Megabus schedule

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Hi. I am going to take the LSL from Boston to Chicago and then wanted to take the Megabus from Chicago to Cincinnati later this summer. I keep checking the Megabus website to see if the schedue is up past mid-July and it isn't. Does anyone know why the schedule isn't released for a year out or even why it would stop mid-month? I am guessing it has something to do with travel trends...but that is just a guess.

Also would like to know how I can find out when the schedule past July will be up if anyone knows off hand. Otherwise, I can just call Megabus.

Thanks!

-- Jackie

 

[Trogdor]

Most likely it is because they can maintain the flexibility of changing their schedule without having to go through the trouble of contacting people who have already booked, and rebooking or refunding their money. Maintaining a system to do that costs money, and spending money on things is not part of Megabus's business plan.

 

[Anderson]

Most likely it is because they can maintain the flexibility of changing their schedule without having to go through the trouble of contacting people who have already booked, and rebooking or refunding their money. Maintaining a system to do that costs money, and spending money on things is not part of Megabus's business plan.

Intercity bus operations are something that my experience is limited with...could you elaborate on that remark a bit? i.e. Are they skimping on capital expenditures?

 

[jis]

Most likely it is because they can maintain the flexibility of changing their schedule without having to go through the trouble of contacting people who have already booked, and rebooking or refunding their money. Maintaining a system to do that costs money, and spending money on things is not part of Megabus's business plan.

Intercity bus operations are something that my experience is limited with...could you elaborate on that remark a bit? i.e. Are they skimping on capital expenditures?

You mean like using curbside pickup instead of using bus station facilities?

 

[Trogdor]

Most likely it is because they can maintain the flexibility of changing their schedule without having to go through the trouble of contacting people who have already booked, and rebooking or refunding their money. Maintaining a system to do that costs money, and spending money on things is not part of Megabus's business plan.

Intercity bus operations are something that my experience is limited with...could you elaborate on that remark a bit? i.e. Are they skimping on capital expenditures?

Not sure what you mean by "skimping on capital expenditures." Megabus is running a decent enough operation, but they are just doing it very low-cost by skipping what isn't needed for their business model.

Megabus probably does not employ a large call center full of folks. Stuff like that would be required to contact hundreds of people to tell them about a schedule change. Then there's the issue that if the new schedule doesn't work for people, Megabus would be on the hook for refunds, which probably has its own costs (banking charges and whatnot). Since they have apparently decided they don't need to make bookings available more than a couple of months in advance because they can still sell enough tickets in the smaller time frame, they avoid (or at least significantly minimize) the chance that some schedule change will occur after people have bought tickets.

 

[Anderson]

My understanding is that a lot of folks see the curbside pickup as a positive rather than a negative, and it's become fairly common thing among (non-Greyhound) bus operators. But that's a good point on them cutting a cost there.

As to "capital expenditures", I was thinking things like fleet replacement and maintenance...and my remark was more of a backhand at some of the dodgy "Chinatown" operators out there that probably aren't doing necessary maintenance on their buses (and that have been repeatedly caught using unlicensed drivers).

 

[AlanB]

My understanding is that a lot of folks see the curbside pickup as a positive rather than a negative, and it's become fairly common thing among (non-Greyhound) bus operators. But that's a good point on them cutting a cost there.

The problem with curbside pickups is that they're freeloading off of others, like when they used to pull up outside Amtrak's Chicago station and encourage their customers to use the Amtrak facilities. Amtrak gets stuck with the bill to clean up after those passengers who aren't riding Amtrak and paying any monies to Amtrak.

 

[Anderson]

My understanding is that a lot of folks see the curbside pickup as a positive rather than a negative, and it's become fairly common thing among (non-Greyhound) bus operators. But that's a good point on them cutting a cost there.

The problem with curbside pickups is that they're freeloading off of others, like when they used to pull up outside Amtrak's Chicago station and encourage their customers to use the Amtrak facilities. Amtrak gets stuck with the bill to clean up after those passengers who aren't riding Amtrak and paying any monies to Amtrak.

I'm wondering if anybody has gotten sufficiently peeved at this sort of (mis)behavior and kicked Megabus out yet.

 

[jebr]

As to why they stopped mid-month:

They probably stopped after the July 4 weekend was over, so that people could book tickets through that weekend, and no later. They'll release more tickets within the next few weeks, as they always release them at least 45 days ahead of time.

 

[afigg]

The problem with curbside pickups is that they're freeloading off of others, like when they used to pull up outside Amtrak's Chicago station and encourage their customers to use the Amtrak facilities. Amtrak gets stuck with the bill to clean up after those passengers who aren't riding Amtrak and paying any monies to Amtrak.

I'm wondering if anybody has gotten sufficiently peeved at this sort of (mis)behavior and kicked Megabus out yet.

DC had Megabus, Boltbus, and the other discount bus carriers move to the parking garage at Union Station.

