MSP-DTW for $4.50 round trip
 

no EQM's however and the "flight" takes a while...

http://megabus.com/us/schedules/index.php

these guys are amazing. no idea about the availability of in flight entertainment or what sorts of spinzels may be available....

:)

No $15 charge for a premium coach seat, either.

How long will they last? I can't imagine how you could run a business with prices like that.

Does the $1 fare earn EQM's or do you have to book at the $2.50 rate?

Why is this in NW thread?
 

With all due respect, this appears to be a site for bus tickets. How is this related to NWA might I ask?

I would say because DTW and MSP are Hubs. Just a guess! ;o)

No need to imagine. MegaBus has been providing the same kind of bus services in the UK for quite awhile - at the same prices. Like with airlines, seats are capacity controlled - there are a certain number of $1 seats, $3 seats, $5 seats, etc.

Ryanair consistently sells seats for a penny, and has seen increasing profits every year they've flown.

Nothing to Do with NWA
 

Agreed, this has nothing to do with NWA. And the title is quite misleading, there is really no use for this thread here....sorry :(

I thought it was a cute thread... some humor to break up all the tension over the coach choice threads? :)

This isnt really a NWA topic so I'm moving it...

thezipper
NWA Moderator

The title is misleading unless MegaBus actually stops at the Detroit airport and the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. :rolleyes:

Come on! Have a sense of humor everyone. Everyone doesn't have to be so serious all the time!

I have used megabus in the UK and it was extremely efficient and cheap. Not luxury by any means, but a 345-mile trip for $5 can't be beat. I think I would have ended up with about 1" more legroom if I had taken the UK equivilent of Greyhound for a cost of $80 more (or 17x the price).

Especially in the UK! I had the joy of taking National Express between Milton Keynes and Manchester Airport most weekends for almost a year. Never got the megabus because it only went to Manchester City Centre and not the airport.

It is interesting to see if the concept would work in the US.

It can work on a regional basis. In the Northeast, Greyhound is already feeling the heat from the Chinese bus companies. Megabus will be a welcome addition. I am sure these $1 introductory fares will go away.

There is such a stigma for most people as far as riding the bus. I see this is being started by Coach USA which does major charter, airport shuttle and sightseeing operation, so who knows. Besides, Greyhound has needed competition since we lost Trailways! :D

the express service between major metro areas will certainly change the demographics for these guys... I bet you see a lot more students and a lot less convicts...

:)

I for one plan to try it, a cheap trip for the family to chicago, visit the museum of science and industry, spent a few free hotel nights somewhere we can burn hilton points, and come home. Our biggest problem will be getting to the point of departure and back home again. Being without a car in Chicago is not such a bad thing, especially if you plan to spend your time downtown.

Too bad they don't have DC or AC power available at the seat, however. I'd pay an extra $10 or $20 one-way for that...

Yeah, but not for college students. This thing picks up on the Minnesota campus in the Twin Cities and drops off at Union Station in Chicago. It's perfect for U-M student from anywhere in the Chicagoland area going home for a weekend. The maximum fare I could find is $15 one way - that's to go home for Easter weekend on the "ideal" bus, and there are $1 and $8 fares if you can go 1 bus earlier or later.

I rode the 'Dog to Chicago a couple of times myself (from Champaign).

Even now...if I lived in Minneapolis...I'd consider it. Door-to-door duration might not be too different depending on where exactly you are headed, and I'm dead serious that I'd rather ride a bus than fly the legacy carriers as a non-elite.

To the people who say this thread is unrelated to NWA, you are probably 99% correct. This really isn't feasible for MSP-DTW, but it sure could impact potential NW pax going to/from Chicago from either DTW or MSP. Granted, a small fraction of 1% of them will find this site and actually buy a ticket, but still, as airlines proactively seek to keep infrequent fliers off of their planes, the niche available for services like this will grow.