Megabus

Ehh, I’ve been taking Megabus since 2013 and it’s always been crappy. It use to be super cold, but now it’s super hot! Seats are really tight with no leg room. All seats have outlets and bad WiFi, but I don’t expect high speed WiFi. Bus drivers are rude; they don’t really don’t care. Tickets are cheap only if you buy them in 2weeks — 1month advance.

gross, gross, gross! such an uncomfortable ride, and tiny seats. we’re all packed like sardines and even though i took the 11p-​7a ride to Anaheim for $ 60 total both ways, and didn’t sleep a wink the entire ride. will just take my car next time and never ride the bus again.

Pros:
Relatively cheap fares.
Outlets
Cons:
Bus has terrible suspension. You can feel almost every bump on the road.
BS «booking fee» gets more and more expensive.
WiFi never works.
It’s always either too cold or hot in the cabin.
Afro bag boy in the San Jose is an a$$h0le who treats his sheit job like a career (probably the only thing he’s capable of doing for the rest of his life).

Our bus was supposed to be here at 5:00PM at the San Jose location and at 5:00PM, while everyone was standing outside, the attendant from Megabus told us that the bus is often late and could arrive over an hour late.
The common sense for any business would be that if you have a reoccurring problem would be to fix it, but I guess common sense isn’t very common.

Bad experience .the bus from San Jose to Los Angeles was 45 minutes late plus on calling customer care the representative was very rude.

During a weekend trip to SJ to visit family and friends, my dad was admitted to the ER and ended up having triple bypass surgery. I decided to stay an extra few days in SJ while my husband and kids drove back to LA.
For last minute options, financially MegaBus was my best option. It was too expensive to fly back and Amtrak was too long of a trip back (10hours). I booked a day and a half before I left. Total ticket price $ 58.75: the ticket was $ 52 + $ 5 for a reserved table seat (thinking I could do some work and have a bit extra space) + $ 1.50 fee +$.25 SMS fee
So I’m actually on the bus as I write this. Here are my thoughts so far:
*no clear indication where at the SJ Diridon station is where the bus picks you up. I saw a group of people standing with luggage and had to ask if they were waiting for the MegaBus
* bus was late. The email said to get there at least 15 minutes prior. My sister dropped me off around 630am and waited with me when the buss arrived at 715am
*checking in took awhile. It’s just the driver that comes out and checks your reservation number, then directs you where to throw your luggage in.
*the interior isn’t bad.
*since I paid extra for a table seat — I’m disappointed. Didn’t realize this is a narrow table shared with 3 other people. There isn’t much leg room and I feel cramped in. Oh and I’m sitting backwards. Not fun. I wish I had paid the extra $ 1 instead for a reserved seat. The regular seats look more comfortable with more leg room than this table seat. But I guess with last minute booking, I was limited options. I would recommend table seats if you are traveling with others (or kids) so you can sit together and have room to play games, eat etc.
*WiFi sucks. It’s free but it’s slow.
*there are outlets at the seats. The outlet where I’m sitting in is between me and the guy next to me at the bottom near our feet. His leg keeps pulling out my phone charger every time he moved his leg. I hate having to keep plugging it in cause he’s sleeping and I end up touching his leg.
*when we left SJ, there is a video playing that goes over information you need to know while on the bus. Then the driver goes over her rules.
*it’s quiet since everyone is sleeping. I would recommend taking the 7am route if you want peace and quiet.
*there is a stop at kettle man city and Burbank before I reach my destination at LAX
*you can eat and drink inside. I’d be mindful you bring though. Someone was eating a breakfast burrito and the smell of eggs and bacon was a welcome smell but anything very aromatic could have the scent lingering for the next 6 hours.
I didn’t know about BoltBus until I looked up reviews on MegaBus. I’ll have to look it up and find out more. I might consider MegaBus again if I had to (tickets are pretty reasonable) I just won’t ever pay for a table seat and instead get a reserved regular seat.

