INDIANAPOLIS-
A new bus service is offering fares as low as $1 for a trip to Chicago and other Midwest destinations, despite inconveniences such as hard-to-find bus stops and buses that sometimes run late.
Megabus, a company headquartered in the United Kingdom, began nonstop service earlier this spring from Indianapolis to Chicago, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. From Chicago, travelers can go to Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Minneapolis.
One-way ticket prices range from $1 to about $30, with cheaper tickets available for trips booked far in advance.
Fares on traditional bus lines, such as Greyhound Lines, tend to cost about $30 to $35 one-way from Indianapolis to Chicago, and routes sometimes include stops along the way.
To keep fares so low, Megabus cuts expenses by using online ticketing and sidewalk stops instead of ticket counters and special bus terminals. Passengers don't even get tickets; they simply give the bus driver the reservation number they received when booking online.
Megabus' strategy works well in the Midwest because the area includes several major cities all several hours apart, Coach USA President Dale Moser told The Indianapolis Star. Coach USA is the domestic subsidiary of Scotland-based Stagecoach Group PLC, which runs Megabus.
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