An intercity bus service offering trips for as low as $1 is returning to Pittsburgh after a three-year hiatus.

Megabus.com will offer service to State College and New York City starting May 4. The company said its website will begin accepting reservations today.

It will start out with two daily trips, departing at 7 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., said Edward Hodgson, the company's director. Travel time to New York will be 7 1/2 to 8 hours, he said.

A Greyhound bus trip takes about 12 hours, an Amtrak trip about 9 1/2, according to those services' online timetables.

Megabus.com operated service from Pittsburgh to Chicago for several months in 2007 but terminated it because of low ridership.

"I think we're hooking up this time to the busy New York market," said Mr. Hodgson, who also noted a big increase in demand for bus travel over the past few years.

The company also hopes to appeal to Penn State University students.

Megabus.com says it can offer low fares because it takes all reservations on the Internet and picks up passengers at streetside stops rather than maintaining a network of terminals.

Since the service was launched in the U.S. in 2006, it has carried more than 5 million passengers and now operates in approximately 30 cities in the Northeast and Midwest.

The company touts its double-decker buses, which have free wireless Internet and power outlets, reclining seats "and a great view from upstairs," Mr. Hodgson said.

For those who can't get a $1 trip, fares typically are in the $25 range. A search on Monday of fares for travel between New York and Washington, D.C., found seats priced $5 to $27.

Joe McGrath, president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, said he was "delighted to have an addition to our transportation network. There's no question that the more options we have to get visitors to Pittsburgh the better. And, the sheer size of the New York City market presents a very good opportunity to attract more visitors here."

Megabus.com is a subsidiary of Coach USA, based in Paramus, N.J., which owns and operates more than 20 local companies in North America with scheduled bus services, charters and sightseeing tours.

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