Folks… you get what you pay for.
Megabus, if you’ve never heard of the company, offers bus rides all around the country for as low as $1. If that sounds too good to be true to you, well, keep reading.
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Lucas Peterson is a reporter for the New York Times who makes his living covering travel — especially the kind of travel you can get on the cheap, hence his Twitter handle @FrugalTraveler.
So when he boarded a Megabus to go from Chicago to Milwaukee on Sunday — not even a hundred mile drive — it should have been no problem, right?! Just another trip?!
Well, things started off badly (below):
An hour into trip, turning around to “switch buses.” Currently learning that on @megabus, you get what you pay for. pic.twitter.com/6JagtWZEow
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
And then… they got so much worse.
Let’s let Peterson tell the crazy tale (below):
Update: the bus is on fire. pic.twitter.com/alvXtoHbwL
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Update: the bus exploded. pic.twitter.com/Sd0rBYN714
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Emergency services here now pic.twitter.com/40BDWMM1q5
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
They’ve got us all standing in a grassy area by the highway awaiting further instruction pic.twitter.com/m3sZPBQw9e
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Summary: we left Chicago, immediately there seemed to be something wrong bc we stopped on shoulder of highway couple times, driver got out.
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Then driver said we have to turn around and go back to Chicago to switch buses. About five min later tire blows and we pull over on hwy 41
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Driver says it’s just a flat tire, that there’s no need to panic, and goes outside. Minutes later smoke starts pouring out of the bus.
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Someone on the top deck eventually says: “we should get off of this bus.” So we all get out. People trying to get their luggage. Small fire.
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Small fire over wheel becomes big; people abandon luggage and get away. Entire thing goes up in flames, series of loud booms.
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
What’s left of the bus. pic.twitter.com/9nCdhHINLf
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Alexei O’Brien, student at U of St Thomas, says he lost his clothes, schoolwork, hundreds of $ in textbooks pic.twitter.com/Uzhpji2tUa
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Darnell McKinney says he was moving STL to MIL and lost most of his possessions, SS & credit cards, birth certif. pic.twitter.com/voWcn1UYVQ
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Passenger Alice Taylor estimates she lost $1700 worth of possessions, including her laptop. pic.twitter.com/nNcnzNJf5V
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
passengers are looking up Megabus TOC which limits liability to $250; some very unhappy people. pic.twitter.com/8p5QDVIgS5
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
Good news: according to police no one was hurt. I asked about our (passengers) status since its cold waiting outside here (30s/ windy)
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
The kicker: officer says “they’re sending another Megabus to pick you guys up.” ├░┼╕╦£┬É
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
…and we’re back on the replacement megabus. pic.twitter.com/jyfhwBwCIM
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
about 5 hours later, arrived in Milwaukee. Wishing everyone who stayed on bus safe journey to Twin Cities. pic.twitter.com/ldboKmY642
— The Frugal Traveler (@frugaltraveler) February 21, 2016
FIVE. HOURS. LATER.
Milwaukee is 92 miles from Chicago, roughly a drive of less than two hours under normal circumstances.
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…Just not when you pay $1 for the fare, apparently.
You can read more about Peterson’s Megabus experience HERE — nothing quite like cheap travel!!!
[Image via Lucas Peterson/Twitter.]
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