Saying that the current situation stinks is an understatement. I always avoid writing reviews in the heat of a moment. This is to avoid ranting and whining instead of giving a fair and unbiased review. This time, I'll go with the contrary. So I took megabus' 6 am trip back to Burbank. Boarded at the Caltrain station in San Francisco, bus picked more passengers in San Jose and off we go. Bus stopped at Gilroy. Driver was quiet but we sensed something wrong. Few minutes later, she announced we have a flat tire. You would think they will get the nearest road assistance but no, we have to wait for one of their own from the nearest bus depot. Guess where our savior will come from? All the way from San Francisco with an ETA of 2-3 hours. I'm not even sure how long they'll be able to fix it when help arrives. I'm hoping the worst won't happen...that the tire can't be fixed. If that's the case, I don't know what will be my other options if there's any. Hitchhiking? read more

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New feature "track my bus" My letter to Megabus: Hello, Welcome back to Northern California. I have been a loyal customer since 2010 ish and have always been happy with your service and was sad to see you leave several years ago. Unfortunately, on Tuesday May 16, 2023 your second day back to serving Sacramento to San Francisco. I missed my first bus due to your new track my bus feature. Unfortunately, it was not accurate with glitches which cause me to miss the bus all together. So I re-booked later that same day and your new tracking feature worked flawless. I had the perfect experience. I was wondering if you would be able to refund my first booking or even a credit voucher would be nice as I already have future trips planned. Thank you for your consideration. Megabus response: Hello and thank you for contacting Megabus Customer Service. I am sorry to hear you missed your bus!    I understand you are requesting that refund be provided, however as outlined and stated in in the terms and conditions prior to proceeding with the purchase, all ticket sales are final.   We suggest that all passengers be at the bus stop location 15 minutes before boarding to ensure timely boarding as we cannot hold the doors open for passengers who are unable to make their trip. Once our driver completes loading passengers onto the bus, the doors are shut and the parking brake is released, and the bus departs.  While I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced, we are unfortunately unable to provide you with any compensation ( refund, credit) as the service was executed.   Thank you for choosing Megabus. Sincerely, ZarenaMegabus Customer Service Specialist megabus Date of experience: May 16, 2023 (((WHY OFFER THIS FEATURE IF ITS NOT ACCURATE OR RELIABLE))) read more

1) Got to bus stop at 5:30AM in San Francisco for a 6AM bus to Los Angeles. I think leaving this early is ideal if you want to miss traffic- plus I slept most of the morning away cause I was so tired from waking up at 4AM so the ride didn't seem as long. 2) Boarding was easy- show them your reservation number on your smartphone or ticket and they put your larger luggage in the lower cabin. 3) The seats are nice, I paid $1 extra to reserve my seat- I wouldn't pay extra to reserve a seat, it's all the same shit really. Arm rest, outlets, light, air, more foot room than an airplane. 4) It would be fun if I were with friends and is fine for solo riders too. I'd do it again. read more

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Seriously have to give it the benefit of the doubt and say that Megabus is actually a pretty great bus line FOR THE PRICE. I see all these reviews complaining about poor customer service or how the bus is always late but what did you expect for $6? I'm surprised the bus shows up at all for $6. Take a $35 greyhound if you want reliability. Overall, got me from SF to Sacramento only 15 mins past when expected and was comfortable and easy ride. Great for those on a budget. read more

Horrible experience, definitely my 1st and last. Don't recommend I would've been better off flying. Bus broke down twice to Oakland from LA. Once in Bakersfield again South of Gilroy. They said the nearest bus coming to pick us up was coming from Stockton 2+ hours away. I was lucky to get an Uber with some folks who were able to catch a ride. Still made it to my destination at around 12:30pm, said we should've arrived at 9:30am. When I called to get reimbursed for the $60 I had to spend on Ubers or at least a complimentary ride back, they just told me credit would be granted to me for a 1 way ticket mind you I had bought round trip tickets and this was on my trip TO my visit.. read more

Was looking for a cheap way to get from San Francisco to LA and was recommended by a friend to try Megabus. I was able to get a fare as low as $15 one way which was still cheap comparing to the cost of gas I would pay to drive down. Bus stop is outdoors at the Caltrain bus zone so I would recommend bringing an jacket while waiting. The bus was on time and we arrived at Union Station 20 minutes early. I would suggest bringing a blanket since the bus is freezing cold. Don't rely on the wifi working, the wifi was broken on bus #606. Overall the staff was nice and were very nice talk to. Highly recommend using Megabus if you are looking for a low cost road trip. read more

Megabus - Buses Near Me

Megabus needs update luggage handling way. Someone took my bag instead her during unloading. They do not have any tracking system. read more

