Students traveling home to Washington, D.C., for winter break now have a new transportation option.
MegaBus, a daily bus service running from Knoxville, Tenn. to D.C. will stop in Christiansburg starting Dec. 15. There will be three daily trips passing through the New River Valley and picking up passengers at Falling Branch Park and Ride in Christiansburg, located off of I-81 at exit 118A.
Already used across the country, MegaBus decided to add a stop in Christiansburg after seeing a high demand in the New River Valley. After monitoring social networks, blogs and websites, MegaBus decided to make the leap, according to Dale Moser. Moser is the president of Coach USA, the parent company of MegaBus.
“We thought we’d give it a shot and see if there is some interest,” Moser said.
MegaBus is an alternative to driving home, carpooling and the current Home Ride of Virginia bus system.
Home Ride, a popular mode of transportation for Virginia students, picks up on the Virginia Tech, Radford, James Madison and University of Virginia campuses. Home Ride also travels to Northern Virginia, Hampton, Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, while MegaBus travels exclusively to D.C.
However, the fare varies greatly between the two bus services. Tickets on MegaBus begin at $1 for a one-way trip home. Fare for Home Ride is a constant $60 for a one-way trip to Northern Virginia, or $106 roundtrip. Other fares range from $39 to $66 for a one-way trip to the destinations on Home Ride.
MegaBus is able to offer affordable rates because it has very little overhead. Moser said the company has been around for several years under Coach USA.
“Adding a Christiansburg route cost the company very little, only adding a few more buses and hiring new drivers,” Moser said. “We are able to pass those savings on to customers.”
Additionally, MegaBus sells tickets online exclusively, reducing the cost of additional paper and employees and making it convenient for students to purchase tickets from their dorms, Moser said.
“At the end of the day, you have extra money in your pocket,” Moser said.
Both bus services take an estimated four-and-a-half hours to reach the Northern Virginia and D.C. area. However, MegaBus provides free Wi-Fi, restrooms and power outlets for students who want to work on the ride home. They also run environmentally friendly buses on all of their routes.
All of the buses on route are equipped with technology that emits 10 times fewer carbon than the average automobile, according to Moser.
“Motor coach travel is one of the greenest forms of travel,” Moser said.
A version of this article appeared in the Dec 8 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Well.
I really thought the CT had hit rock-bottom with the BT Overcrowding article...This proves me wrong.
As a graduating senior, it has been really disappointing to see such good student paper be turned into such garbage.
Whatever the CT got paid to publish this article, it wasn't enough.
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And to explain a bit... Google "megabus _____" (replace _____ with any of the schools/regions mentioned in the article).
This is blatant product placement advertising and the CT is trying to publish it as journalism. If its not an advertisement, its pretty much plagiarism from any press release 'Megabus' has released in the past two years.
Take your pick. Either way... Its atrocious to have to filter through this crap in a paper that represents my university (especially knowing that others will not recognize the bias towards the company in question.)
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Well timed, too. My roommate's ride just bailed on him. Now, he has a much cheaper alternative to Home Ride. Not sure about you, but I'd much rather pay $16 vs. $106.
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BB - Sure is one snarky hack. It's actually known as the dissemination of information - also available on all of the local TV sites, the Roanoke Times, New River.com and others. It's how
media organizations tell people who would otherwise not know of a new business or service.
Telepathy doesn't really work. And for many people who are busy - ACTUALLY DOING THINGS - they might not know about this new service. For the record (and I am not paid for product placement, EITHER) I have used Mega Bus from NYC to Boston, NYC to Philly and it is great. Very comfortable, free WiFi and worth trying if (you are a hard working student who might not be fortunate enough to have their own car, or the money to afford air fare to DC from Roanoke). As for Bitter and Boring (BB) - Shhhhhhh. No body cares what you think.
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While the CT isn't perfect (as with all other papers) I have to disagree with BB. I read other papers including the Roanoke times and Washington Post and Megabus was mentioned in both.
So I guess by BB's reasoning those papers suck too.
Megabus is actually significant news and actually caught my interest because of it's cheap rides and multiple destinations. What else do you propose the CT to cover?
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Ok, so this struck me as a bit odd that CT is basically giving these guys free advertising, but in reality this is significant news- it makes taking the bus so much of a more viable option. Its about time someone gives Home Ride some competition- their prices are ridiculous. I might actually consider MegaBus instead of driving for short breaks- something I would never consider with Homeride costing double the cost of gas. I guarantee Homeride will reduce prices or go out of business in the near future.
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Why no mention of the people killed on double-decker Megabuses that attempt to go under interstate overpasses that are shorter than the bus?
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Multiple choice:
a. Lack of background research by the reporter on the subject
b. It wasn't in the press release Megabus sent out
c. All of the above
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This article is just abysmal. The CT could produce better stories by employing volunteer illiterate highschoolers from Floyd County Public Schools.
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Why would you complain about the CT bringing you information that could save you tons of money. It is $5 for a ride home on 12/17. I think this is a very informative article and if you don't want to read it don't. No big deal. This is the greatest thing to come to Blacksburg since Chipotle.
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Frankly I don't care what the source was...the data was just in time. I've gotta' get South and fast and this pointed me to right bus and cheaply at that. Collegians alike should unite and remind everyone that it isn't only smart when you are student to save money...
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