Megabus to come to Columbia

By Mary Daly

Published March 4, 2008

Students and Columbia residents traveling to St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago will soon have a new choice for transportation that doesn't stress their pocketbook.

Megabus, a bus service with fares as low as $1, will offer transportation from Columbia to St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago beginning March 13, just in time for spring break.

Lorah Steiner, executive director of the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Columbia is a perfect fit for Megabus.

"We think it will be very good for the student community as well as residents wanting to travel," Steiner said.

Launched in April 2006 by Coach USA, Megabus has served almost one million customers in 17 Midwest cities and eight West Coast cities, Megabus President Dale Moser said. It has a fleet of 135 buses, including 79 double-decker buses.

Moser said the company decided to bring the bus service to Columbia because of the city's high student population and location.

"We feel we provide a different service than ones already in Columbia," Moser said. "We offer brand new touring motor coaches with the most recent technology and an express service that is safe, reliable and a great value for the money."

Megabus tickets are easy to book at megabus.com, Moser said. All of the service's ticket sales are done online for a 50-cent booking fee.

"The earlier you can book your ticket, the better your chance of securing a ticket for as low as $1," Moser said.

Once the $1 tickets are sold out, the prices increase incrementally, topping out at $16 for St. Louis and Kansas City and $50 for Chicago. Bookings are not refundable.

Megabus can afford to charge these inexpensive prices because of the efficient manner in which the company is run, Moser said.

The company does all its booking online to avoid hiring telephone operators, it uses city locations for pick up and drop off points and it operates an organized regional network that allows it to mitigate costs.

"We pass our savings along to our customers," Moser said.

MO-X President Norm Ruebling said he isn't concerned Megabus will draw away his business.

"Megabus does not offer our level of service," Ruebling said. "Our loyal student travelers understand that true value is in the overall experience."

A MO-X ticket from Columbia to St. Louis or Kansas City can be booked online for $41 at the cheapest, according to the MO-X Web site.

To make the price more affordable, the shuttle service offers a frequent traveler program that awards free travel for points earned, Reubling said. It also offers a group discount to two or more passengers traveling together with the same itinerary.

MO-X has 17 daily roundtrips to the St. Louis and Kansas City international airports.

Megabus will offer only one roundtrip daily from Columbia.

"We hope to add more buses in the future, but that will be dictated by the demand we find from the customers," Moser said.

Megabus buses will pick up and drop off passengers at the Wabash Station at 126 N. Tenth St. Moser said this spot was chosen for its accessibility and safety.

The bus stops in St. Louis and Chicago are at each city's Union Station. In Kansas City, the stop is near the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority transit center.

Moser said traveling by bus is more energy efficient than traveling by car or airplane. He said if one bus were filled to capacity, about 56 cars would be removed from the road.

"We feel our service benefits all people due to the fact that taking our bus reduces congestion on the highways and streets, reduces the overall demand for fuel and is better for our environment," Moser said.