In August 2007, Megabus introduced service to Arizona and California usingCoach America as a contractor.[2] Ridership was sluggish and in early 2008, Megabus discontinued services in Arizona and California.[3]
In April 2019, Stagecoach Group sold its North American operations, including Megabus, to Variant Equity Advisors.[7][8]
In August 2024,Peter Pan Bus Lines took over operations of the Megabus routes in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.[9] Some routes were taken over byFullington Trailways. By that month, Megabus has served over 50 million passengers.[10]
In November 2024, Megabus was sold to Renco Group after the bankruptcy of Coach USA, although Coach USA remained the manager of bus operations.[11]
The Megabus fleet has the megabus.com name on the front and sides in yellow against a blue base and the Megabus logo on the left side of the coach (facing forward) and rear of the bus. The DATTCO fleet used for Megabus service also has Megabus logos, but with a DATTCO logo instead of a Coach USA logo for Megabus buses owned and operated by DATTCO. Buses on the M25 Megabus route operate withAcademy Bus livery.
Megabus service began with usedMotor Coach Industries 102EL3 Renaissance coaches, often transferred from other Coach USA operations, with some services utilizing Chicago- andWisconsin Coach Lines buses. In 2007, Coach USA updated itsChicago-based Megabus fleet with new MCI J4500 single-deck andVan Hool TD925 double-deck motorcoaches.
In May 2008, Megabus expanded to theNortheastern United States with a fleet of primarily brand-newMotor Coach Industries D4505 coaches, several newVan Hool TD925-double decker buses, and some buses purchased secondhand or transferred from the Chicago fleet. This expansion came as Megabus exited from the West Coast market.[3] Further expansion in the Northeast came in the fall and winter of 2008-2009, when additional double-decker buses were delivered, resulting in much of the single-deck buses being transferred to sister operationEastern Shuttle, pushing many of the EL3s to retirement. The fleet transferred to Eastern Shuttle was eventually returned to mainline Coach USA duty following divestiture a few months later.
The Canadian Megabus fleet consists of 15 2009 TD925 buses operated by Trentway-Wagar. All of the Canadian fleet is equipped with electrical outlets and Wi-Fi. The Canadian buses are pooled with the US fleet for NYC-Toronto or Philadelphia-Toronto runs, with drivers swapping at Buffalo to stay within their certified country. On these runs, the buses will typically only have Wi-Fi service available in the home country for the bus being used; i.e., Canadian buses will turn off their WiFi at the US border, and American buses will turn off WiFi upon entering Canada. This is to avoid roaming charges from the cellular carriers that provide internet service.
On September 1, 2008, a Detroit-bound M1 coach was pulled over by Michigan State police after officers noticed the bus swaying and speeding outsideBenton Township, Michigan. The bus's driver was arrested when he was found to have ablood alcohol level of .07, well above the .04 limit for commercial bus operators. It was the first drunk driving incident in Coach USA history. A replacement driver was brought in to bring the 30 passengers to their final destination.[13]
On September 11, 2010, around 2:30 a.m., a Toronto-bound M34 double-decker coach missed an exit to theWilliam F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center inSyracuse, NY, and hit a railway overpass carrying theSt. Lawrence Subdivision alongNY Route 370 2 miles (3.2 km) farther away. Four passengers were killed, all in the front of the upper deck, crushed into the lower deck in the crash, and 17 others were injured.[14][15] Megabus settled the resulting lawsuits, including one for $3.1 million.[16]
On August 2, 2012, a St. Louis-bound M5 service Megabus coach with 64 passengers slammed into a concrete bridge pillar onInterstate 55 nearLitchfield, Illinois. At least one passenger was killed, and 30 were hurt. Police attributed the crash to a blown tire.[17][18]
On February 21, 2016, a double-decker Megabus traveling from Chicago to Milwaukee turned around an hour into its trip citing a need to "change buses" to its passengers.[19][20] Shortly after turning around, the bus stopped on the side ofU.S. Route 41 inLake Forest with a flat tire and caught fire before exploding.[21] All passengers, including the driver, had evacuated the bus before the explosion and were unharmed, but all passenger belongings still stowed on the bus were destroyed.[19] The incident wasliveblogged by then-The New York Times columnist Lucas Peterson.
On May 22, 2022, a Megabus carrying 47 passengers traveling fromNew York City toWashington, DC rolled over on its right side onInterstate 95 northeast ofBaltimore, injuring 27 people, 15 of whom went to the hospital.[22]
On August 9, 2022, a Megabus from New York City to Philadelphia hit a pickup truck on theNew Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). They lost control, causing the double-decker bus to crash into barriers and roll over on its right side at the ramp for the Thomas Edison Service Area. The crash killed two passengers and seriously injured two others and the bus driver.[23]
