Low-cost Megabus to launch daily service between Burbank and Bay Area
Megabus, the bus service known for $1 tickets, will begin express service with free Wi-Fi on board from Burbank to San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose on Thursday.
It’s the eighth city MegaBus has added to its California service since last December.
The idea is to woo residents from around the San Fernando Valley on six daily trips to and from Metrolink’s downtown Burbank station at 201 N. Front St. Each way takes five or six hours, depending on the destination.
“With Megabus.com adding a third arrival/departure location -- in addition to Los Angeles Union Station and Riverside -- we look forward to welcoming even more visitors through the additional, convenient arrival/departure location in the San Fernando Valley, an important tourism region of Los Angeles,” Don Skeoch, chief marketing officer for the L.A. Tourism & Convention Board, said in a statement announcing the new service.
Fares start at $1 each way but sell out quickly; cheapest fares usually are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. (I checked Burbank to San Francisco prices leaving Aug. 24 and returning Aug. 27, and found prices ranging from $19 to $41 each way.
Megabus pulled out of the L.A. market in 2008 saying its cheap-fare model didn’t work, but returned in December 2012. In Southern California, Greyhound also offers express bus service with Wi-Fi starting at $1 each way from Los Angeles and San Fernando to Bay Area cities.
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