Boom! $17 to take the megabus from SFO to Reno. If we rented a car we would've arrived maybe only 30 minutes earlier... and have had to pay over $100 more! The bus is pretty clean and the free Wi-Fi isn't super slow. Get in line to board the bus at least 20 minutes early to make sure you get that window seat. The process of buying your ticket and boarding the bus is so easy! Just be sure to bring snacks and wear socks. It can be a bit chilly inside the bus! read more

Megabus - Buses Near Me

So this was my first time riding Megabus in California, I would do it again! I rode it in the midwest a few times from Chicago to Michigan. I just booked online and took a picture of my confirmation email to show the driver when I boarded. I was leaving from Vallejo, so I had to take the Vallejo ferry to SF ferry building then took a lyft ride to Caltrain station (about 10 min drive). You walk down the block and get to the Megabus where its parked. The day I went, it was not a full bus so everyone had a row to themselves so I felt spacious, nice to take a nap. I liked that it is clean. Mine didn't have wifi but they said most of the time they do have wifi. Each seat had an outlet charger so that is great and it works! That was crucial. Honestly, in the beginning of the ride, they stop a lot so that slows the time. My time of arrival to LA union transit plaza was 5pm but we didn't get there till 6pm. My partner had this same experience so just keep in mind - they do run behind. So don't book anything too close to your time of arrival, you'll likely run behind and why I took one star off. Other than that, its relaxing, much cheaper than driving (if you book wisely, I paid $20 from SF to LA). Safe traveling! read more

I've been using Megabus since I've known about it about 2-3 years ago. At that time, you could reserve a bus seat minutes before departure. Now that it has gained some loyal riders and their friends, waiting the last minute will get you a seat for the next day! I'm a fan of this because of the price. And only the price! Pros: A ticket from SF to Sacramento ranges from $3-$15, usually cheaper than Amtrak and Greyhound. It has long windows on all sides of the bus, so it's really nice to look outside during the ride! It also has outlets under every seat. Cons: The windows are sealed shut, so if someone next to you decides to eat, you're out of luck! Since it's a public mode of transportation, the bus will be late (or early) once in a while. The AC will always be on, so bring a sweater! Overall: I'll keep riding this bus between SF and Sacramento until I can! The price woos me too much! read more

Megabus - Awesome sunroof! - Buses Near Me

I call it the NO STRESS EXPRESS! Here's the low down: *It's cheap $29.99 maximum price, or as low as $1 *Free wifi (doesn't always work) *Power outlets to charge your phone or electronic devices *Air Condition bus (it was TOO cold for my liking, but bring a blanket & you'll be ok) *Safe *It includes 1 stop for a pee/food break *Allows food/eating on board *Line up early for best seat selection *Friendly driver *Best views from the upper deck of the bus *Lower deck of the bus has tables for playing cards with friends/family (if traveling with others) Overall, it was a great experience. You can't even beat the deal of $29.99 one-way on a bus and with gas prices being so high, this would be your best bet. You can always rent a car while in LA to get around if you need to. I'm definitely going to ride the megabus again with a blanket in tow to stay warm. read more

Megabus - Upper deck of the megabus. Headed to LA from SF - Buses Near Me

Hi I wrote something about Megabus on Quora then was given a notice that I can't contribute anymore because I used only my first name? anyways I actually enjoyed my trip SF to Anaheim. It was fun sitting on the top deck. The seats were comfortable and the restroom had hand sanitizer (I say this because the flixbus I took on the way back did not. So on flixbus there is no sink or hand sanitizer in the bathroom). I had no problem with the driving of the bus, everything seemed fine. At least I didn't notice. On the way back with flixbus I did notice the driving of that bus driver and he was following too close. The bus was on time for pick up and departure. Other things I liked, the seats are higher than flixbus which was more comfortable. There is a pocket behind the seat in front like an airplane seat. I noticed something else: they took good care of our luggage. They loaded in for you, and I was surprised to see that the luggage area is carpeted and how they carefully stacked the luggage. They even put a color band on it and asked which stop you were getting off at. I don't have a lot against flixbus, but the driver made us load and basically unload our luggage. It was the typical metal large cargo space, and he scraped our luggage along pushing it from the other side. I'm Not trying to side against competitors; it's just easy to compare them. Me And my daughter have been flying on trips frequently and I usually drive to LA and back, so this is our first time trying this out. I was ok with Megabus. I will avoid flixbus. read more

So this is my first time riding Megabus. I am riding it from SF to Sac. The Caltrain is a very convenient location in SF. If you arrive to Caltrain earlier than when the bus is anticipated arrive, you can always go to Philz or Panera to hang out. It was raining today so I just hung out in-door in the other areas. The Megabus arrived 10 minutes before the departure time. We stood in a long line, and someone checked to make sure our reservation numbers were on the list. Then I proceeded onto the bus. I sat upstairs. It's really nice upstairs compared to downstairs! I think it's because there's window on top upstairs and more lighting comes through, so it's just brighter. I like that I can adjust the air and air actually comes out. It's not as stuffy and smelly as the greyhound or Amtrak. There are two outlets at each set of seat, there are also seatbelts at every seat. The Wi-Fi is spotty, it's hard to do anything. The bus arrived to my destination 10 minutes early. Summary: Megabus = CHEAP and easy. It's relatively nice and comfortable. I usually hate public transit on long distances because I get really dizzy but this wasn't as bad. read more

