Megabus Stop — Local services in Philadelphia

Now that Megabus is in bankruptcy, Peter Pan Bus has taken over the route that I ride, Philadelphia to New York and back. Not much change except that Fullerton Bus shares the stop as that company has taken over other Megabus routes.

Still no shade from the sun and no shelter from the wind at this location so dress for the weather. Peter Pan charges an additional $3.99 fee for each trip so it's an additional $7.98 for a round-trip ticket from the posted fare. They also post a ticket sales van at the stop on certain days but I'm not sure of the schedule.

Since the move to this stop, the destination signs didn't seem to join or haven't been replaced. It's a little confusing as at the previous stop west of 30th St. station, people lined up and in order of their arrival. Now it's a mob gathered around the ticket checker and late arrivals sometimes get on the bus earlier than people waiting longer. So far, interestingly I haven't seen any conflict because of this, though I'm frustrated that having arrived and waited 40 mins when someone who just walked up gets on the bus before me.

There is no shelter from the weather so be prepared for sun, rain, wind, heat and cold. The are no restrooms here. There are no amenities here, coffee and snacks are blocks away, I think there's a place at 30th and Chestnut but it's a long block.

There is one fewer set of restrooms at 30th Street William Gray Station as half of the building is under renovation. So there are fewer food and snack options because the food court there is closed.

I have noticed that there are fewer late arriving buses on my route to NYC, most have been on time. The drivers are more communicative than a few years ago and there's more sunlight on a nice day.

I've had to change Megabus tickets (not sure of the Peter Pan process) and the online process is better than a few years ago. You pay another booking fee and make up the difference from what you paid for your initial ticket. If the new ticket is cheaper you don't get a refund but the software offers you an opportunity to use up that credit to buy another ticket.

If you're not online savvy, you could lose out.

Oh, and beware of the seagulls that occasionally hang out on the banisters, they didn't seem to be the ones that steal your food at the boardwalks but are bigger than pigeons and will poop all over those banisters that keep people from falling onto the I-76 of ramp east and below...

Well I've booked a NY trip, the travel to NY was 3 hours and a half delayed on a Wi-Fi less and power plug less bus, it was more than 15:30 hours trip and the "driver assistant" woman was very rude, the delayed happened because of a border problem that had nothing to do with the company but they should know better their estimated hours since they make this trip almost everyday and that made me lose my hostel appointment.

But that was great compared to my trip back to Toronto, after 10 hours on the road, at leats the bus had power plugs and a slow Wi-Fi, so when we arrived near Buffalo they changed the driver, and the new "driver assistant" asked for my passport and where was my canadian visa (I'm brazilian by the way). So I've explained him that I had an ETA to go in Canada and that is eletronically attached to my american visa, so that's all I need to show at the border, but I had a copy of the ETA and I showed him even thought that's not necessary, so he just said that he didn't needed that and said "just read that", I said "so?", he said that ETA was only valid for flights to Canada, and I said that my first time in Canada must be by flight but after that I could come and go by land or water (after all I checked that several times online, obviously I wouldn't go to a border and take my chances, and since I've came before from Canada throught their own bus, I was already there), so "Mr Border Guard" started to say lots of things and that led to a several minutes discussion, I was being very polite and he said that he was not going to take me to the border, he said that I had to leave the bus and take a cab because he was on he's way, so I would cross the border and then what? walk my way to Toronto? So some people luckly was on my side on the bus and the driver said he was going to take me to the border. Result? after no more than a 2 minutes conversation with the border guard he just let me in with no problems at all. That "driver assistant" or whatever he is it's just lucky because that happened in Canada, if it was in Brazil I was going to put him and the company in justice that's for sure. If that's the company procedure I wouldn't advise anyone to take their services, but if that's not their procedure, I'll be waiting for some contact to explain me that situation and what's the problem of that employee, otherwise that review is going...

Let's talk transportation, folks. Let's talk Megabus, specifically the "Philly to Nightmarish Experience" express - December 17. Now, I'll own my mistake – booked the return trip for the same day instead of the next. Dumb? Of course. Did I actually use the ticket that day? Hell no. But hold onto your hats, because what followed was customer service so bad, it made the onboard bathroom stench seem like a lavender spa.

At the Spring Street stop, a guy checking tickets looked less like a Megabus employee and more like a bouncer guarding a particularly grimy nightclub. His language was about as appropriate as graffiti on a kindergarten playground, and his attitude? Let's just say if he were a tire, he'd be perpetually flat.

So, here's the kicker: I had a valid ticket, just for the wrong date. Paid for it, fair and square. Yet, Mr. Happy Fun Times wouldn't even entertain the idea of fixing it. Instead, I got a lecture about booking mistakes followed by a "tough luck" shrug for good measure.

Customer service hotline offered a glimmer of hope, but it quickly flickered out. Apparently, online date changes are a mythical creature at Megabus headquarters. My only option? Trek across the city to pay $10 at their main office. Not worth the cab fare, certainly not worth the aggravation.

Ultimately, I ditched Megabus. And here's the thing: it takes one bad experience to turn a maybe into a never again. Megabus, you just punched your own one-way ticket out of my good graces.

So, travelers, a word of warning: if you value basic human decency and customer service that doesn't resemble a back-alley negotiation, choose another bus line. Unless, of course, you're secretly craving a taste of verbal abuse and bureaucratic brick walls. In that case, hop on the Megabus.

Remember, folks, one interaction can shatter a reputation. Megabus, this one's on you. You dropped the ball, the bus, and any shred of goodwill I might have had. Safe travels......