For more information visit www.Megabus.com or call toll-free (877) 462-6342.
Chicago-based Megabus started its twice-daily service to Chicago from Omaha on Wednesday.
"I am so excited," said Manju Patney, a recently retired pediatrician from Bellevue, traveling with her husband, Om, to see her daughter, Anji Gradoville, in Chicago. By booking early, their one-way tickets were $8 each.
"You can't drive there for that," Patney said. "We usually fly," but besides the cost of an airline ticket there's often a $50 cab ride in Chicago.
Driver Dennis Keel expected 25 Omaha passengers on the inaugural run, which was to arrive in Chicago about 6:30 p.m. after passenger stops in Des Moines and Iowa City and a midday break at a truck stop.
Megabus operations director Matt Eggert said the company's operating system works well — no bus stations, online booking and adding routes gradually. So far there are no plans to add Lincoln to its 60-city network.
The company also started Chicago-St. Louis and Chicago-Memphis, Tenn., routes Wednesday.
Tickets run as low as $1 per seat, with a 50-cent handling fee, but there are a limited number of discount seats on each trip. Many seats will be in the $40 one-way range, although Megabus is offering some special promotions.
The pickup point in Omaha is a city bus stop on 72nd Street between Dodge and Cass Streets, next to the Crossroads parking garage.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1080, [email protected]
Copyright ©2011 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
