Megabus

Absolutely ridiculous customer service. Bus was an hour and a half late picking up in Chicago while it was below freezing and snowing outside (the «bus stop» is on the street). Once on the bus, the driver pulled over because the defroster was broken, making my roommate and I another half an hour late. They neglected to notify any passengers that the bus would be so late and left everyone standing in the cold.
By the time we arrived at our destination in Des Moines, it was 11:30 pm, we were supposed to arrive at 9pm. As we were getting off the bus the driver told us we could call customer service for a refund since we were over 2 hours later than our scheduled arrival time.
I called customer service the next morning (Monday) and the woman told me I could only get 50% back and put me on hold. She then came back and told me she could only give me 25%. I called again on Wednesday to check how long the refund would take and they told me 5 – 7 business days. I asked to speak with a manager to clarify a few things for me, and the man on the phone refused and told me it was «against their policy» to let me speak with the manager.
Well, today I received my 25%… as a credit for another megabus trip. Not even a 7 dollar refund, a 7 dollar credit to take another terrible megabus trip. Absolutely ridiculous!

Meh, no wifi, crowded and people taking your seat. Not my fav.

So many reasons why I hate Megabus, but let me just address today: I’m finally on this g-​d bus; we just left Des Moines 90 minutes late, despite calling ahead from home to inquire about status. «Oh yes, it’s on time» we were told, only to sit and wait for an hour and a half at a parking structure. Inexcusable. Call #1 to «customer service» yielded nothing. Call #2 finally told us about the delay. I’m feeling for the folks in Iowa City who are undoubtedly waiting (right now, in fact, is when we’re supposed to be there) and there is no shelter at that stop. It is 5 degrees outside.
And the reason we’re late? Weather. Funny– we got a dusting of snow, but that’s it. Roads are dry and free of ice or snow, so how the 2 hour ride from Omaha to Des Moines turned into 3 ½ is really quite amazing. :(
I hate this company with every inch of my being.

The Mega bus from Chicago to DSM left right on time. The Mega bus from DSM to Chicago left 15 minutes late.
You can’t use streaming sites like YouTube or Netflix with the internet access on the bus. If you plan on sleeping, bring a neck pillow.

My sisters took this to meet me in Chicago. They got a flat tire, were stranded for 12 HOURS. What kind of major transportation doesn’t have a plan in place for a flat tire??? Needless to say, they missed half of the event there were going to Chicago to attend with me and were exhausted from no sleep. Not. Cool. People.

They lost my luggage. I had experience of a 100 min delay. The internet also is useless most of the time.

You get what you pay for. During my first Megabus experience the bus left 90min late, but the bus was clean, windows were huge, seats were comfy and had power outlets, and the driver was pleasant. $ 34 for a 333mi trip. Pretty straightforward ticket purchase process online. I’d consider using the Megabus again!

I was super worried about taking my first Megabus. I’d never taken a long-​transportation bus but I was familiar with buses from my times near Ames and the Cyride system. I was definitely worried about being stuck on a bus for two hours for my trip to Omaha, though.
Got there 15 minutes early — as the website recommends. Stood around until 5 minutes until my scheduled departure time. Then I started freaking out because no bus was to be found. I thought I was in the wrong place, and I walked around the entire area looking for where the bus might be. I finally got scared enough that I broke down and called the Megabus phone number. Turns out the bus was running 20 minutes behind. Okay. Made me late already, but that’s maybe my fault for planning for something to be on time.
Once the bus got there, though, it was a fast take-​off. At 5 AM, it turns out I was the only passenger getting on, so we got right back onto the road. I had quite a few seats to choose from, and I ended up getting two seats to myself. I sat on my laptop the entire journey and did work with no issue. I wouldn’t say that the seats are comfortable, but they’re more comfortable than wooden/​metal chairs and less comfortable than standard car seats. It requires pretty frequent adjustments, and honestly, I would have been a lot more miserable if I was forced to share the seat next to me with someone. Having the room to stretch out and move around helped a lot.
Didn’t try the internet or the bathroom.
Driver was super friendly and nice during announcements, and from what I noticed looking out the window, seemed like a very safe driver. The Des Moines to Omaha journey didn’t have any extra stops. Took my luggage with no issue. If the bus was more packed, though, I imagine some of the enjoyable experience I had would be diminished by other passengers and more restricted movements.
Final story: It’s best to ride early mornings during the week. Plan at least a half an hour of wiggle time into your final schedule when you get to your destination. And keep the Megabus phone number handy in order to check in on delays.

2 things nobody told me that would’ve helped:
1. You need to constantly be checking the MegaBus site the day of yr trip in case of delays. They’re usually pretty good about posting changes/​delays.
2.If yr stuck in the lobby during a cold snap, GO UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR of the lobby outside the elevators. There is heat up there and somebody said bathrooms are on the fifth floor. You can still see the bus port from the second-​story windows and it could keep you from getting sick (which I may have just done, it took me 90 minutes freezing on the first floor before I went upstairs and tried it out).

