Dollar Bus Rolls Into Town

By Joanna Miller in News on Mar 23, 2006 7:11PM

Chicagoist is a sucker for a deal. Marketers know they can wow people like us with anything that can be purchased for a dollar, be it a Buffalo Snacker or a can of PBR. So when we heard about Megabus.com, the discount bus line that will begin offering $1 fares from Chicago to eight Midwestern cities next month, we could hardly believe it. We can’t even get across town for $3.

But, to our amazement, it seems to be true. Well, at least mostly true. Megabus.com will begin daily service on April 10 with express runs to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and St. Louis.

Here’s how it works: Travelers must book their rides on the company’s Web site up to 45 days in advance. Fares start at $1 each way, plus a 50-cent reservation fee. For each trip, three or four $1 seats are reserved, and the remaining seats can range from $9 to $27. In other words, you’ll have to book early to get the super-cheap fares.

Megabus.com has operated in the UK for three years and charges an average of $10 for a 200-mile trip. Reviews of the UK service seem to be generally positive, but several reviewers noted that introductory fares became scarce once the line became more popular, and that buses don’t always leave on time.

But really, for a dollar, it's not going to be first class.