Discount motor coach Megabus plans to make the District its fifth travel hub, with 10 new routes leaving from its parking lot base at H and 10th streets Northwest starting next month in a move the company projects will boost its overall business by 40 percent.
Washington area travelers can soon expect Megabus service to cities such as Richmond, Knoxville, Tenn., and Raleigh, N.C. To begin the expansion, the company is offering 10,000 free seats online for travel to and from the new cities from Dec 15. through Jan 15.
Megabus has operated in the District since 2008. It plans to add 32 buses to its fleet of double-deckers, along with 85 drivers, mechanics and general staff members primarily based in the District.
“We’ve continued to see huge demand on social networks and our [Web] site, where consumers say, ‘Wish there was service in our city.’ A lot of people want to come into Washington, and they will have an affordable way to do it,” said Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer of Megabus parent company Coach USA in Chicago.
Known for one-way fares starting at $1, Megabus has been popular with local travelers, who on weekends huddle under the parking lot archway, waiting for buses to New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
