their website, anyway -- maintain a European-style calendar where the week runs Monday through Sunday. ... As there is no such thing as a ticket counter, you really have nowhere to go to appeal the decision. This may be a feature, not a bug.
The European-style of calendar originates from Megabus having started in Europe and being owned by the same company. Still, you'd think they could pseudo-localize their site...
The no-counter thing seems to be a common trait of cut-rate intercity bus services. Up here in Seattle, Greyhound-subsidary BoltBus picks up passengers from outside the International District light rail station, a couple of blocks away from Amtrak. That wouldn't be a big thing except that roughly half the time I've seen them—my trip to work has me walking past the place they stop four days a week—the BoltBus is backed up into the King County Metro / Sound Transit bus stop and there are so many people crowded around the BoltBus that wheelchair-using passengers from public transit have an "interesting" time getting off the transit bus.
It usually goes that the BoltBus rolls up to a huge mass of people standing right on the curb. One person, the driver, gets off to check tickets, load baggage, and negotiate seats. Once all of the self-loading cargo (the passengers) are onboard, the driver sighs, climbs back aboard, and drives off.
posted by fireoyster at 6:43 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
The European-style of calendar originates from Megabus having started in Europe and being owned by the same company. Still, you'd think they could pseudo-localize their site...
The no-counter thing seems to be a common trait of cut-rate intercity bus services. Up here in Seattle, Greyhound-subsidary BoltBus picks up passengers from outside the International District light rail station, a couple of blocks away from Amtrak. That wouldn't be a big thing except that roughly half the time I've seen them—my trip to work has me walking past the place they stop four days a week—the BoltBus is backed up into the King County Metro / Sound Transit bus stop and there are so many people crowded around the BoltBus that wheelchair-using passengers from public transit have an "interesting" time getting off the transit bus.
It usually goes that the BoltBus rolls up to a huge mass of people standing right on the curb. One person, the driver, gets off to check tickets, load baggage, and negotiate seats. Once all of the self-loading cargo (the passengers) are onboard, the driver sighs, climbs back aboard, and drives off.
posted by fireoyster at 6:43 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have some really bad news for McKinney about what's going to happen when he tries to cast his perfectly legal vote in Wisconsin.
So much for the all-important exploding bus voting bloc.
posted by dr_dank at 6:53 PM on February 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
So much for the all-important exploding bus voting bloc.
posted by dr_dank at 6:53 PM on February 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
actually you have to be a resident for 28 days anyway
Isn't the Wisconsin primary on April 5th?
posted by the agents of KAOS at 6:57 PM on February 21, 2016
Isn't the Wisconsin primary on April 5th?
posted by the agents of KAOS at 6:57 PM on February 21, 2016
The low cost bus services, starting with the Chinatown buses, seems to have built their business model on buying buses, squeezing them for every last penny until the buses were no longer safe to drive, and then chalking it up to, "well, we had a good run" when they get shut down by inspectors.
In any case, if any of you have been to Turkey, you have experienced a well connected inter-city bus service that can get you to anywhere else in the country whenever you want. Think about that for a moment: Turkey has a much for efficient, comfortable, and timely bus service than the US and Canada and can even out compete our abysmal train system.
posted by deanc at 6:58 PM on February 21, 2016 [8 favorites]
In any case, if any of you have been to Turkey, you have experienced a well connected inter-city bus service that can get you to anywhere else in the country whenever you want. Think about that for a moment: Turkey has a much for efficient, comfortable, and timely bus service than the US and Canada and can even out compete our abysmal train system.
posted by deanc at 6:58 PM on February 21, 2016 [8 favorites]
can even out compete our abysmal train system.
Damning with faint praise indeed.