I've taken Megabus before from San Francisco down to LA Union station (and vice versa). The prices are cheap and they have working electrical outlets, which is great! It's still a bus ride - so it can get a bit uncomfortable, but overall I thought Megabus was a great company. However, I just had the WORST Megabus expereince and I will NEVER be riding Megabus again. First of all we were 3 hours behind schedule. I understand this isn't entirely Megabus' fault - you can't help traffic, but the Megabus could have tried to be on time for departure instead of 20 minutes late. There was no toilet paper or soap in the bathroom - I know I shouldn't expect much from bus bathrooms, but at least some toilet paper?! We finally get through the grape vine, and are in the LA area (20 minutes away from LA Union Station) I can finally see the light! We get off at the off ramp and the bus completely stops (It's 2:00am at this time - we were supposed to arrive in LA at around 11pm). The driver gets out and is on the phone chatting it up and pacing back and fourth. Everyone is tired and frustrated to be so far behind schedule. We all just want to be out of the bus. The bus driver then informs us that we ran out of gas! IN FRONT OF A GAS STATION!!!!! The bus driver had one job and he completely failed. He let us know that assistance is an hour away and there will be a back up bus. At this point everyone is either calling an uber or their ride to just get picked up at the off ramp. I ended up getting picked up at the off ramp and was so thankful! I felt terrible for those passengers headed to Anaheim (way too far for rides to pick them up in the valley) and those who didn't have a ride to take them to their end destination. Who knows how long they were really waiting for the back up bus. After this terrible experience I wanted a refund - I mean, I didn't even make it to my end destination! I called the customer service line - no one picks up. (What's the point of the customer service line?!) Instead I tweeted at Megabus to get their attention - I realized from other people's tweets that buses breaking down and being HOURS behind schedule isn't anything new. After a handful of tweets Megabus finally reached out and said they would compensate me - I check my email and it's 20% off my next booking! WHY DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND?! I AM NEVER BOOKING WITH MEGABUS EVER AGAIN!!! I just wanted my money back because I didn't even make it to where I was supposed to go! Don't waste your time with Megabus. I will say I have had some smooth trips, but a nightmare trip like this is worth staying away. I would genuinely hate for this to happen to anyone else. Avoid at all costs! MEGAFAIL BUS. read more

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I took mega bus from San Francisco to Los Angeles for a last minute trip. It was about $65 per person round trip. We left Caltrain station at 1130p at night. Then the bus stopped at west Oakland Bart station and did a pitstop in Gilroy. When we got down to Southern California we stopped at Burbank and then union station. The seats are small and don't adjust at all. I didn't get a good night sleep at all. The seats were uncomfortable and there was a green light shining above my head the whole night couldn't turn it off or move it. The trip back we were delayed we got to union station a half hour before departure and it was an hour delay, at first they said it was going to be a 2 hour delay. We were standing there in the hot sun/ heat in Los Angeles for nearly 2 hours they didn't text us only emailed us about the delay! I won't be taking mega bus, I'm going to take bolt bus. Bolt bus I heard is the same price, has nicer seats and is on-time! read more

Location is on the other side of the muni. If you see a bunch of taxis outside on the street that's where it is. Do arrive 15 minutes beforehand. It's first come first serve basis for seating. Have your phone or paper ready for seat registration. Loading on the bus depends who is the bus driver that day. Usually if there is a lot of people waiting in life they will start loading the buses asap to leave around the departure time as said on the paper. I waited awhile to be loaded sometimes and saw a megabus headed to Sacramento that was boxed in thanks to a taxi and a illegally parked car. Overall ride wasn't bad. There are trashbags so you don't have to walk far to throw things away. Most outlets overall work. I just happen to sit in the one that didn't work. Good thing it was a night ride so I slept the whole time. read more

Pros: more available seats, more professional service in storing your luggage unlike its Vietnamese bus competitor Xe Đò Hoàng. Also has a electric charger available to you. Cons: seats not comfy, WiFi works 60% of the time, and extra charges/fees if booking online. FYI: when you reserve MegaBus and order your trip online, remember to have your reservation code ready before boarding read more

I thought the mega bus was a fun, cheap and easy way to get to Reno from San Francisco. I decided to get us the front two windows seats so we could really look out on the mountains as we went over the pass. On that route they make one stop in Sacramento which gave us just enough time to run across the street and get a sandwich before getting back on the road. If you're going to Reno or San Francisco by yourself or with two people I think this is a great inexpensive way to do it. The time to get there will be just about the same and you don't have to worry about driving yourself. Unfortunately the Wi-Fi really wasn't working for her that would've really made it great. Still got a lot done during the drive. read more

