Megabus is a cheap way to get from city to city.

By CLAIRE NAISBY

Two months ago, my car was totaled in an accident. I’ve always hated driving, for environmental and health reasons, and also just preferred riding my bike. I decided to take on the “no car” challenge for a while, and have learned a lot about public transportation, convenience, and rain in the process.

My biggest challenge was when I decided I was not going to fly to Washington, DC, for a business conference because I wanted to keep the travel expenses low.  Did you know you can make it from Davidson to Washington, DC and back without a car? If not, are you wondering how? Here’s how I did it: The Megabus!

The Megabus describes itself as a “safe, convenient, low cost, daily express bus service that offers city-to-city travel … in luxury single and double-decker buses.” Not only are the buses comfortable, but Megabus provides free wi-fi and an electrical socket while you are traveling down the highway. Did I mention they have a bathroom on board, too? This means no pit stops like you waste time doing when traveling by car.

The bus departs from Charlotte Transportation Center at three different times each day and arrives at Union Station in the middle of DC in about seven and a half hours, including pick-up spots in Raleigh and Richmond, and a 30-minute food pit-stop.

My round trip ticket to Washington, DC cost $70. I chose the 10pm bus and arrived in Union Station at 5:30 the next morning. I had two seats, so after checking my email, I laid down on the extra seat, curled up in my blanket, and slept the whole way. No security lines at the airport, no swearing at other cars in traffic jams, and no baggage claim.

To get to Charlotte Transportation Center where the Megabus departs from, I took the 77x CATS bus downtown the evening of my departure with my suitcase in tow. That leg of the trip costs $2. The schedule for the CATS 77x can be found on RideTransit.org.

After hanging out with a few Davidson alumni in DC on the Saturday after my conference finished, I caught the Megabus home on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the 77x does not run on the weekend yet (because there isn’t enough demand), so I posted on Facebook to see if anyone was heading back up to Davidson from Charlotte on Sunday. If I could not find a ride, I planned to stay with some friends in Charlotte Sunday evening and take the 77x back up to Davidson first thing on Monday morning. But, David Boraks responded within minutes to my post. He picked me up, and I carpooled back up to Davidson with him.

Total transportation cost to Washington, DC, and back = $72, plus a cup of coffee for David.
Even if you have a car, I challenge you to try out more public transportation options and biking (if this rain ever stops). It’s always an adventure, it encourages the expansion and improvement of public transportation, and you can’t beat the prices.

Claire Naisby lives in Davidson and is the Energy Manager at Davidson College.

RELATED LINKS

Aug. 25, 2011, Summer Scoop column, “An outing to Charlotte on the 77x bus”

Aug. 4, 2011, Summer Scoop column, “A road trip on the North Meck Village Rider”