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New Twin Cities bus service touts some $1 fares

Posted October 02, 2007 11:00 pm

Fitzgerald M. Doubet

Beginning next week, Bloomington-Normal area bus riders will be able to travel to and from Chicago and St. Louis for as low as $1.

Megabus.com, an intercity express bus company, will begin operating in the Twin Cities starting Monday. Buses stop at the Normal Train Station at 100 E. Parkinson St. For those who book early, fares start at $1.

"Our top fare runs $17, but our fare runs as low as $1. If you book far enough in advance and you are one of the first people to book, you can get a $1 seat," said Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer of Megabus.com.

"After that, it incrementally goes up based on the day you book your departure as well as how quickly the bus is filling up," he said.

Booking for Megabus seats is available through the Internet at www.megabus.com. The Web site also offers departure and arrival times.

Megabus first began service in Scotland about five years ago, Moser said.

The service, a subsidiary of Coach USA, was introduced in the United States in April 2006 with the main hub in Chicago.

Megabus also offers service from Chicago to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Minneapolis as well as Ann Arbor, Mich., Kansas City, Mo., and Toledo, Ohio. A limited number of $1 tickets are available on each bus.

Moser said Megabus.com will begin 79 passenger, closed-top double-decker bus service to and from Bloomington-Normal by January.

Reach Journal Star reporter Fitzgerald M. Doubet at (309) 686-3041 or state@pjstar.com.

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