Long haul bus service in Europe seems to be more-or-less OK. Friends were able to visit me cheaply and without too much hassle from all over the damned place, though I was never brave enough to try it myself. I'm a frequent customer of the cheapo Chinatown Boston<>NYC line myself, but yeah, I'm aware that the buses are held together with hope and the drivers are on meth and the whole thing could fly apart at any moment. I don't know who (if anyone) Lucky Star would send if an entire busload of passengers were stranded in Fairfield, CT. I suspect we'd all have to hitch, I haven't noticed that there's any extra capacity there.
posted by 1adam12 at 7:05 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Damning with faint praise indeed.
Long haul bus service in Europe seems to be more-or-less OK. Friends were able to visit me cheaply and without too much hassle from all over the damned place, though I was never brave enough to try it myself. I'm a frequent customer of the cheapo Chinatown Boston<>NYC line myself, but yeah, I'm aware that the buses are held together with hope and the drivers are on meth and the whole thing could fly apart at any moment. I don't know who (if anyone) Lucky Star would send if an entire busload of passengers were stranded in Fairfield, CT. I suspect we'd all have to hitch, I haven't noticed that there's any extra capacity there.
posted by 1adam12 at 7:05 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I want to know why the Megabus travelling from Chicago to Minneapolis was on southbound 41. (Heck, they usually don't even take 41. But maybe they finally realised you can bypass the tolls going that way.)
If I'm not mistaken, they were driving back to replace the bus.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:20 PM on February 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
If I'm not mistaken, they were driving back to replace the bus.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:20 PM on February 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Another time a driver missed the 94 exit in Madison and headed south for a good 10 minutes before someone said something.
True. One time we got back on 94 going to wrong way after the truck stop in Mauston.
I will advise against the overnight Megabus if at all possible. In many ways it's the best Chicago-Minneapolis schedule, but one time it was really obvious the driver was falling asleep. (Same probably goes for overnight Greyhound, too, but I have a little more hope they won't let one person drive eight hours overnight.)
It gets better than Megabus -- I travel between Madison and Chicago all the time and would never bother to drive, when I can take the cheap, comfortable, sometimes wi-fi enabled, always on time Van Galder bus.
I swear Van Galder actually operates the Chicago-Minneapolis Megabus route.
posted by hoyland at 7:24 PM on February 21, 2016
True. One time we got back on 94 going to wrong way after the truck stop in Mauston.
I will advise against the overnight Megabus if at all possible. In many ways it's the best Chicago-Minneapolis schedule, but one time it was really obvious the driver was falling asleep. (Same probably goes for overnight Greyhound, too, but I have a little more hope they won't let one person drive eight hours overnight.)
It gets better than Megabus -- I travel between Madison and Chicago all the time and would never bother to drive, when I can take the cheap, comfortable, sometimes wi-fi enabled, always on time Van Galder bus.
I swear Van Galder actually operates the Chicago-Minneapolis Megabus route.
posted by hoyland at 7:24 PM on February 21, 2016
Escabeche brings up some bad memories of being a student in Champaign-Urbana and going back home to the Chicago Suburbs. Not having a car, you had a few very bad choices. Amtrak, which would be delayed from 2-6 hours every single time because freight trains have priorities on the rails. And Suburban Express which for a long time being one of the extremely few choices didn't exactly have great customer service. There was also LEX which was horrible. And Greyhound which was very very horrible. When Megabus started it was at least not trying to scam you and not delayed more than an hour or so, so it really made things "better." In fact at the time I thought it was pretty luxurious.
Why is American bus service so awful? I have to think it's a combo of culture and regulation. I've had very positive experiences with buses in Europe. I'd say a start on improving Megabus is removing the TVs and abilities of the drivers to play music entirely. Also the government making a bit of effort to make sure they don't explode.
posted by melissam at 7:31 PM on February 21, 2016 [7 favorites]
Why is American bus service so awful? I have to think it's a combo of culture and regulation. I've had very positive experiences with buses in Europe. I'd say a start on improving Megabus is removing the TVs and abilities of the drivers to play music entirely. Also the government making a bit of effort to make sure they don't explode.
posted by melissam at 7:31 PM on February 21, 2016 [7 favorites]
I swear Van Galder actually operates the Chicago-Minneapolis Megabus route.