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This was our first time using the Megabus after hearing about it from my sister in law. For less than what it would cost for one person to go round trip on Amtrak, our party of six was able to go round trip between Sacramento and San Francisco. The seats were comfortable and the leg room was not bad (I am 5'10" and do not always fit well in seats since most of my height is in my legs). The bus was clean and according to my teen daughter and her friend, the bathroom was as well. Even better! The staff was friendly and helpful. The driver coming back was pleasant and joking with the guy who showed up late as we were boarded and getting ready to embark on our return trip home. She could have turned him away and been terse with him as I have seen drivers be when taking the Amtrak connecting bus between the Emmeryville station and SF. It was nice having electrical outlets on the bus to recharge our phones but would have been nice if the wifi was working. Apparently though this is an ongoing issue. I also would have liked if their bus stops were better marked to ensure no one misses where the bus stop location was, All in all it was a good trip and an awesome value, especially for this single mom/nursing student. :-) read more

I wanted to update it. I tried it again last week because I was lucky enough to get a $1 ticket to go to Sacramento to see my Grandma. There was no double decker bus like the original Megabus I rode had. There were power outlets, but the seats were very uncomfortable. Also their Wifi did not work so the advertising for Wifi was false. The ride was only worth $1 in my opinion because it's not getting all the services as advertising and the seats are uncomfortable as heck. read more

The Megabus was cheaper than flying, but was it worth my time? Be sure to ask yourself what your time is worth before booking your trip with Megabus. YAYs: +Power Outlets: one provided per passenger seat +New bus so it's quite clean +CHEAPer than a round trip flight +Comfortable seats NAYs: -Bathrooms are tiny. I tried to avoid at all costs. They also lack running water/a sink to wash hands...ew! - Too many stops! We stopped for 30 minutes at McDonald's both times. We don't need that much time to use the restroom and get food if we can grab fast food and eat on the bus. The bus ride was supposed to be SF to LA direct, but they stop in San Jose & Burbank to pick up passengers. -ENDLESS TRIP...My trip from SF to LA took 9 hours each way. I know it's a big bus, but I'd rather just drive myself and get there in half the time. -Lots of weirdos. read more

Trip to L.A. was without fault. The trip from L.A. to San Jose required a great deal of patience since mother nature opened the gates of heaven on the Grapevine of I-5, snow closed the pass so a detour was in order, a 2 hr + detour. Driver made up some time so in the end, we were only 1.75 hrs late. When bad weather arrives, be aware that a driver can only do so much. I`ve travelled many times with Megabus in IL and the Northeast; never had any problems. Some of my Greyhound experiences brings me nightmares because of overbooking. read more

Shittiest bus line ever. If you book with Megabus, expect your bus to break down in the middle buttfuck nowhere or just never show up at all. Please save yourselves some time and money by not riding with Megabus. read more

I started taking Megabus when I was staying with a friend in Valley Forge, PA (a suburb of Philadelphia.) I used her place as a launch pad to eventually make the move to NYC. However, for a few weeks my cat and I were on her couch. To get to NYC, I'd take the train fro Valley Forge to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and got on a Megabus or Bolt Bus to NYC from there. My experience with them has been good overall. I was really happy when I got the news they were coming to the Bay Area. I took MegaBus once from San Francisco to Reno to visit a friend who lives near Lake Tahoe. Last year I took a bus from Oakland to L.A. My first choice was to fly, but I took too long to by an airline ticket. Plus, the buses claim to have wifi. I know that could be spotty, but I hoped it would work. Of course, it was really spotty. I was able to get in by doing a wifi signal trick. That trick is go to http://www.1.1.1.1.com and in some cases that will pop up the log in page you need. However, I lost the signal at some point used my personal mifi signal, which is exactly why I still have a personal mifi signal. :) I reserved a seat because I needed the table for comfort when I work. I noticed when the bus pulled up there was someone in that seat. The driver asked her to move before coming out to check our tickets and let us on. The power connector at my seat worked and the bus wasn't too crowded. It would be a nightmare if it was as the seats are pretty tight. However, for a $33 fare, which includes the $5 seat reservation fee, I can't complain. I'm glad they're here. It's definitely no frills. I'd say the customer support could be better, but their profit margins are so tight, that you do get what you pay for in that respect. read more

Had a round trip from San Jose to Anaheim. On the way to Anaheim the bus broke down. second time this happens to me on a mega bus we were over 2 hours delayed. My trip back was cancelled by mega bus (Due to mechanical issues) with a very short notice. i was stuck at the station at 10:00 PM with no where to go. You get what you pay for i guess. cheap crappy unreliable service. read more