I was apprehensive about taking the megabus, but I would recommended it if you know what you are getting into. I booked a round trip to Chicago back to Des Moines for $ 51 in late November for a mid-​December trip. I guess it is expensive by megabus standards, but way cheaper than rental car and parking in a downtown Chicago hotel and way cheaper than a plane ride to O’Hare and then taxi rides to and from downtown Chicago.
We left right on time from Des Moines at 12:30 at the Center Street parking ramp. I couldn’t see any marker on where to stand, but figured it would come in where the city busses park and I was right. It drops off about .5 blocks from Union Station in Chicago. I needed some fresh air and a long walk to wear off the cramped feeling, so I walked to my hotel 1.5 miles away. Cabs are easy to get, though, and I did take one on my return trip.
Seats are hard and somewhat cramped and the wi-​fi is sporadic, but that is why it’s so cheap. I picked up a seatmate in Iowa City and that made it really cramped. Then again, though, I’ve been cramped on plane flights, too.
Got delayed 1.75 hours out of Chicago on the return trip. There was a megabus official there, though, who answered questions and told me about the delay. So I just hung out in Union Station for most of the duration.
It would have been pretty brutal waiting outside if it would have been colder, but it was bearable. I’ve had plenty of delays with airline travel, too, although the waits inside a warm airport are more bearable.
The ride back home to Des Moines was sweet. Had two seats all to myself and got lots of work done on my laptop.
I’d do it again, but be forewarned that this is «roughing it» travel. If it’s comfort you seek, this is not what you want. If you’re prone to leg cramps, I wouldn’t advise it. But if you want a bearable and inexpensive way to travel that takes you to the heart of Chicago from Des Moines, this is it.

Update — poor customer service
The last trip I took, the Megabus guy almost wouldn’t accept my luggage because he said it was over 40 pounds (he did NOT weigh it), but I told him it was not because I had just traveled overseas and didn’t have to pay extra for it being overweight.

Good cheap and efficient transportation
My first time using the Megabus was on a trip from Des Moines to Chicago. I had taken the Greyhound before, so I wasn’t foreign to long hours on buses. I must say that i like the Megabus a lot more than the Greyhound.
The Megabus itself is attractive with it’s royal blue coloring, double deck, and large mascot man on the bus. There was ample seating so i had two seats to myself. The reason why I detracted two stars is because I unfortunately learned that sitting on the bottom floor could mean being subject to a very foul smell of feces and chemicals. It was horrible being in an area that smelled like a straight-​up sewer! Fortunately, i learned that it is best to sit on the top floor towards the FRONT of the bus to decrease your chances of smelling anything foul.
All bad things aside, there are a number of pros. The bus stops at a decent clean gas station where there is a subway and mcdonalds. The majority of travelers on the bus are college students. Free Wi-​fi is advertised and works depending on your luck. What I really liked is that it has LESS stops than the Greyhound.
Overall, it’s a decent cheap way to travel!

The shining beacon of hope: FREE WIFI
The source for the beacon of hope: INDIVIDUAL OUTLETS
Neither one worked and the driver had no answers: EPIC FAIL
Unfulfilled promises, lost dreams, loud talkers, and a bathroom on board that was in desperate need of an air vent (or SOMETHING).
One star because yes, I did get to Chicago. A second star because yes, I will probably traverse the roads via megabus again. What can I say, I’m cheap.
The frustration for both me and my fellow passengers was the inability of the company to perform their own basic marketing concept– easy travel with free wifi. Next time at least have the decency to cover the free wifi sign on the side of the bus to curb my enthusiasm before I climbed aboard a 6 hour bus ride sans a book because I was expecting to use my laptop the whole way.

Megabus is about the best way to travel for as low as $ 2. I booked my trip to Chicago after Megabus right when they announced their new routes from central Iowa to the Windy City, and hooked myself up with round-​trip transportation to downtown Chicago’s Union Station for $ 1 each way and a $ 0.50 booking fee.
The bus leaves from just off of the Court Avenue district on 4^th St. There is no station, just a stop so don’t arrive here expecting vending or restrooms.
The bus was a double-​decker, newer model bus. It featured functional 110V power plugs and WiFi. The WiFi was similar to what you’ll see at hotels that require you to acknowledge their terms of use and keep a browser page open on the page to get and IP address assigned. The internet is rather slow, but remained functional the whole ride. I never gathered the nerve to use the on-​board-​baño, but it does make timely rest stops that should prove assuring to any weary passengers.
This is no-​frills travel. The seats were firm, and as a taller guy somewhat cramped. My ass began to hurt as we drew nearer to our destination in Chicago, so I was thankful that our friendly bus driver made haste in getting us there promptly. We arrived about 30 minutes late, which was due to traffic on I-​55 and a passenger who embarked in Iowa City who was suffering from motion sickness and required the bus to return to the IC stop to let her off. Most of the passengers were college-​aged travelers so expect a lot of earbuds and cell phone conversations when on the road.
Not luxurious but easy, convenient and very inexpensive. I’d recommend Megabus to anyone who hates driving in to Chicago. I’ll take it again in a heartbeat.