My understanding is that when Megabus doesn't have an actual Megabus available, they have a subcontracting deal with Van Galder allowing passengers to use their Megabus ticket to ride the Van Galder, except they don't actually tell the passengers this so the passengers miss their bus.
posted by escabeche at 7:35 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
My understanding is that when Megabus doesn't have an actual Megabus available, they have a subcontracting deal with Van Galder allowing passengers to use their Megabus ticket to ride the Van Galder, except they don't actually tell the passengers this so the passengers miss their bus.
posted by escabeche at 7:35 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I had better rides on buses through the Andes in Peru than I had on a Megabus through the South. They played Million Dollar Baby with a fantastic Spanish dub and got us to our destination only about 45 minutes late. We also had seats that reclined and cleaner restrooms than most hostels I stayed at in South America.
The Megabus I took was only a moderate improvement on my Greyhound experiences. There were food wrappers from previous trips and spilled drinks all over the floor. The bathrooms were filthy and smelled and for one trip some poor kid was sleeping on the floor in front of it because they had overbooked the bus. One woman told me she had been trying to get on a bus for 3 days and they had all been too crowded. Granted, it was Thanksgiving so of course it was bad, but it was definitely one of the most miserable travel experiences I have had. At lease we made it unsinged.
posted by arachnidette at 7:36 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Megabus I took was only a moderate improvement on my Greyhound experiences. There were food wrappers from previous trips and spilled drinks all over the floor. The bathrooms were filthy and smelled and for one trip some poor kid was sleeping on the floor in front of it because they had overbooked the bus. One woman told me she had been trying to get on a bus for 3 days and they had all been too crowded. Granted, it was Thanksgiving so of course it was bad, but it was definitely one of the most miserable travel experiences I have had. At lease we made it unsinged.
posted by arachnidette at 7:36 PM on February 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I used to take Greyhound everywhere when I was a student in college visiting family. If you're not a poor college student or other kind of poor person visiting family, you were typically taking the bus because you're running from one desperate situation or another - usually poverty and impending homelessness, but sometimes much worse - and all you literally have is what's in that thrift-store duffle bag stowed in the belly of the bus. As bad as that thought is, now think, "our baby formula and diapers and favorite toys and photo albums were in there."
This wasn't funny for me, at all, and I'm happy Peterson covered why.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:38 PM on February 21, 2016 [15 favorites]
This wasn't funny for me, at all, and I'm happy Peterson covered why.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:38 PM on February 21, 2016 [15 favorites]
I dunno, I've always had good experiences with Megabus...the buses from LA-SF have tables, wifi and individual power outlets, the buses are clean, the drivers seem competant and the other passengers are all types, not just poor people or students. They stopped to replace the driver on the overnight bus in Cali, maybe due to state regulations. You just gotta have faith when you're waiting at the curb with no megabus employee in sight that you're in the right place and the bus will come.
posted by subdee at 7:47 PM on February 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by subdee at 7:47 PM on February 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Why is American bus service so awful?
Because not enough people in the American electorate or active power structures care the least bit about anyone who would ride a bus.
"If we gave a shit about you getting from A to B, you'd be driving a car."
posted by armoir from antproof case at 8:51 PM on February 21, 2016 [14 favorites]
Because not enough people in the American electorate or active power structures care the least bit about anyone who would ride a bus.
"If we gave a shit about you getting from A to B, you'd be driving a car."
posted by armoir from antproof case at 8:51 PM on February 21, 2016 [14 favorites]
I have taken Vamoose between the DC area and NYC many times over many years. It's always been a decent experience. It's not the cheapest, though -- $40-60 each way -- but it's cheaper than the train. (And where I've lived, it's been the best option to get to the pickup points.)
BoltBus seems OK. I've read enough terrible things about Megabus that I'll never do it.
