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Company offering $1 bus trips adds Philly, Harrisburg to destinations
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Megabus.com, which offers bus service from Pittsburgh to New York for as little as $1, is adding trips to Harrisburg and Philadelphia starting next month, the company announced Thursday.
It will offer two daily departures from its Downtown arrival and departure site on the east side of 10th Street between Penn Avenue and the 10th Street Bypass, under the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The departure times are 6:35 a.m. and 5:35 p.m., with a travel time to Philadelphia's 30th Street Station of just under six hours. Buses from Philadelphia will arrive here at 2:40 p.m. and 11:40 p.m. daily.
Customers can begin booking travel on the company's website, www.megabus.com, for July 21 and thereafter.
The Chicago-based company, a subsidiary of Coach USA, said it was making Philadelphia a second Northeast hub with service to nine cities, including Pittsburgh. Since the service was launched in the U.S. in 2006, it has carried more than 5 million passengers and soon will be operating in 40 cities in the Northeast and Midwest.
It keeps costs low by taking reservations online and using streetside pickup rather than maintaining terminals.
Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer, said the company is "extremely delighted" with response to its Pittsburgh-to-New York service, which started May 4 and also serves State College.
The company also monitors online social networking sites that revealed an interest in expanded service here, he said.
Not all seats are $1, but customers have a good chance of finding that fare if they book far enough in advance. As the departure date nears and reservations fill, the price of a seat goes up incrementally, to $5, then $8 and so on, he said.
"Even our top fare is more economical than flying or driving or taking a train," Mr. Moser said.
The company touts its double-decker buses, which have free wireless Internet and power outlets and reclining seats.
First Published June 11, 2010 12:00 am