According to this Streetsblog story posted several weeks ago, the NY State Assembly and Senate have passed bills allowing NYC to regulate where the buses can operate. One of the challenges reportedly facing NYC is that the 2 bus terminals in the city are at or near capacity and can not accommodate double decker buses. So unlike DC, NYC does not have an obvious facility for the discount buses to force the discount buses to move to.

We will see more cities catching up and start to regulate where the Mega and Boltbus type services can operate.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

The problem with curbside pickups is that they're freeloading off of others, like when they used to pull up outside Amtrak's Chicago station and encourage their customers to use the Amtrak facilities. Amtrak gets stuck with the bill to clean up after those passengers who aren't riding Amtrak and paying any monies to Amtrak.

There are also safety issues with curbside operations:

High Fatality Rate Found for Low-Cost Buses

"The National Transportation Safety Board found that so-called curbside bus companies, which pick up riders on sidewalks rather than in terminals, were involved in fatal accidents at seven times the rate of traditional carriers like Greyhound."

Among several other issues, the story notes that...

"Because the buses do not park in traditional terminals, officials must make inspections on crowded street corners, which they said could be logistically difficult. Regulators are also barred from inspecting buses in the middle of a scheduled trip, which can reduce the element of surprise."

 

[Kathy]

I was just wondering when the schedule will be posted for the rest of September through October 2012? Thanks

 

[MikefromCrete]

My understanding is that a lot of folks see the curbside pickup as a positive rather than a negative, and it's become fairly common thing among (non-Greyhound) bus operators. But that's a good point on them cutting a cost there.

The problem with curbside pickups is that they're freeloading off of others, like when they used to pull up outside Amtrak's Chicago station and encourage their customers to use the Amtrak facilities. Amtrak gets stuck with the bill to clean up after those passengers who aren't riding Amtrak and paying any monies to Amtrak.

I'm wondering if anybody has gotten sufficiently peeved at this sort of (mis)behavior and kicked Megabus out yet.

Chicago forced them to move from in front of Union Station to a couple of blocks south. Not having decent station facilities seems insulting to passengers, no matter what their "business model" is.

 

[jebr]

I was just wondering when the schedule will be posted for the rest of September through October 2012? Thanks

By August 1. All schedules are released at least 45 days in advance.

 

[jebr]

My understanding is that a lot of folks see the curbside pickup as a positive rather than a negative, and it's become fairly common thing among (non-Greyhound) bus operators. But that's a good point on them cutting a cost there.

The problem with curbside pickups is that they're freeloading off of others, like when they used to pull up outside Amtrak's Chicago station and encourage their customers to use the Amtrak facilities. Amtrak gets stuck with the bill to clean up after those passengers who aren't riding Amtrak and paying any monies to Amtrak.

I'm wondering if anybody has gotten sufficiently peeved at this sort of (mis)behavior and kicked Megabus out yet.

Chicago forced them to move from in front of Union Station to a couple of blocks south. Not having decent station facilities seems insulting to passengers, no matter what their "business model" is.

Apparently it's not insulting enough to discourage people. It may seem insulting to you (which is fair), but apparently their customers aren't insulted.

Also, have you ever been into a Greyhound station? Trust me: curbside pickup is less insulting than many Greyhound stations.

 

[Texan Eagle]

My understanding is that a lot of folks see the curbside pickup as a positive rather than a negative, and it's become fairly common thing among (non-Greyhound) bus operators. But that's a good point on them cutting a cost there.

The problem with curbside pickups is that they're freeloading off of others, like when they used to pull up outside Amtrak's Chicago station and encourage their customers to use the Amtrak facilities. Amtrak gets stuck with the bill to clean up after those passengers who aren't riding Amtrak and paying any monies to Amtrak.

I'm wondering if anybody has gotten sufficiently peeved at this sort of (mis)behavior and kicked Megabus out yet.

Chicago forced them to move from in front of Union Station to a couple of blocks south. Not having decent station facilities seems insulting to passengers, no matter what their "business model" is.

Apparently it's not insulting enough to discourage people. It may seem insulting to you (which is fair), but apparently their customers aren't insulted.

Also, have you ever been into a Greyhound station? Trust me: curbside pickup is less insulting than many Greyhound stations.

True that. I have ridden Greyhound, Megabus and the infamous Chinatown buses too. I'd prefer MegaBus over both others, and the MegaBus curbside pickup over the shitty dungeons that Greyhound calls "bus stations". Yuck.

 

[Ispolkom]

I don't know from dungeons. Last month I rode Megabus from Buffalo to Toronto. The bus left from the Buffalo municipal bus terminal (which Trailways also uses; no sign of Greyhound) and arrived at the Toronto municipal bus terminal. The bus was clean and the air conditioning and wifi worked. It was $60 cheaper and two hours faster than riding the train. It also left from downtown, which allowed me to go to church and catch 6 innings of a Bison-Yankees baseball game during the layover, rather than cooling my heels in scenic Depew.