I'm just glad I'm too broke to travel, really.
posted by darksong at 8:56 PM on February 21, 2016
BoltBus seems OK. I've read enough terrible things about Megabus that I'll never do it.
I'm just glad I'm too broke to travel, really.
posted by darksong at 8:56 PM on February 21, 2016
Why is American bus service so awful? I have to think it's a combo of culture and regulation. I've had very positive experiences with buses in Europe.
Buses in Europe have to compete with the trains there.
Buses in the States only have to compete with Amtrak.
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:58 PM on February 21, 2016 [8 favorites]
Buses in Europe have to compete with the trains there.
Buses in the States only have to compete with Amtrak.
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:58 PM on February 21, 2016 [8 favorites]
Isn't it cool how you can escape all liability by just saying the magic words "we are only liable for $250 [no matter how gross the negligence]"? Kind of reminds me of Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy.
You have the freedom to contract with a differnet bus service (of which there may be zero) just like you have the freedom to shop around for a different cable company (when Comcast is the monopoly in your area). Dollars to donuts there's a mandatory arbitration clause in there too.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:08 PM on February 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
You have the freedom to contract with a differnet bus service (of which there may be zero) just like you have the freedom to shop around for a different cable company (when Comcast is the monopoly in your area). Dollars to donuts there's a mandatory arbitration clause in there too.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:08 PM on February 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
I do Los Angeles to Bay Area trips frequently. I haven't had any real problems with Megabus although I prefer Bolt Bus. The majority of buses on Bolt Bus are less than half full which makes the trip much more comfortable. I did three or four Megabus trips on the east east coast a month ago and the experience was different. The buses were late and the stops were further from a convenient place to rest. On the other hand for the two days it took me to figure out google calendar had a time zone and that the time zone setting was confusing me the drivers let me ride on the wrong schedule without any hassle. For the dollar plus change you can't beat the buses. Amtrak on the other hand is comfortable, has dining cars, and is a complete fucking nightmare that I won't ever take again unless I have infinite amounts of time.
posted by rdr at 10:59 PM on February 21, 2016
posted by rdr at 10:59 PM on February 21, 2016
Back in the late 90s when I lived in Manchester as a student, the Magic Bus was a way to get anywhere along Oxford Road corridor (where all the student halls and University itself was) for 40p - or about half the price of any other bus. Of course, the buses were wheezing deathtraps that were rumoured to be rescued from scrap in other countries, but that extra 40p would get you half a pint in the Whitworth Park bar so it was worth the saving.
Later, these Magic Buses turned into Megabuses. It's nice to see the quality of service has remained the same as the business has expanded.
posted by parm at 2:07 AM on February 22, 2016
Later, these Magic Buses turned into Megabuses. It's nice to see the quality of service has remained the same as the business has expanded.
posted by parm at 2:07 AM on February 22, 2016
When Megabus started it was at least not trying to scam you and not delayed more than an hour or so, so it really made things "better."
Yes. For all the complaints now, the thing was incredible back in 2007-2008. They had a Chicago-Indianapolis route you could reserve tickets for! They had (okay, incredibly spotty) Wi-Fi service! Their buses didn't smell like cheap food all the time, and the college student to homeless person ratio made them feel reasonably safe.
Oh, and they stopped at Union Station (the same location as Van Galder), so I wasn't stuck trying to make it to the Greyhound station five or six blocks away at dusk.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 4:36 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yes. For all the complaints now, the thing was incredible back in 2007-2008. They had a Chicago-Indianapolis route you could reserve tickets for! They had (okay, incredibly spotty) Wi-Fi service! Their buses didn't smell like cheap food all the time, and the college student to homeless person ratio made them feel reasonably safe.
