ASU students can now take a bus to Los Angeles and back for about the cost of a tank of gas, thanks to a new transportation system with a stop next to the Tempe campus.
Megabus, a subsidiary of the Coach USA transportation company, began taking passengers from a stop at the ASU Parking and Transit Services building in August for fares as low as $1 for a round-trip to Los Angeles, said Megabus President Dale Moser.
Tickets top out at around $45, depending on demand and how early the seat is booked.
"Our demographics are made up of [primarily] college students," Moser said. "We're becoming a value for money alternative to driving."
Moser said the concept for Megabus was an "Internet-based low cost express city to city bus service," that originated in Scotland about four years ago and was brought to the United States in April 2006.
"We're now up to servicing 14 different cities," Moser said. "We've transported almost 600,000 passengers."
Moser added that aside from the pure cost benefit of using Megabus, the company also helps to reduce pollution and decongest the highways.
"If I can take 56 people and put them in our bus, that's 56 less cars on the road, that's huge, huge savings in fuel dependency, and that's good for economy," he said. "Even [compared to] 56 cars with fuel efficiency, our bus gives off significantly less CO2 than does the average car. "Those are reciprocal values to our business."
Art history senior Mitch Witteman said the idea behind Megabus sounds terrific.
"California is a great place to vacation," Witteman said, adding he would probably use the service in the future. "My grandparents live in California [and] I don't have a car so it's hard to see them."
Pre-business sophomore Laura Mooneyham said she thinks having a cheap bus system that has a pick-up location near campus is a good thing for ASU students, especially because many ASU students are from Southern California.
"If you can give them an inexpensive opportunity to go home and see family, then that's great," Mooneyham said.
According to the ASU Office of Institutional Analysis figures for 2006, 2,502 ASU non-resident students were from California in 2006, the most from any state besides Arizona.
Juliet Nelson, a program manager at ASU Parking and Transit Services, said she thinks Megabus is an excellent program.
"It's very low-cost, I would encourage students [to use Megabus]," Nelson said. "I think it's great, in fact I may try it myself to see how it works."
Although airlines can offer low fares also, a bus is better for the environment, Mooneyham added.
"[There is] definitely less exhaust on a bus than a plane," Mooneyham said.
Reach the reporter at: mculber@asu.edu.