The pickup/​boarding area is directly in front of the circular road in front of the main entrance in front of some bike racks. The precise address is 549 Crandall St, San Jose, CA 95 110 or GPS coordinates 37.329 813, –121.901 541
This is hard to believe, but the bus driver left behind 7 paid passengers because their luggages were over 62″ in total dimensions (Length + Width + Height); she histerically screamed at the poor tourists that it was stated in the website (which in her defense, it is stated) and wouldn’t allow them to pay extra even though there was plenty of room in the cargo bay. That was a pretty cold hearted move and entirely the driver’s call. To make matters worse, it was 11:30pm and starting to rain and if you ever visited the san jose diridon station, it’s like ghost town around that time. I kid you not, after we left i think most people were scared that such a crazy driver was in charge of our lives. Thankfully, her driving was actually very smooth and safe. I sent a complaint to megabus via their tricky website and received a generic apologetic response. Also, only ONE checked in luggage is allowed, NO MORE!!!
I really wanted to like Megabus since it seemed like a cheap alternative for last minute travel (vs. flying southwest or american to LAX). Next time, I’m going to try BoltBus (heard from fellow passengers that it’s more spacious, organized and with working outlets).
PROS:
–It’s very affordable (my last minute ticket was about $ 40 with a reserved normal seat, tickets go as low as $ 1… if you can find it, average ticket seems to be about $ 25 – 30)
–Quiet, comfortable bus ride (not too bumpy, but no lexus either)
–Seat was good, I was able to fall asleep on it (slightly less comfortable than a plane seat, but better than most cars back seats)
–Nice panoramic sky roof and views from upper deck
–Restroom onboard
–Wifi only good for basic browsing (not for youtube or netflix!)
–15 minute stop in kettleman city (2 hrs from SJ, 4 hours from LA)
CONS:
–TOTALLY disorganized boarding, free for all, let me in first kind of boarding. Chaos, like some third world country.
–62″ baggage rule strictly enforced with no option to pay extra and only one checked in luggage allowed per passenger
–Aging bus fleet… going up the grapevine, the semi 18 wheeler trucks were passing us… I think we were climbing at 25mph.
–Aging website as well… looks very dated, hard to find the «Contact Us» link (Go to Customer Service, click on any FAQ top on the right and then you’ll see the Contact Us link)
–Only some power outlets work (110v, US voltage) and it’s on the window side, so if you sit in the aisle the cable goes over/​under the window passenger.
OPINION ABOUT RESERVED SEATS:
Upper deck very front — VERY LIMITED LEG ROOM, you cannot stretch and putting your feet up on the rail will be uncomfortable. Too much light which might bother most people (unless your name is Wall-​E).
Upper deck Balcony seat — Probably the best seats, ample leg room and no obstruction in front of you.
Upper deck normal reserved seats — Same as all the other seats, but reserved, they’re fine. Good choice for $ 1, gives you peace of mind that you won’t have to fight for a seat.
Lower deck table seats — Unless you plan on playing footsie with a stranger, not recommended. Only recommended if you must use their tiny table and perhaps travel with other friends in the same table seats and want to play monopoly or some other boardgame.
NOTE ABOUT UNION STATION (code name LAX): You get dropped off at the rear of the station. Once you’re off the bus, make a right and go down the automatic stairs and make a left. Go all the way to the end of the hall and you’ll pop out of the main front union station entrance. On the left side you have taxi’s on standby. On the right side is the passenger/​über/​lyft pick up area.
Overall, a fair affordable choice of travel, but will try BoltBus next time.

Services degraded since the first 6 months in the Bay Area.
No refunds or credit policy when you want to cancel a trip (weeks in advance). You get to trade in but you have to pick your next trip up to 6 hours before your scheduled departure and the date is limited to 3 months in the future from departure date with transfer fee.
WiFi is not constant and the San jose is disorganized.
Cost skyrocketed…

I’ve used this service to go down to LA.
I consider it fairly reliable. It doesn’t always arrive on time due to traffic, which is reasonable, but it always departs on time.
The morning ones are usually less crowded, and I’m more likely to end up with my own row. As far as comfort, nothing good or bad really stands out and it seems pretty standard.
The outlets are usually working. The wifi is slow and didn’t seem to work at all for over half of the trip.
It’s gotten more expensive which is why I don’t use it anymore. Prices are $ 40 a month in advance for the past few months. You can get a round trip for that on greyhound.

Generally good service but not all buses are as advertised when purchasing a ticket. For example the seating selected may not be present. Don’t depend on wifi being «megabus» or there being power outlets as they too may not be present. Some tables shake so violently as to be useless for doing work with a laptop. Bring you own hand sanitizer as there may be nothing in the toilet to clean your hands. Not just for you, but for everyone else. Yuck.
Much better than most other services I have tried but don’t be late returning to the bus at the end of a 20 minute break.