Oh, and they stopped at Union Station (the same location as Van Galder), so I wasn't stuck trying to make it to the Greyhound station five or six blocks away at dusk.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 4:36 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
This definitely beats my story about getting stranded by the side of the freeway in South Carolina after a state trooper pulled us over and discovered the bus driver didn't have a driver's license...
posted by the turtle's teeth at 5:10 AM on February 22, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by the turtle's teeth at 5:10 AM on February 22, 2016 [12 favorites]
Oh, and they stopped at Union Station (the same location as Van Galder), so I wasn't stuck trying to make it to the Greyhound station five or six blocks away at dusk.
They DID stop at Union Station until the folks who run Union Station (and maybe the CTA as well) noticed the same problem fireoyster mentioned happening in Seattle -- the big pile of people waiting for the Megabus got all clogged up with the masses of people waiting for a CTA bus. Eventually, they made Megabus move its stop a block south, on the other side of Jackson. It's basically on an overpass, and not a very well-lit one.
posted by devinemissk at 6:40 AM on February 22, 2016
They DID stop at Union Station until the folks who run Union Station (and maybe the CTA as well) noticed the same problem fireoyster mentioned happening in Seattle -- the big pile of people waiting for the Megabus got all clogged up with the masses of people waiting for a CTA bus. Eventually, they made Megabus move its stop a block south, on the other side of Jackson. It's basically on an overpass, and not a very well-lit one.
posted by devinemissk at 6:40 AM on February 22, 2016
I rode the Greyhound from San Francisco to Atlanta. 75 hours. I think we had a layover of about 6 hours once. This finished me, as a bus rider.
posted by thelonius at 9:25 AM on February 22, 2016
posted by thelonius at 9:25 AM on February 22, 2016
I rode the Greyhound from San Francisco to Atlanta. 75 hours. I think we had a layover of about 6 hours once. This finished me, as a bus rider.
Oh yeah. Buses are for intrastate and regional travel - anything under that and you're looking at city/urban ring level, in which case, why, hello there Uber! Anything over that and you need a train or a plane.
posted by eclectist at 9:46 AM on February 22, 2016
Wow, I must be having a really lucky discount bus travel decade or something. Once Megabus, Bolt Bus, and improved Greyhound came on the scene, I abandoned the Chinatown NYC/DC and NYC/Boston buses and never looked back. Aside from predictable delays due to traffic, I've never really had a bad experience. Before I left the US a year ago, I took these buses on average twice a year. Even when I went back for a visit at Christmas, my NYC to DC Megabus route was blessedly uneventful. I'm glad it never occurred to me to google exploding Megabuses (Megabus was my preferred company, with Greyhound coming in second and Bolt Bus in third) but am not sure what I'm going to do this summer when I visit again and want to hit the road to see my friends along the East Coast.
posted by LiliaNic at 10:27 AM on February 22, 2016
posted by LiliaNic at 10:27 AM on February 22, 2016
that extra 40p would get you half a pint in the Whitworth Park bar so it was worth the saving
Not literally. In 1996, a pint of Flower's would cost you £1.05 at The Grovel, and whatever lager they served was the same price. The Union had £1 pints, as did quite a few places in town, like the Flea & Firkin and Grand Central. But yeah, Magic Bus saved a bit of cash if you didn't have the time to walk. It was far preferable to the criminally badly run UK North buses that it matched in price. With both Magic Bus and the mainline Stagecoach operator, plus Finglands, Bee-Line* and Bluebird**, Oxford Road must've been one of the world's most contested service bus routes. You certainly felt it was that way from the cut-throat overtaking that was taking place. It was the rich world's counterpart of the matatus, dolmuşes and marshrutkas of countries with less infrastructure.
I've only been on a Megabus once. It was moderately comfortable, an overnight journey from Bristol to Glasgow in 2013. We got out at Cardiff, while they turned the seats into beds, and there was a spare seat across the aisle from my bed, so I stayed sitting in that until Birmingham, where they turned the lights off at about 2 am. I slept fitfully until 6:30ish, tweaked the curtain and looked out onto the M74 somewhere in Dumfries & Galloway. I was still fairly knackered at 8am when we got to Buchanan Street bus station and I met up with my parents, but I hung on gamely until early afternoon. It was dropping a pint of Guinness in the Wetherspoon's on George Square that made me realise that really, I shouldn't have been expecting to function after an overnight bus journey, bed or no bed.
