Until August, commuting to and from state universities did not require much thought due to the easily available and affordable Megabus. However, recent changes may make travel harder.
Popular transportation service Megabus terminated its Texas routes on Aug. 16. The parent company, Coach USA, decided to halt Texan activity to reduce the financial burden still felt after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many Coppell High School graduates are surprised by this change since the Megabus was widely used by local college students.
“I wasn’t expecting it to shut down,” 2023 graduate and UT Austin sophomore Muskaan Agarwal said. “I used Megabus most of the time, so this has definitely impacted my commute to college.”
Megabus was a popular means of commuting roundtrip from college, especially over long weekends. It was a popular mode of transport utilized by Coppell graduates due to its nominal fee starting from $1.
“Throughout my entire freshman year I did not have a car, so I would use the Megabus whenever I wanted to get back, like on weekends or big breaks,” said 2023 graduate and UT Austin sophomore Angelina Liu, former editor-in-chief of The Sidekick. “So last year this would have been a really big issue. A tank of gas from Austin to Dallas is between $40 and $60, which is not very affordable especially if you are only going home for a weekend.”
Its frequent running was convenient to students.
“Megabus was quite convenient because it was usually reliable,” Agarwal said. “I always went to the same bus stop and just had to show my ticket, and I liked that the wait times weren’t too long between arriving at the stop and the bus coming. In my experience and from what I heard from others, Megabus was rarely delayed and never canceled.”
The discontinuation of the Megabus also reduces flexibility for students regarding the time they can ride public transportation as each service has their own windows during which they arrive and leave.
“None of those times that are currently there work for me,” 2024 graduate and UT Austin freshman Mahati Sudhagar said. “So without the Megabus, I feel like I don’t have that extra option. It is frustrating because I feel like the Megabus could have worked, but it’s not there, so it doesn’t.”
Without the Megabus, transportation has also become more expensive for students.
“I usually take the Red Coach, but it is frustrating that you have to pay so much just to get home,” Sudhagar said. “I wish we had a cheaper option than Red Coach.”
College freshmen are left to search for other transportation methods even before they had the choice of the Megabus. This can be challenging as it limits their transportation alternatives.
“I know for one that the Megabus was significantly cheaper than some of the options that are available, so not even being able to have that option kind of sucks,” Sudhagar said.
Students have been exploring various options, but they are not as time-efficient as the Megabus.
“So far, I’ve been using Hitch to travel to and from home,” Agarwal said. “Hitch has been more time-consuming because I always have to ask if anyone is traveling on the same weekend at the same time as me and wants to join.”
Some CHS students now have to change their future plans on commuting to college.
“I was hoping to ride the Megabus because it is less expensive,” senior Pragnya Kolla said. “Since it is not available anymore, my parents will either drive me to college or I will drive myself.”
Follow Ishana (@_ishana_sharma) and @CHSCampusNews on X.
