When it comes to long-distance, economical, eco-friendly travel in America, the options are relatively limited. While Europe is interconnected by an increasingly complex series of train routes, Amtrak is viewed by some as a slow and unreliable alternative to air travel. And Greyhound has been cutting routes, including the one from Bloomington to Indianapolis.
Until last April, many Americans who found themselves without a car or the several hundred dollars needed to buy a plane ticket were stuck at home.
On April 10, "megabus," a "low-cost, daily, express bus service" that started in the UK branched out to form a new hub in Chicago. From there, one can travel to a host of Midwestern cities: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Toledo, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, and, most important locally, Indianapolis.
Buses travel from Indianapolis to Chicago and back three times a day. Since the buses make no stops in between the two cities, the ride lasts a little over three hours. These three hours are spent in typical charter bus comfort: sitting in seats fitted with material to hide years of stains, feet on little foot rests that pop out from the back of the seat in front, staring at tiny televisions that play nothing or at the scenery through large windows while weathering air conditioning that is on at full blast.
But it is not the megabus riding experience that is so remarkable — it is the price.
Ticket prices depend on several factors: how far in advance they are purchased and how flexible travelers are about when they leave. Tickets purchased early enough — online at ... — cost as little as $2.50 on a round-trip ticket from Indy to Chicago: $1 there, $1 back, plus a 50 cent "reservation fee."
... lists various departure and arrival dates and times. Tickets for the bus that departs first or last are cheaper than those for the bus that departs in the middle of the day.
The day of the week can also factor into the equation. Tweaking the departure date by a day or two could affect the price. However, the chances are that booking the day of the trip won't cost spend more than $20-35 each way, a far cry from the price of a plane ticket.
What's more, megabus travel is refreshingly different from plane travel. While it is prudent to arrive at the airport at least an hour before departure, megabus suggests arriving at the bus stop 15 minutes before departure. While megabus doesn't always leave or arrive on time, the degree of tardiness is generally within an hour and influenced by circumstances beyond their control (road construction).
In Indianapolis, megabus stops at the city bus stop in front of the City County Building at 200 E. Washington St. In Chicago, it stops in front of Union Station.
Clearly, there are advantages and disadvantages to this system. While there is no security check that takes an hour to wade through and may result in the confiscation of liquids, there is only a tiny sign that confirms you're in the right place.
In these first few months of operation, the megabus stop can be identified by the crowd of people milling about next to the bus stop looking faintly confused and asking, "Are you here for megabus too? . . . Oh, good, this must be the right place then."
At the same time, there is an air of excitement surrounding the stop, as if everyone seems to be in on a little secret.
It's hard to say which is more exciting: the initial disbelief that you've spent a piddling amount to get to Chicago for the weekend or the fresh hope that maybe affordable, environmentally responsible, long-distance mass transit in the United States isn't out of the question after all.
Cora Polsgrove can be reached at cpolsgrove@macalester.edu.