*Who'd bought their buses from West Midlands Travel***, and cut their logo out from all the signage on the bus with a Stanley knife, but otherwise left it intact. Their slogan was "The Bee-Line Buzz Company", appropriately enough given that buzz is the Brummie pronunciation of bus.
**I remember this bus company mainly because of a vivid picture in my mind of one of their buses being driven off by a driver who was trying to fight off someone attempting to steal from the cashbox and to push them out of the door into the middle of the road. That bus stop by the McDonald's by Oxford Road station was lively past 10 o'clock on a Friday night.
***The other utterly unrefurbished since retirement West Midlands Travel bus I remember seeing was one in a more dilapidated condition in rural Donegal, by this time nearly 20 years old, running for Lough Swilly bus services.
posted by ambrosen at 12:53 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
Not literally. In 1996, a pint of Flower's would cost you £1.05 at The Grovel, and whatever lager they served was the same price. The Union had £1 pints, as did quite a few places in town, like the Flea & Firkin and Grand Central. But yeah, Magic Bus saved a bit of cash if you didn't have the time to walk. It was far preferable to the criminally badly run UK North buses that it matched in price. With both Magic Bus and the mainline Stagecoach operator, plus Finglands, Bee-Line* and Bluebird**, Oxford Road must've been one of the world's most contested service bus routes. You certainly felt it was that way from the cut-throat overtaking that was taking place. It was the rich world's counterpart of the matatus, dolmuşes and marshrutkas of countries with less infrastructure.
I've only been on a Megabus once. It was moderately comfortable, an overnight journey from Bristol to Glasgow in 2013. We got out at Cardiff, while they turned the seats into beds, and there was a spare seat across the aisle from my bed, so I stayed sitting in that until Birmingham, where they turned the lights off at about 2 am. I slept fitfully until 6:30ish, tweaked the curtain and looked out onto the M74 somewhere in Dumfries & Galloway. I was still fairly knackered at 8am when we got to Buchanan Street bus station and I met up with my parents, but I hung on gamely until early afternoon. It was dropping a pint of Guinness in the Wetherspoon's on George Square that made me realise that really, I shouldn't have been expecting to function after an overnight bus journey, bed or no bed.
*Who'd bought their buses from West Midlands Travel***, and cut their logo out from all the signage on the bus with a Stanley knife, but otherwise left it intact. Their slogan was "The Bee-Line Buzz Company", appropriately enough given that buzz is the Brummie pronunciation of bus.
**I remember this bus company mainly because of a vivid picture in my mind of one of their buses being driven off by a driver who was trying to fight off someone attempting to steal from the cashbox and to push them out of the door into the middle of the road. That bus stop by the McDonald's by Oxford Road station was lively past 10 o'clock on a Friday night.
***The other utterly unrefurbished since retirement West Midlands Travel bus I remember seeing was one in a more dilapidated condition in rural Donegal, by this time nearly 20 years old, running for Lough Swilly bus services.
posted by ambrosen at 12:53 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
Peterson has now written an article about the whole thing: "The Day My Megabus Caught Fire"
posted by retrograde at 5:41 PM on February 22, 2016
posted by retrograde at 5:41 PM on February 22, 2016
Chiming in with those that have had many fine-to-positive experiences*. I've easily ridden megabus and boltbus (slightly better because it isn't a double decker) ten time a year for the last 4-5 years. They're really really cheap, especially if you book ahead, and the company is usually a mix of perfectly pleasant people.