I took the overnight bus with a friend from SF to LA and back. The trips were horrible. The bus does not have reclining chairs, so it is difficult to fall asleep unless you can lie down on two seats.
The AC vents are really badly positioned. Many seats have these vents directly throwing cold air towards you. Also, the driver says that the AC can’t be controlled. If you don’t have a blanket to cover yourself, then the experience is like being put into a refrigerator for 7 hours.
Also, they claim that they have wifi on bus. However, my phone couldn’t find a signal.

I am currently still on my trip, but we’re stuck because the bus engine overheated and we had to stop 3 times without A/​c. I took megabus on the east coast and that bus broke down too because one of its lights went out. Can’t help but get the feeling they’re cutting corners and not maintenance guy their buses.
It got pretty dangerous at one point, where the bus would stall in the middle of the freeway and have to make emergency turns into the shoulder. I could feel the bus shaking because the trucks going by were so close.
Here’s a picture of the broken bus as we’re sitting in a rescue bus they sent 2 hours later.

I’ve used this a few times to travel back and forth from LA.
Some things I like about their service are:
— cheaper than other bus services
— if you book it weeks or more than a month early, can buy a ticket for $ 1 plus 50 cents for reservation
— Wifi that kind of works
— Outlets
— buses are double-​decker
— One stop for meal
— available restroom
— 1 luggage & carry-​on is allowed

I have to give four stars because as far as busses go, this is a good option.
Pros:
— Comfortable
— Outlets
— Affordable
Cons
— Wifi doesn’t work
— This (SJ) pickup stop has no organization. LA Union Station has an early check-​in with boarding order numbers, which is great. SJ could benefit from that to cut down on the tension and chaos as people try to elbow up to the front (seriously, how much would it cost to pay one person minimum wage for one hour, per bus?)

Great service but the wifi never works so what’s the point of advertising it. I prefer this over the «viet bus» any day of the week. It’s usually cheaper too but I love the fact that it runs from different spots and usually around connecting stations. I use this service when I need to get to LA but don’t want to spend $ 350 on airfare.
Other reviews have explained it but the pick up station is in the grass area directly south of the drop off area for the Caltrain. It’s hard to miss and usually a line builds up 10 – 15 minutes from departure time
The bus is usually very clean and the driver can be a hit or miss but overall a ⁴⁄₅ experience

I have been a passenger on Megabus for a couple of years now. I usually have an enjoyable ride on my trips except for this last trip. I have never been so disrespected in my life.
I purchased a ticket from San Jose to Burbank/​Union Station. As I put my suitcase with everyone else’s luggage the driver told me to put my luggage near the pole to separate it from the rest of the bags because my stop came first (from burbank the bus would go to Union Station DTLA). We finally arrived to Burbank, six minutes ahead of schedule and I was excited to be back home. As I gathered my items and began to exit the bus from the second floor I heard the bus honk its horn and the doors close. I informed the drivers that this was my stop and I needed to be left off. Both ignored me and the bus slowly began to drive away. I pleaded with both drivers to let me off to no avail. Neither driver looked at me but one finally responded and said that they could not let me off because they had passed the designated stop. I didn’t understand this because we were still at the Burbank Station. It was 2:30 AM, not one person or vehicle would have been inconvenienced because not one person or vehicle was near the bus. I couldn’t believe what was going on as we started to get on the freeway. I again pleaded with them to let me off. I asked of my suitcase and again my questioning and pleas went unanswered. After I asked to be let off again the current bus driver told me that he would left me off on the side of the freeway and I could walk back. This was not an idle threat! He began to pull over when the other driver told him to keep going. Not because it was the wrong thing to do but because they had to get other passengers to the next stop. I called my ride and informed her of the situation. Being the great friend that she is she went to the station to check if my suitcase was outside on the platform (I eventually found out that it was not). As we arrived to Union Station I exited the bus and went straight to the drivers. I was in shock about the lack of professionalism, customer service and disrespect I had just encountered. I asked one driver for his name he hesitated so I asked again, reluctantly he told me his name was Anthony. Upon inquiring about his last name the other driver (the one that wanted to let me off on the side of the road) interrupted me by yelling from the bus «we don’t have to give you anything all you need to know are the numbers on the bus!». I knew that I would not get any help from them. They didn’t care that they had inconvenienced me as well as my ride who had to drive an additional 30 minutes to pick me up. I looked to see if my luggage was on the platform and it was not as I searched in disbelief the bus drove away.
I have talked to numerous people within the company to file a complaint and each one have been discourteous. They have lied and told me that there isn’t a supervisor or manger that I can speak to. A woman from lost and found returned my call after she didn’t answer between the hours that she told me to call. When she finally gave me a call back she didn’t even know who I was I had to explain the story all over again. I am very disappointed and hurt by this entire situation. My luggage has not been found and I have not received any answers, apologies or great customer service. I will never use their service again. I don’t care how inexpensive the tickets are.