I really wanted to try this service as I had seen the ads and heard great things about this company, so I made a reservation for June 2008. As it turns out, the dates I picked didn't work for me so I tried to go into the system to reschedule. What I learned was that they were cancelling the line from San Francisco to Los Angeles - I heard it was because of low ridership as the reviewer before me stated, but I am sure the high gas prices made continuing this business highly difficult. It was like pulling teeth though trying to get my money back from them. Finally, after many calls to them and more empty promises that they would call me back with an update, I finally got my money back. It was most frustrating. It would've been a great service and a lucrative traveling option, but I guess it wasn't in the stars for this company. read more

Worst customer service ever: I got two email alerts for 1.) cancellation and then 2.) 1.5 hours delay (???) for the bus I was supposed to take. I was so confused and I called the customer service. Two of them hanged up my phone after I requested changes due to the bus delay. They told me the bus was still "running" and delaying.. They asked me to be there on time to wait the bus since "they work very hard to reduce the delay.." At the same time on their website, my ticket WAS cancelled. They will never do anything to make the situation better even though it is their fault, and they make their customers so confused. The customer service dont care about their "service" and the online system is worst in worst. read more

Megabus - The bus got cancelled 3 hours before the departure time! SO SWEET! - Buses Near Me

I had two valid reservations from Anaheim to San Jose for Thursday night 11:15 PM. Here are my reservation numbers: 1.) 25-6881-052517-M11R-2315-ANA-SJO 2.) 27-4726-052517-M11R-2315-ANA-SJO So, I reached Anaheim transit station by 10:45 PM. I went to the driver (lady driver) and showed her my confirmation email sent to me by megabus. She, without properly looking to my reservations, said that they were not valid reservations. I requested her a lot to look into my reservations but she started doing other stuff.I thought she might have some important work before allowing us to get inside. I was waiting, waiting and waiting outside with my friend. When she started driving bus I realized that she wasn't picking us even with the valid reservation. I went to the front door and requested her again. The other bus driver (male) opened the door for me and I went inside to the driver seat and requested her again. Again, without listening or showing interest in my reservations she closed the front door and started driving. She did not even care that I was standing at the dangerous zone of that bus. My friend and my stuff were outside the bus. After the request from the male driver, she stopped the bus and allowed me to get out of the bus. Finally, she left us on Anaheim station. I called my friend to pick us from the Anaheim stop. He came within 15-20 mins. I drove the car really fast to reach the Burbank,CA (this is one of the Megabus stop after union station). I was there before the bus that was totally my luck. Well, I almost had an accident while driving at that speed. It was very important to reach to San jose and so we have to take that risk. Surprised !!! Definitely, she was shocked to see us there. She parked the bus to pick other megabus customer from Burbank stop. She didn't open the door for 10-15 mins as she already knew that she was at fault. Finally, She came out from the bus and started shouting the bus is full. And I was like what ? How come ? I paid for my seats ! I struggled to get my seats at Anaheim stop ! Now the bus is full ? What the bullshit are you talking about lady ? Now, the male driver came into picture. He started telling us "Listen guys our bus is full so we can't take you in this ride" ! Oh man, are you kidding me ? We paid 76$ for those reservations. The male driver was really nice and helpful. He told to my friend that the lady driver took cash money at Union station to give random two people our seats. Our discussion went over 45 minutes they gave us random seats in a bus. After all this uproar, the male driver allowed us in but the lady driver was not even courteous to apologize for her mistake and for the inconvenience caused to us by her. So, what happened to us can have these reasons. Either the driver was corrupt and wanted some cash money or she was racist and did not allow us looking at our brown skin. Either way that was an injustice to us and so we want strict actions to be taken by your team. read more

I warn you. Do not depend on this method of transportation if you have to be at a certain place at a certain time. The cheap price is for reason. I just rode the mega bus from Oakland to Burbank California. The bus arrive 30 minutes late. And within 10 to 15 minutes of the ride The air conditioning began to malfunction and would only work intermittently. Considering we are currently in triple digit weather it is quite understandable the risk of taking a bus in this heat. I recommend that you do not take this bus in the heat of the day. The major competitor greyhound is a lot more expensive but is significantly more reliable. After the 2nd unscheduled stop the driver explain that there was a problem with the air conditioning and that we would need to stop every hour so that all passengers could be comfortable. He also stated that we would get a refund as a result of the problems on the bus. After contacting management a moment ago to explain my concerns and to request my refund of course they told me they would give me a 50% voucher on future travel. Avoid using the mega bus if you lack patience and or time. I didn't want to give it such a negative review however the customer service that I received after making my concerns appeared to fall on deaf ears. And they were somewhat rude and acted like they didn't care. So disappointing. They do have working power stations and the reserve seats look very comfortable. Nevertheless I will plan accordingly before I ever use this mega bus ever again. read more

