NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Megabus.com, the popular city-to-city, express bus company with fares from $1, today announced expansion to Columbia, S.C. and Fayetteville, N.C.; as well as additional services to/from Atlanta, Athens, Ga. and Durham, NC. Service begins February 18 and tickets can be purchased at www.megabus.com  today.

Columbia and Fayetteville residents will soon be able to travel express between the two cities; as well as to and from Atlanta, Athens, G.A. and Durham, N.C. for as low as $1 on three daily arrivals/departures. In each service location, megabus.com provides service out of a local intermodal transportation facility, providing customers with additional convenient, inexpensive local transportation options.

"Megabus.com has rapidly become the travel option of choice for more than 32 million people and we're now excited to bring our unique travel option to residents of South Carolina," said Mike Alvich, VP of Marketing for megabus.com/Coach USA. "As Americans continue to look for ways to stretch their dollar, we look forward to providing safe, convenient and affordable travel to the hundreds of thousands of Columbia and Fayetteville residents while providing Atlanta, Athens and Durham customers with additional service options."

"Being home to America's constitution defenders, we appreciate our freedoms of travel and choice," said John Meroski, President and CEO of the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitor's Bureau. "Megabus.com has fulfilled these rights by giving our residents access to destinations they might not have chosen to drive or have flown to, and opened destinations from which the CVB can attract future visitation."

The launch into South Carolina will mark the 34^th U.S. state in which megabus.com operates; plus the District of Columbia and Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.   

"As the official tourism entity for the Columbia region, we're in support of and excited megabus.com will be serving our community and providing new opportunities where visitors can easily access South Carolina's beautiful capital city," Bill Ellen, interim president and CEO of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism.

"Customers can travel to these popular destinations in approximately the same amount of time it would take to drive themselves, without the stress of being behind the wheel," added Alvich. "Customers can recline, rest and even sleep, or, if they prefer, keep themselves connected and entertained with free Wi-Fi and power outlets in every seat on our state-of-the-art double-decker buses." 

Customers are encouraged to book early to secure the best rates.

"The $1 fares go quickly, but there are many other great fares available if you book early," said Alvich. "Traveling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays is another great way customers can secure the best megabus.com fares."

A recent study released by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development of DePaul University entitled "Motoring Into the Mainstream / 2013 Year-in-Review of Intercity Bus Service in the United States" revealed that express bus carriers like megabus.com provided American travelers savings of $1.1 billion over the past year.

Megabus.com, a subsidiary of Coach USA, launched in April 2006 and is one of the largest city-to-city express bus service providers in North America. In addition to affordable fares, megabus.com offers customers state-of-the-art, green-certified double-decker buses with free Wi-Fi, restrooms and are wheelchair accessible. Megabus.com has equipped every bus purchased since 2006 with three-point lap/shoulder seat belts, providing the top safety standard for megabus.com's 32 million passengers in more than 120 cities across North America.

Visit www.megabus.com for additional information about the service, schedules, arrival and departure times and fares.

ABOUT MEGABUS.COM
Megabus.com, one of the largest privately funded providers of city-to-city express bus transportation, maintains the highest (Satisfactory) safety compliance rating with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Transportation Safety Exchange (TSX), an independent safety rating organization that provides safety ratings of more than 300,000 passenger and freight carriers, announced in January 2014 that all megabus.com carriers are TSX-approved. Megabus.com is the first carrier group to achieve TSX approval, demonstrating the most stringent safety standards in the industry.

Megabus.com is the first bus line to offer high-quality travel for as low as $1 via the Internet. Megabus.com operates service to/from more than 120 major cities in North America from 13 hubs in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Texas Triangle (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio), Washington D.C. and Toronto – creating more than 1,000 new, professional jobs during the past eight years. Visit www.megabus.com for a complete list of cities served. 

Since its launch on April 10, 2006, megabus.com has served more than 32 million customers. 

Service for megabus.com operates daily. Fares shown are one-way and include all government taxes. 

* Watch the video here for Safety information. 

Megabus.com is a subsidiary of Coach USA, one of the largest transportation companies in North America. Paramus, N.J.-based Coach USA owns and operates nearly 30 local companies in North America, some that have been in business for more than 70 years, which operate scheduled bus routes, motor coach tours, airport transportation services, charters and sightseeing tours. 

For the latest news and travel deals, follow megabus.com on Twitter at @megabus and Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/megabus.com.officialpage.

SOURCE Megabus.com