Pere Marquette stuck in snow drift -pics from passenger

[neroden]

I believe I heard several months ago that the bus service at the new intermodal station will start even if Amtrak is not ready.

Well, the bus station is already open and has been for years. They just built a rail station next door to it. The only buses which stop at the (old) Amtrak station now are the Amtrak Thruway buses.

 

[debmep]

Saw a new sign at the old station Overflow parking lot. Big Blue sign said "Mega Bus Stop". Not sure if the stop would be in the overflow lot or at the station across the street, but definitely was a brand new sign.

 

[neroden]

Megabus doesn't actually stop at bus stations (their corporate policy is to freeload); they convinced the parking lot owner to let them use the parking lot. Megabus will never move next to the new station because there isn't a cheap parking lot or legal curbside nearby for them to freeload on.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Here in Austin Mega Bus was forced off the City Street (along with the Mexican buses that used to have small stations on the East side) where they loaded and unloaded so they now Pay (an unknown amount) the owner of a parking and food trailer lot close to the University so

they don't have to use the Central Bus Station that all other buses use!

 

[lrker46]

Megabus doesn't actually stop at bus stations (their corporate policy is to freeload); they convinced the parking lot owner to let them use the parking lot. Megabus will never move next to the new station because there isn't a cheap parking lot or legal curbside nearby for them to freeload on.

Actually Megabus pays the City of Grand Rapids, the owner of the current station and overflow lot, two thousand a month to use it. It's hard to believe they do enough business in GR to pay that much rent. I don't recall ever seeing the overflow lot full even though both Amtrak and Megabus use it.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/06/megabus_lease_of_grand_rapids.html