Most experiences have been good. Most recent trip was delayed for two hours due to minor accident bus had and waiting for traffic report to be written. Once we got going AC was not on. Driver said it was due to sitting and idling, but ehh, I don't think so because the return trip was same bus and driver and it was off and very uncomfortable. I'm not sure where the nice double-decker buses went. They were comfortable and the AC always was on and working. My last two trips were on leased buses that are just barely ok coaches. Megabus is inexpensive and the rates can't be beat. If your only goal is to go cheap and save money this will work for you. I like a comfortable ride and arriving at least close to schedule. Being on time does not seem like a priority for Megabus. They often start loading passengers when they should already be on the road headed to their destination. At this time, I can't say that I will use service again. read more

My initial expectation (based on the ads and pictures) was an A320-like experience but that was my problem. So I'm posting mostly a positive review with some caveats. I would not take the bus for a ride longer than 4 hours (SF to Reno) and now onto the caveats. The bus is a double decker. I booked reserved seating on the upper deck and that was a plus. No overhead luggage compartment so check-in upon boarding whatever you can. The bags are stored in a luggage compartment at the back of the bus which is NOT accessible during the ride so get any personal items that you need with you to your seat. The stop in Sacramento is next to Starbucks and other shops; my interest there would be the bathroom in Starbucks :) My overall experience is this: the ride is fast and cheap. Yep make no mistake you get to Reno fast! The Wi Fi is on and off but what can you do; it's a hot spot with AT&T. Power outlets worked. Bathroom was ok but far from an airplane bathroom experience. The upper desk is somewhat bumpy - I never realized how bad I-80 was in terms of road surface quality. Staff are polite and even one driver had an awesome sense of humor. Boarding is orderly but do HAVE YOUR ticket printed on paper; no iPhone; no post-it with your reservation number; I saw many people struggle to figure that out right at the door which I'm sure made their trip stressful; just print the PDF that you get upon booking. In summary; would I do it again? Yes to Reno but not any further. I think the 4 hours is my personal limit on a bus! read more

If you need to re-book, do it online. They won't refund or waive the fee if you call (I tried). I have megabus another chance but that shortly came to an end again when they charged me more to re-book via phone vs online. The way the customer service rep framed it was that they were giving me a "one time redemption code." It's BS. Price was more on phone than if I did it myself. We are officially over, Megabus. read more

I've used Megabus several times to go back and forth from SF to Sacramento, and I've had mostly positive experiences. The buses I've been on have been nice and relatively well kept. They are all double-decker and have a bathroom on the lower level. The prices of the buses vary, but I've seen the fares as low as $1 with an additional $2.50 service charge (so really as low as 3.50). You can generally get a fare that cheap if you reserve far enough in advance, or if the bus is practically empty (like 10 pm on a Tuesday). Otherwise trips from SF to SAC are generally $5-15 (not including service fee), which is pretty reasonable to me. Greyhound seems to be slightly pricier for the same trip, and Greyhound makes more stops. You can choose to reserve a seat for an extra $1-7 or you can wait choose an unreserved seat during boarding for the standard fare. I generally reserve my seat because I like picking my seat, but I think this is most helpful if you are traveling with someone else and want to sit next to them. I generally reserve my spot on the upper deck, but recently I decided to try reserving a spot on the lower deck at a table. If you actually want to get work done, I WOULD NOT recommend a spot at the table. The tables are barely wide enough for 1 laptop, and as the bus is driving, the table shakes like crazy. I couldn't read my screen for half the trip because it was shaking so much. Checking a bag is pretty easy. You just drop it off with the attendant at the back of the bus, and they put it in the baggage area. There is no claim check or anything, so that kind of worries me. They don't even note who dropped off a bag. All the employees I've spoken to have been friendly and helpful. They mostly just check your reservation number and direct you to your seat if necessary. There are also electrical outlets near every seat. The SF boarding location is pretty convenient: it's at the last Caltrain stop, ~2 blocks from AT&T Park, 0.8 miles from Market Street (and 5th), and ~1 mile from downtown. The Sacramento stop is also very convenient since it is at the 65th St. light rail stop which is a hub for several Regional Transit bus lines and the Gold Line for the light rail. read more

