NEW YORK—With gas prices rapidly approaching an alarming $5 per gallon, a bus service that charges each passenger $1 for city-to-city service may seem more like a dream.
But, it's true. New Jersey-based Megabus.com offers affordable, fuel-efficient travel and handles its reservations strictly via the Internet. On Tuesday the company announced on its website its latest upgrade: double-decker buses. These vehicles, produced by Belgian company Van Hool, are the first double-decker buses in the United States used for intercity travel.
Before the first bus departed from New York to transport passengers to Washington D.C., it was on display in front of Hard Rock Café in Times Square. President and COO Dale Moser warmly welcomed the crowd and introduced Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Brian Souter.
Souter praised the buses' fuel efficiency, with each of the double-decker's 79 passengers using only 4 pints of gas per trip. According to Moser, the same trip in a single-passenger automobile would use 2.75 gallons per person; an airplane would use 3.73 gallons. Thus, Megabus is "ten times more green" than other modes of transportation, which will "keep America clean."
Souter proclaimed that, with megabus.com, Americans can "save gas, save dollars, and help save the planet by reducing emissions."
Following Souter's speech, the crowd hushed as the New York Giants' defensive end, Michael Strahan, made an appearance. In addition to the ecological benefits of reducing CO2 emissions, Strahan was also enthusiastic about Megabus's safe, comfortable atmosphere.
The double-decker buses are equipped with free Wi-Fi, video, reclining seats, and seatbelts for safety. They are also readily wheelchair-accessible. Space is economized, as luggage is stored at the rear of the vehicle.
Needless to say Megabus' users appreciate its low prices. Greyhound and Chinatown's Eastern Travel service charge $40 and $20, respectively, for the same trip from New York to Washington. Megabus' fares will continue to be affordable because the company chooses to keep its overhead low. It does not have stations, terminals, or tickets—the reservations are exclusively electronic. Moser has concluded that, this way, the company can stay efficient and "pass [its] savings on to the customer."
Currently, megabus.com serves seven Northeast cities including New York, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Buffalo, and Atlantic City.
If the eco-friendliness, comfort, and upgraded amenities on the bus were not enticing enough, Strahan declared that Megabus is exciting because "you never know who you'll bump into in the next seat."
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