Megabus is back in downtown San Francisco to offer bus trips from its departure along Townsend Street near the 4th Street Caltrain Station. Direct trips from San Francisco began May 15 for cities Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Anaheim and Los Angeles.
There’s a bus from San Francisco to Oakland for $14.99, which is hardly a bargain compared to riding BART. However, Megabus becomes a viable option for travelers on a budget when trekking across the state. A round-trip to Los Angeles runs a hair over $100 while round-trips from San Francisco to Sacramento are $33.97.
The intercity travel company suspended service in California and across other parts of the country in 2020 as traveler demand decreased at the onset of the pandemic.
Colin Emberson, a vice president for Megabus, told SFGATE that “timing made sense” to revise service now that summer travel is starting to ramp up.
“It was a tough couple of years,” he said. “In our mind, we suspended service and did all we could to keep facilities in place. San Francisco was very easy and we’re happy with our stop there. We look forward to seeing how things grow.”
Megabus began operating in the United States from Europe in 2006. The company offers cost-effective transportation and notoriously promotes fares as low as $1 on the side of its buses.
This is not the first time Megabus has returned service to California. The company offered rides between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2007 and 2008 before withdrawing due to low ridership. After finding success in other markets in the country, Megabus relaunched service in California in 2012.
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