After reading all the negative Yelp reviews, we were really apprehensive about the Megabus. But yesterday, we took a quick trip from Sac to SF and had a great experience!
We booked our tickets online, about a week or 1.5 weeks prior to our trip. Their website was very easy to use. It gave us 3 departure times from Sac to SF on a Wednesday: 6am, 3pm, or 6:15pm. Ticket prices vary based on the time you leave. Due to our schedule, we needed to choose the most expensive option, the 6am departure. (The 3pm departure started out at $1, which is an amazing deal!).
I loved how we could select our seats online when booking also. On our way to SF, we selected seats #5 and 6, which was the second row on the left. That cost an additional $1 per seat. The seat wasn't bad, but (like all seats) it can be a bit uncomfortable when the person in front of you reclines their seat all the way back.
On the way back, we got front row seats (3-4), which are the best seats, in our opinion. In addition to the great view, there's nobody behind you, so you can recline your seat without feeling guilty. :) Those cost an additional $7 per seat, but we found it to be worth the splurge for a more enjoyable trip back.
Be advised: there is no parking lot at the Megabus University/65th station. We decided to drive to the Power Inn Light Rail station and park in their huge lot there. Parking is $1. Then we bought Light Rail tickets on their app (SacRT) for around $2.75 each and took the Light Rail one station west to University/65th St. It was a fun experience, though it was pretty dark in the morning.
Once we got off the Light Rail, we walked a few steps to the right and saw the MEGABUS sign. We lined up around 5:30am and then around 5:45am, we saw the Megabus pulling in. The driver, a friendly white-haired guy named Chris, greeted everyone and apologized for being late. He said he was REALLY late, so I guess they're usually scheduled to arrive much earlier. He checked our confirmation numbers off his list and we boarded the two-decker bus. We LOVED having a double outlet in between our seats. Supposedly there is wi-fi on board too, but we did not use it.
The bus ride there was smooth and relaxing, though at times bumpy. Dropped us off a few blocks from AT&T Park.
On the way back, everything went smoothly also, though the area where you line up to board is in the middle of a crowded street. Our seats on the way back were great, though the couple next to us (who moved forward to the vacant seats when they saw nobody was sitting there) talked loudly the entire time. :( Note to self: wear earplugs next time.
We departed very punctually. At 5:40pm (our set departure time), the bus started driving out from the curb where it was parked. Sadly, we saw this lady jogging with her suitcase and waving to our bus, even practically standing in front of it, to get the driver's attention. She had her hand on her heart and was saying, "Please!!" Unfortunately, at that point, the driver either didn't want to stop for her or maybe had rules prohibiting him from doing so. I looked on my phone and it was 5:42pm. My husband was guessing that maybe she had just gotten off the CalTrain that we saw pulling in just a few minutes earlier. We felt bad for her, and wondered what she'd be doing next. Wait for the 9pm bus? Take an Uber to Sacramento? So definitely make sure you're at the bus stop 15 minutes prior to departure.
If you're not on a tight time crunch, Megabus is definitely a great option for getting from Sac to SF. It's inexpensive (our trip cost us the two of us $54.50 with the upgraded seats), relaxing, and fun. :) read more