Megabus Promo Code

Megabus.com is offering 100,000 free seats, valid on its routes in the Northeast and Midwest.

Free seats may be booked at any time and are valid for travel Jan. 6 - March 20.

Use Megabus Promo Code: GETAWAY.

Megabus Hartford Coming Back?

Megabus sent registered users who emails today with a survey trying to determine two questions: Should Megabus move from Back Bay Station to South Station? And...Should Megabus add another stop in between Boston and Hartford?

If you want Megabus to come back to Hartford, I encourage you to click here to take the poll that Megabus is looking for feedback on. The last question on this short SurveyMonkey poll asks whether you would like Megabus to stop between NYC and Boston. The options are Hartford, Providence, and Bridgeport. Obviously, if you are reading this Pulitzer-losing blog you should definitely vote HARTFORD. Take the poll with different browsers (or clear your cookies and repeat poll within the same browser) and we can help push HARTFORD to the top of the priority list.

If Megabus was smart, instead of the poll they would just look at the lines at South Station/Port Authority for the Peter Pan/Greyhound gate to Hartford, and see there is a lot of money to be made. All they have to do is a little marketing and the Boston-Hartford or New York-Hartford routes would be really popular. They should even dedicate a route to just Boston-Hartford and New York-Hartford to avoid the constant and awful no seat despite your reservation awkward momments.

So please if you have literally 2 minutes to fill out a survey, please click here to take the poll.

Here is part of the email Megabus sent to Boston-New York customers.

Megabus DC glitch

So if you're trying to get from Washington, D.C. to New York or Boston, read this story Show's how incompetent the Megabus payment system is. It's worse than the car insurance industry.

Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus $15 Hartford Fares

Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus have slashed prices from Hartford to Boston and New York. Usually, Hartford bus-goers had to pay more than their NYC or Boston bus-going counterparts. Now if you book online from Greyhound Web Only Fares Page or Peter Pan Bus E-Tickets you can just pay $15. This is nearly HALF off regular walk-up price. But I guess we get that "wonderful" personal touch from Greyhound and Peter Pan bus staffers.

While Greyhound/PeterPanBus is much slower bus for riders on the Boston-Hartford route (which usually stops in Worcester) - paying $15 and not having to wait on the street like a dog and fighting for survival might make this a better experience than the Megabus - which when it did the Hartford run - was an inconsistent route with buses arriving really late or leaving really early from schedule. Peter Pan claims to have free Wi-Fi internet connection too...Greyhound says they have Wi-Fi as well, but seemingly not on the Hartford route.

Best Commuting Companion: iPod Touch

A must have for the bus is the iPod Touch.

Save from paying taxes and buy from Amazon.

Megabus Complaints - Email Addresses

So if you hate Megabus stopping Hartford Service, besides contacting Megabus.com Customer Service, two people you may be able to contact are John Gunning or Jim Murphy of CoachUSA (owners of Megabus). They both sent me emails once, by accident I assume.

John.Gunning@coachusa.com
Jim.Murphy@coachusa.com

The emails are posted below. The Gunning one is kind of creepy. Sounds like sexual harrasment or something. Can anyone verify what it means? Comment below! (Also Megabus is emailing customers about the new "express" service to New York - I guess that was a big reason for the change. The image they sent is below.)

------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Camping
From: John.Gunning@coachusa.com
Sent: Tue 5/26/09 1:58 PM
To: Pamela Gunning (cookiediva@verizon.net); 050809MegabusA@coachusa.com; "To:_almarowe"@verizon.net; cookiediva@verizon.net

Sweets,


Can you and I have the tent? lets do it!