FOR EVERYONE’S INFORMATION: the stop is no longer on the grass to the south of the station, but is now directly across from the station to the west. It’s right in front of the bikeshare racks.
Don’t be like me and get there 40 minutes early only to stand there all alone like an idiot waiting for the other passengers to show up. Luckily I took a peek down the road and happened to see everyone else all lined up.
As far as quality: when we stopped for lunch on I5 this white woman in an old Toyota rolled down her window and ‘woooooo’d at us really aggressively. So I guess that’s an endorsement.

First off, the actual stop was hard to find. The sign was small and I wouldn’t think to walk in that direction. It is DIRECTLY South of the main entrance to Diridon Station. You have to cross the street and the meeting point is basically not considered part of the station. The check-​in process was pretty speedy. I was scheduled to take the 7:05 bus. The bus came at 7pm and I boarded by 7:10pm. Get there early so you can choose your seat! Especially if you are going with another person. Seats next to each other will be difficult to find if you are too far back in line.
The outlet for my bus was UNDER my seat, so I didn’t see it at first. The bottom deck of the bus also has a couple table seat things. The bus ride was pretty quick and smooth.
We got to Burbank and LA 20 minutes early. We stopped at Kettleman City for 15 minutes where there was a gas station and McDonald’s.
For the price, MegaBus is totally worth it! It is also pretty safe compared to Greyhound. Most of the people on my bus were Asian families or college – aged students. However, I found that the seats were pretty small (compared to Greyhound, too) so even the average-​sized guy next to me was spilling into my seat.
Definitely would ride again though!

Bring a winter coat a thick blanket or something the bus feels like a meat locker… And the bus driver will not turn down or cannot turn down the ac… I had to cover the vent with couple of mouse pads and a neck pillow to stop the ac hitting me directly… Even then I was freezing… The whole trip down to la… All I see people trying to adjust the ac vents…
Megabus. You really gotta find a way to adjust the ac so that the riders will not be uncomfortable… For the «how many hours» they are on the bus…
Giving 2 stars because I’m afraid I might get a cold after this trip…

Corroborating all the positive reviews here. From San Jose, Megabus leaves at Diridon Station just south of the main station entrance and drop-​off/​pick-​up area on Cahill Street, and from there it’s supposed to be a 6.5 hour ride to Union Station in Los Angeles, depending on traffic. There is also a 20-​minute rest stop along the way. If you’ve driven I-​5 yourself down to LA lately, however, note that there’s a lot of construction and traffic delays heading into LA, and this might affect your arrival time a bit.
Although it’s tight quarters within the double-​decker bus and it can get quite cold if you don’t bring an extra layer, there are power outlets at each seat, plus intermittent wi-​fi service, which is great for catching up on emails along the way. The drivers are usually courteous and professional, and drive at a safe, consistent speed.
If you don’t mind the tight quarters for over 6 hours, and can make your own arrangements in LA once you’ve gotten to Union Station, riding the Megabus and either being productive, or catching some sleep along the way, is a far cheaper alternative to the plane, and a far less stressful alternative than driving all the way yourself.
Edited to add one caveat: yes, the Wi-​Fi service is quite intermittent indeed. Download all your files, books, or videos onto your devices beforehand like you would heading onto a plane. And don’t be surprised to see errors such as these:
«500 Internal Privoxy Error
Privoxy encountered an error while processing your request:
Could not load template file connect-​failed or one of its included components.
Please contact your proxy administrator.
If you are the proxy administrator, please put the required file (s)in the (confdir)/templates directory. The location of the (confdir) directory is specified in the main Privoxy config file. (It’s typically the Privoxy install directory, or /​etc/​privoxy/​).»