Three years ago, I was in a long distance relationship with a guy in SF. At the time, I was a poor graduate school student who couldn't afford multiple round trip airfare, so I rode the hell out of Megabus. Fast forward to now. New man, new career, new me. A few days ago, I needed to find transportation from SF to LA. I have a tendency to save money any way I can, so I thought, why not Megabus it? :D UGH I hate you, past Nari. Worst decision I've made this month. My new thoughts on Megabus: 1. I already knew this, but I forgot how incredibly anal they are about the 1 luggage per person policy. I stared in disbelief as I witnessed a Megabus worker speaking condescendingly to a woman who brought 2 duffle bags. In his defense, I understand how it's annoying that people don't read or follow the rules clearly stated on the email confirmation ticket. But still, calm down Bag Nazi, you could have told her nicely. Don't gotta be so rude. 2. Typically, a bus ride from SF to LA takes about 7 hours. When I was young and full of energy, this was no problemo. Not anymore man. I was literally withering away like a sad unwatered plant. Body aches, headaches, and nausea are not fun. Ugh I'm old. 3. They have one stop in a deserted town called Buttonwillow. They have a Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Subway, Starbucks, convenience store, and clean bathrooms nearby. The bus driver will give you 15-30 minutes to roam free to buy food, take a piss, and whatnot. BUT once in a while, there will be people who think Buttonwillow is fucking Disneyland and will disappear for over an hour. And so everyone else will be waiting in the bus for them. WHY? 4. Sometimes the bus breaks down (i.e. blown tires, overheating engine) and you are deserted in the middle of nowhere. Then you will have to wait for the replacement bus. This takes time, minimum of 1 hour. So all of the above situations (#1-4) happened during this ONE time I decided to use Megabus again after 3 years. Let's do the math, shall we? Driving time: 7 hours Overheating engine problem: 1 hour Waiting for laggers at Buttonwillow: 1 hour Making two stops at San Jose & Burbank: 30 min GRAND TOTAL: 9.5 hours to go from SF to LA. Felt like 9.5 motherf'ing weeks. Unless you are a young and poor student, there is no reason to take the Megabus. You are a grown ass working (wo)man. You work hard for your money, and you do not deserve to be subjected to such a torture called Megabus. Spend the extra hundred or two and buy yourself a plane ticket. Please. So as for you Megabus, we are officially and permanently breaking up. It's you, not me. BYE. read more

REVIEWER # 419 Tell me where else you can ride a bus for dirt cheap?? Okay, so Megabus may not be a fancy dandy bus but it gets you to where you need to go for cheap..CHEAP! I have taken the bus a couple times and haven't had any bad experiences. I have taken the bus to Seattle and Portland, San Francisco to LA, Oakland to Sacramento and Sacramento to Reno. If you buy your tickets in a timely manner you pay as little as $3 dollars. Shooot....Where do I sign up so I can ride the bus for that price?! What's nice about Megabus is that each seat has a power outlets to charge your phone which is nice since my battery dies REALLY quickly and they also have WiFi but that's sucks so I just us my hotspot. My seat lucky had enough leg room so that wasn't a problem and most of my rides I usually don't have no one sitting by me ( I swear I don't smell bad) LOL but it works best for me so my purse can have its own seat. The bathrooms on the bus seem to be clean for the most part. The times that I have traveled either seem to be really early in the morning or late at night so most of the passengers seem to be really quiet and tired which makes the ride quiet...just how I like it. The driver doesn't say much unless he is stopping for a break (only happened one) or when we have arrived at our destination. The time of arrival always seem to be accurate and on time. I have always had good experiences with Megabus and plan to use them much more in the future! They are WAYY better then Greyhound! Wait...are they even still in business! (OUCHH) Review 60/196 read more

Well, I'm on one right now...I normally fly from SF to LA and vice versa, but for 5 bucks RT, I had to see for myself what the deal is. In order to avoid annoying my friends, I'll be chronicling my journey via this Yelp review rather than tweeting or FB posting obnoxiously. START: 12:38pm - I've sequestered a seat. The upholstery and general feel of the bus is that it's probably been doing work since the 90's, but not in an unpleasant way. Solid leg room, and the upper deck of the bus does have a pretty sweet view. Fairly empty, actually. 1:20pm - The WiFi appears to exist, but not in any useful capacity. Rather than suffer for the sake of the story, I'm tethering my laptop to my phone's 4G. I love technology...it'd be nice if the Megabus lived up to its WiFi aspirations...docking a star here. 2:20pm - We've stopped in San Jose. I didn't realize that we'd be picking up more humans, but it makes sense. Bus is now 95% full. My personal row has been compromised, but I still feel like I've got some good real estate. Seatmate is unfortunately a taciturn man, not a cute girl who loves talking about fantasy football and music. Ultra-late edit: I fell asleep and stopped writing about my experience, but it was basically exactly what you'd expect. I made it down in just about 8 hours, easy ride, no real problems. Same thing back up. Go for it. read more

I would not recommend the following people to ride this bus: - people with motion sickness - people with bladders as small as a squirrel (imagine a portapotty on a bus) FROM SF TO LA: I got to the Caltrain station and the driver was super friendly. Me and my friend were smart enough to grab the back row seats upstairs for more room, although I wish we could have snagged the downstairs seats with a table though. The bus ride is 7-8 hours with a 20-30 minute break, same as if one were to drive down. FROM LA TO SF: Boarded at Union Station in DTLA and even though we were 40 mins early, we were 10th in line. Kudos to MEGABUS for having a customer service guy to keep shit real. He made sure no one cut in line and just bum-rushed the door, which I thought was awesome and fair. My decision to sit in the FRONT of the bus upstairs was a bad one. For some reason I felt like those seats are ESPECIALLY uncomfortable. Also, I would advise anyone that has motion sickness to NOT sit in those particular seats. The one con I would have to point out is that the Wi-fi does not work on the bus, but thank goodness I brought a friend to chitchat with. Definitely going to be a customer again! read more

