A national bus line offering express service in Florida is adding Tallahassee today to its list of cities served, sweetening the deal with advance fares that start as low as $1.
Megabus.com, a division of Coach USA, will begin service May 15, offering express trips to Gainesville, New Orleans and Mobile, plus Orlando, the company’s newest service hub. The expansion will make Orlando the 14th Megabus.com hub in North America, with the company now serving more than 10 million customers each year in more than 120 cities.
Travelers can use Orlando as a connecting point to Tampa and Miami.Mike Alvich, vice president of marketing and public relations for the company, said the $1 fares will be available on all seats for travel from May 15 to 21, plus a reservation fee of $1.50 per transaction. Thereafter, $1 tickets will continue to be offered on every bus, with the price rising incrementally the closer it gets to the customer’s desired departure date. Alvich said the choice to add Tallahassee was due in part to its potential customer base, plus location on a route already served. “We have a lot of students going back and forth to college and also a lot of young professionals,” Alvich said of Megabus.com riders. The service is also becoming popular with senior citizens. “They have the flexibility to travel when the fares are the lowest.” “We thought Tallahassee would make a great addition to the Orlando hub we were adding,” he said. Megabus.com will have four departures per day from StarMetro’s C.K. Steele Plaza, 111 W Tennessee St. The company’s preferred use of intermodal facilities aids in the connection to local transportation services. In Orlando, the Megabus.com hub allows easy connections to the local Lynx transit system and to the Sunrail commuter trains that begin operating there in May. “It’s a smarter way to do things all around,” Alvich said. “We’re excited about another transportation option available to visitors from many key cities and Megabus.com brings that to Tallahassee, especially from some of our important markets in the Southeast,” said Lee Daniel, executive director of Visit Tallahassee. Alvich noted that the inbound service to Tallahassee is projected to bring up to 95,000 travelers here in the first year. Travel can be booked at Megabus.com up to 45 days in advance. Alvich said travelers who follow the company on Facebook or Twitter will get first notification when future dates are added to the online booking feature, giving them first shot at the $1 fares. Megabus.com’s double-decker Van Hool coaches are equipped with Wi-Fi, three-point seatbelts, and power outlets for passengers’ use
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