There's a better option, though: on the big intercity routes, find the one-step-up-from-megabus companies that typically only run to one or two cities. You can tell which companies those are because they're the ones that provide free water bottles (I swear, it's a test that hasn't failed me yet). For example, I like Bestbus on the NYC-DC route.
No way am I spending $80 for Amtrak when a $15-25 bus trip will get me there in the exact same amount of time.
*Except for the one time the tire fell off my megabus and rolled away across the freeway. Some alarming parts: 1. the driver didn't have a cell phone and 2. was he was caught in a phone tree - the normal 1-800 megabus phone tree - for >10 minutes while trying to reach corporate as we all sat on the side of the highway. Plus, 3. when he reached corporate they said they weren't sure if they were going to send a new bus or a repair crew. For a bus that had skidded to a stop without a tire. But, eh, they sent a replacement bus and I'm still alive to tell the story.
posted by R a c h e l at 6:34 PM on February 22, 2016
There's a better option, though: on the big intercity routes, find the one-step-up-from-megabus companies that typically only run to one or two cities. You can tell which companies those are because they're the ones that provide free water bottles (I swear, it's a test that hasn't failed me yet). For example, I like Bestbus on the NYC-DC route.
No way am I spending $80 for Amtrak when a $15-25 bus trip will get me there in the exact same amount of time.
*Except for the one time the tire fell off my megabus and rolled away across the freeway. Some alarming parts: 1. the driver didn't have a cell phone and 2. was he was caught in a phone tree - the normal 1-800 megabus phone tree - for >10 minutes while trying to reach corporate as we all sat on the side of the highway. Plus, 3. when he reached corporate they said they weren't sure if they were going to send a new bus or a repair crew. For a bus that had skidded to a stop without a tire. But, eh, they sent a replacement bus and I'm still alive to tell the story.
posted by R a c h e l at 6:34 PM on February 22, 2016
I am so glad that someone suggested they get off the bus! Sounds like it was a scary rush at the end, could've been way worse.
posted by kitten magic at 12:55 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by kitten magic at 12:55 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
I've ridden Bolt, Mega, Greyhould and Lucky Star on the NYC-Boston route. Bolt and Greyhound aren't bad, although don't sit too far back, the funky cleaning chemical they use on the lavatory smells weird. Mega, well, Mega got me to my SO's parents 3.5 hours late (going to DC this time) the first time I was going to meet them. It also just never felt as comfortable as Greyhound or Bolt.
With Lucky Star, you get what you pay for. You will (most likely) arrive at your city of choice. The ride will not be really any worse than any other, although never expect the WiFi to work.
posted by Hactar at 1:32 PM on February 23, 2016
With Lucky Star, you get what you pay for. You will (most likely) arrive at your city of choice. The ride will not be really any worse than any other, although never expect the WiFi to work.
posted by Hactar at 1:32 PM on February 23, 2016
Another time a driver missed the 94 exit in Madison and headed south for a good 10 minutes before someone said something. This seems like stuff someone you hire to drive a bus from Minneapolis to Chicago should know...
I once took a Peter Pan bus from Greenfield, MA, to Springfield. The driver didn't know where the bus station was in Springfield. He was hoping somebody on the bus would be a regular on the route and would know the way, but nobody did. Because of an interesting arrangement of streets in Springfield, we could see the bus station from time to time, far below us as we passed by on an elevated highway, but it wasn't at all clear how/whether it was possible to get there from where we were.
posted by not that girl at 3:19 PM on February 26, 2016
I once took a Peter Pan bus from Greenfield, MA, to Springfield. The driver didn't know where the bus station was in Springfield. He was hoping somebody on the bus would be a regular on the route and would know the way, but nobody did. Because of an interesting arrangement of streets in Springfield, we could see the bus station from time to time, far below us as we passed by on an elevated highway, but it wasn't at all clear how/whether it was possible to get there from where we were.
posted by not that girl at 3:19 PM on February 26, 2016
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posted by drlith at 3:24 PM on February 21, 2016 [27 favorites]