Love

S

--------------------------------

Subject: New Email Address‏
From: Jim.Murphy@coachusa.com
Sent: Mon 5/18/09 2:48 PM
To:

Please note:

I now have a new email. Please forward all emails to the new address listed below:

JMurphy@graylinenewyork.com



James T. Murphy
Vice President/General Manager, Gray Line New York
Gray Line New York Sightseeing
777 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10036
NYC Telephone: 212-445-0848 Ext 105 Fax: 212-489-1089
Hoboken Telephone: 201-714-9400 ext 131 Fax 201-222-1146
email: JMurphy@graylinenewyork.com

MegaBus vs. Greyhound Prices

With Megabus to Hartford service ending..here is a Boston to Hartford Price Comparison...Megabus vs. Greyhound.

Web purchase on Greyhound is about 15%, which is about the same discount as a Student Advantage discount. The only advantage of a Student Advantage discount over web is that you can purchase at the counter, with the oh-so friendly Greyhound ticket agents.

The differences between Greyhound refundable and non refundable tickets are really really confusing so you might want to double check, but here is how I think it works. Tickets with Greyhound used to be open-ended, but now they should be used on the exact date and time on the ticket, but I think there is leeway that they just have to be used on the same day (not time). There is a 40% refund penalty - so I guess that make its basically worthless to even pay the refundable surcharge. Plus, I'm sure you'll have to wait 5 weeks to get some paper check from Greyhound.

Here are price comparisons as they stood on August 28th, 2009.

One Way
Megabus: $13-$15 (If you're lucky $1, or unlucky $18)
Ghound Web: $24 non-refundable / $28 refundable
Ghound Counter: $32 non-refundable / $ 38.50 refundable

Round Trip
Megabus: $26-$30
Ghound Web: $48 non-refundable / $56 refundable
Ghound Counter: $57 non-refundable / $65 refundable.

Megabus Ending Hartford Bus Service to Boston and New York

Megabus sent an email today to its Hartford customers to announce the ending of service to the city. This leaves Greyhound and GoToBus as the only real bus options to Hartford. Greyhound prices have recently gone down, but they will probalby return to rip-off prices soon. If you'd like to complain to Megabus - comment below or go to Megabus.com Customer Service. Let's bring Megabus Hartford Bus Service Back!!!!

------------------------------------------
We regret to inform you that we will be discontinuing all service in and out of Hartford, CT on September 14th, 2009. Your fare has been refunded but please note that this can take up to five business days to appear on your account. In the unlikely event that you have not seen the funds returned to your account by then please do contact us at 908-282-7420. We're really s=not to be able to continue with this service and we thank all our customers who have travelled with us over the past 10 months

The Megabus Team

Megabus Boston Bus Stop Change - Back Bay

Megabus is moving it's operations from South Station to Back Bay Station - change is effective Wed. May 13th, 2009.

Go here on Megabus.com for more information. The map is on the bottom of that page.

Is Mega having trouble making a profit in Boston? What would spark the change in location. This can't be an ideal move to compete with Fung Wah, Lucky Star, Bolt, and Greyhound.

UPDATE: Megabus has removed the Back Bay Station advisory...but just go to any mapping program and search Back Bay Station in Boston, MA. The bus pickup/drop off is located in the "back" of the station, where the city buses go. If you're coming out of the subway at Back Bay Station, the Bus Stop will be behind you as you go up the escalators.

UPDATE 2: This is a popular landing page from Google on Hartford stop searches. Here is the map of the pickup spot in Hartford. Please note, Megabus Hartford service is stopping Sept. 14, 2009. Go to the Hartford Bus homepage for more details.


Hartford Megabus Stop and Pick-Up

Swine Flu Masks for Bus

Are you avoiding the bus? Will Swine Flu restrict your travel? Will swine flu healthcare be something you want? Will you buy car and car insurance to avoid swine flu? Will buying a car really save you from swine flu? Can you get swine flu insurance on top of your car insurance? Are you wondering why this whole post is all questions? Joe Biden has your answers. (FYI the end of this movie is sort of racist. I did not make it.)

2009 Best Bus to Hartford Award...

The award goes to...Megabus! Despite being dropped off on a curb - and sometimes waiting for late buses heading to Boston or New York, nothing beats Megabus' friendly workers and drivers. I feel like the Greyhound/Peter Pan bus drivers always want to beat me up, besides that Tony Delgado fellow.