I'm torn whether or not to give this 3.5 stars or 4, but Yelp won't let you give half stars so I'll be generous and give 4. First of all, the price. It can't be beat. If you want to get to LA from SF for some last minute fun or plans and don't want to cough up major airplane moolah this is great. I got a $28 one way ticket to Los Angeles. It took about 7.5 hours and we had two stops. One in San Jose and another in Burbank to pick people up. We also stopped once for half an hour somewhere on the 5 to get food/stretch. I'll make it simple and do a pros and cons list: Pros: -No BS like going to the airport (driving and parking or taking public transpo to SFO, TSA, lining up, getting there 1.5 hours early, packing only 3 oz of fluid, expensive terminal food). Honestly, that is like a four hour debacle in itself so it kinda shaves four hours off the 7.5 hour bus ride -The price. Like around $30 bucks-ish to get to LA. Be warned, it gets more expensive on the weekends and holidays and the closer it gets to the day you want to go. I bought my return ticket to SF from LA the day of (Wednesday) and I paid $38 vs $28 by buying like, 4 days ahead of time. All in all about $70 roundtrip to LA. This isn't even one way for gas money down. -Lots of time to read, facebook, journal, text with the homies etc. Reflect on life haha. Also, they have chargers and wifi (but the wifi didn't work for me). -There were lots of families with small kids and more "normal" looking people taking the Megabus, versus say the Greyhound. Hey man, I have to keep it real. I've ridden the Greyhound and sometimes it feels like the prisoner express, but it isn't so bad. No one bothered me, and I didn't bother anyone. Cons: -It is a bus with lots of different people. If you are antisocial and not well traveled this may freak you out. People eating smelly things, people smelling, etc etc. Nothing anyone who has travelled before has not encountered. -The bathroom sucks for ladies. Pro tip: BRING HELLA TOILET SEAT COVERS. This is due to the fact that the toilet is so high that for women to sit, they are literally at a 90 degree angle and the toilet is not free standing but a bowl enclosed in seat which means there is no way to squat without touching your lady parts to the nastiness that is public toilets. Before your trip, take toilet seat covers from all the public restrooms that you can so you can place a thick swath of them on the toilet seat and pee in relative peace. Also, bring hand sanitizer, no sink -This is no luxury coach vehicle my friends. The ride is super bumpy and the tables downstairs don't provide much stability. I tried writing letters to people and even typing on the tables sucks because it is a standard bus. It is a much smoother ride upstairs. There are no sliding tables on the backs of seats in front of you like airplanes. Also, don't be scared of Union Station in Los Angeles. I'll be honest, I was scared of it but it is BEAUTIFUL. It has all the muni stations in SF beat. No joke. read more

Having taken Greyhound before, I was pretty nervous about my first trip on Megabus. However, when I got to the caltrain station at 11pm for a red-eye bus ride down to LA, I realized it wasn't going to be so bad afterall. The double decker buses are nice and clean. On the two rides I've been on so far, everyone has been pretty good about not making too much noise. Everyone was either asleep within an hour into the trip or quietly making conversation with their neighbors (on the daytime ride). No crazy hobos here. Even after a 40 minute stop in Kettleman city, we still arrived at the destination 15 minutes early. Complaints? No real ones. I don't expect much from the wifi. Heck, not even my cell phone has proper reception all throughout highway 5. If you don't need your own car in whatever city you're traveling to, Megabus is a really nice option. It takes the same amount of time, costs less (b/c of gas and/or bridge tolls depending on where you're going), and you can sleep without feeling bad for not staying awake with the driver. I will definitely be using megabus to get to LA and Sacramento in the future. read more

Cheap, (relatively) fast, easy to book. My new favorite discovery for getting myself around CA and to Vegas! If you make the trek from LA to the Bay Area with any frequency, you know that even those cheapy soutwest airlines flights (which i LOVE) add up. $49 a leg is a STEAL now for a flight, which takes you roughly 4-5 hours anyways, with airport times, etc. With Megabus, the sooner you book, the cheaper it is. I think each bus starts out with ONE $1 ticket (yes, ladies and gents, $1 for a fare from LA to SF). Then it jumps. At worst, I've seen the fare be $29 day of. That's still cheaper than your best-priced flights, and you have the flexibility of booking day of, without pre-reserving. Wifi is hit or miss, but most busses have outlets for powering up your phone so you can tweet about the bus ride. Also, drivers are good about maintaining order and cleanliness on the busses I've ridden. Lastly, my favorite thing, is the overnighter red-eye busses. I can leave LA at 7pm and arrive in San Jose at 1:30am, or leave SF at 11:30pm and arrive in LA at 7am. I waste no daytimes and I get there safely, quickly, and decently-comfortably. Tips: -one carry on, one under-bus luggage per person -get there a little early to get a boarding pass (number) for some busses, as seating is first come first served read more