[Nfbmo] Megabus ending service to five cities from Springfield

[Horchem Gary]

Megabus ending service to five cities from Springfield
 
 
Its buses depart from more than 90 cities across the country, but, come
April 5, Springfield no longer will be one of them.
Megabus, a discount bus service known for featuring $1 fares on all of
its buses, will end service to and from Springfield on April 4. Since
October, customers have been able to travel to Chicago, St. Louis,
Dallas, Oklahoma City and Norman, Okla.
“We like the response we got to our service (in Springfield), but the
revenue just wasn’t enough,” said Mike Alvich, vice president of
marketing and PR for Megabus.com.
The company is known for its fare structure. The first fares on every
bus on all routes are $1; once those are sold, there are several levels
of prices. Early Friday afternoon, one-way tickets to St. Louis and
Oklahoma City on Saturday could be purchased for $15, while a one-way
trip to Chicago could be purchased for $69.
Alvich said he didn’t have figures available concerning how full the
buses departing from Springfield were, or how far they fell short of the
necessary revenue.
Springfield resident Donnie Rodgers Jr. took Megabus to and from St.
Louis this month and said that only a handful of people boarded the
double-decker bus in Springfield.
“The buses were maybe a quarter, halfway filled,” he said. “It was
pretty sparse; everyone had their own double seat.”
Rodgers paid a total of $4.50 for the trip — a $1 fare there, a $3 fare
back and 50 cents to complete the online transaction. He was planning to
use the service in the summer before learning that it was canceled.
“For the cost, it just couldn’t be beat,” he said.
In Missouri, buses will continue to be seen on Interstate 70, as service
continues from Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis. The loss of service
along Interstate 44 means that Oklahoma City and Norman, Okla., will
also lose all service.
Alvich did note that the company has pulled out of markets before, only
to re-establish service.
“There could be a possibility of our coming back,” he said.
In Springfield, the company paid City Utilities to stage out of a
roadside stop at 1505 N. Boonville Ave., near the intersection of
Division Street.
Rodgers said that he only learned about the service in January, from a
friend who works for CU. While friends became interested when he posted
about his trip online, the company’s final days of service in
Springfield had already been set.
“I don’t know anyone who already knew them,” he said.