Greyhound/Peter Pan recently reduced their "web fares" to $44/rt, but that's still more expensive than the usualy $30 you'd pay on Megabus. If Megabus can figure a way not to drop people off at a curb - at least a place with shelter, they should still be the best option from Hartford to Boston or New York for the upcoming year.

Anyway Megabus...here is your ABC award for Awesome Bus Conduct.

Hartford Mega Bus Stop

The new Hartford Mega Bus kind of sucks....Bring it back to the Convention Center...

Hartford Megabus Pick-up Drop Off Location Map

Hartford Megabus Stop and Pick-Up

Megabus has a new stop in Hartford

According to Megabus: Please be advised that effective Monday, February 16th, 2009, the Hartford stop on the M22 line will be moving from outside of the convention center and will now be on Front St. at the northeast corner of the intersection of Front St. and Prospect St.

I have no idea where Front St. is, but Prospect St. is just one block west from Columbus St.....so it's probably not too far. If anybody knows, please comment below.

UPDATE:


Hartford Megabus Stop and Pick-Up

Mega Bus to Hartford

Mega Bus to Hartford...just wanted to sell hello bus users! Go Cardinals.

Bus Sunday

Lots of people on the Hartford to Boston bus on Sunday.

Six people got on! The 7pm was only a little late. 7:05 it came...

Megabus - I'm starting to believe.

Mega Bus Huge delay on MLK Day

So today I took the MegaBus from Hartford to Boston. I was scheduled on the 7pm, but I wound up taking the 6pm, which arrived at 7:10 PM. God knows when the 7pm would show up.

There was one guy waiting for the 6pm and there were three spots open on that bus. The guy with the 6p reservation, me, and one other guy got on that bus. Three people waiting for the 7pm were left on their own. My guess they wouldn't be picked up until 8:30pm. If traffic was bad for the 6pm, it had to be even more worse for the 7pm.

Beware the MegaBus....but I still recommend them because they are so cheap, and even with the huge delay, it still takes about the same time since the Greyhound stops in Worcester.

Boston to Hartford Bus Options

The arrival of Megabus in December 2008 signaled the end of expensive New York-Hartford-Boston Bus routes. They offered $15 or less tickets, (they would call it $1 or more) each way.

Review and details about each bus line will be blogged about later, but here are is a review of the bus options you have now:

Greyhound - $32 one-way. Student Advantage Card gets you 15% off...and anybody can get a Student Advantage card. It's totally worth it. This is the most expensive bus line and it usually stops in Worcester, but it has many times available and you can rely on it showing up.

Megabus - $15 or less. Reliable, but taking the Hartford to Boston route can be challenging. It will leave early if it arrives early from New York. I'd get to the bus at least 30 minutes to ensure you catch your ride. This is not necessary if the bus encounters traffic from New York, but if you are taking a weekend morning trip from Hartford, it will likely come early. Just because you have a reservation does not mean they will wait for you.

Boston Deluxe / GoToBus - $15. Goes from Boston Christian Science Center to 365 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT. I have never taken, but I hear it's okay. They will drive you in a van though if not enough reservations are made.

LuckyStar - $15 (it supposedly stops in Vernon, CT at the Burger King on Exit 57) but the drivers/customer service workers are completely unaware of this. What's worse you can actually buy a ticket online to Vernon, CT, but you MUST tell the driver or worker. You might have to argue for this stop even if you properly bought your ticket. You may be asked to provide a $5 tip as well. I would not recommend LuckyStar. They are not an honest business.

Questions/Comments? Please make yourself heard!

Welcome to the Hartford Bus Blog

Boston to New York. It's a route served by several carriers. Besides your planes and trains options, there are several bus operations. It's a well-served market. But what about Hartford? The route to Hartford is a little trickier, and more expensive. This blog will help you explore your options.

Comments encouraged and wanted.