Megabus: A Great Way to Travel from Detroit to Chicago

Do you live in Detroit or Chicago? Live in one of the cities and have friends or family in the other? Or do you just want to go on a weekend getaway to someplace not too far away? If you have answered yes to any of these questions then taking the Megabus may be for you.

The Megabus runs from Detroit to Chicago on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and from Chicago to Detroit on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There are three bus stops for passengers in the Detroit Area, two in the city of Detroit, one at the Rosa Parks Transit Center, a stop at Wayne State University, and the last stop before Chicago is in Ann Arbor at the U of M, State Street Park and Ride. The bus stop in Chicago is located at Union Station which is centrally located in downtown Chicago.

You must purchase your tickets for the Megabus on-line at www.megabus.com . The prices for tickets on the Megabus are not all priced the same, in fact Megabus advertises that you can travel from Detroit to Chicago for $1. While I have not paid $1 for my ticket, I have taken a trip from Detroit to Chicago with my boyfriend for $78 round trip total for the both of us. The price of your ticket depends on how far ahead in advance you are planning your trip. Also, please note that each ticket you purchase is one-way, therefore meaning that you are paying a separate price for each ticket. For example, if you are planning to take a trip from Detroit to Chicago on the week you are purchasing the tickets you can expect to pay about $24 for your ticket from Detroit to Chicago, and possibly the same for your trip from Chicago to Detroit. If you are planning your trip a few weeks in advance you can expect to pay about $13 to $14 for each ticket, meaning a round trip total of $26 to $28 for one person.

Seats on the Megabus are not assigned, meaning that seats are first come first served. So if you are interested in getting a seat either in the front or back of the bus please get to the bus stop early. This is especially true at the stop at Union Station in Chicago, since there are Megabus employees at the stop to assist with the boarding of the bus.

On my trip from Detroit to Chicago we traveled on a single level bus and on the way from Chicago to Detroit we traveled on a double decker bus. Our bus from Detroit to Chicago was not completely full and so we were able to switch seats before we reached Ann Arbor so that we were more comfortable. As for our trip from Chicago to Detroit, each and every seat was full, and we were very happy to have gotten to Union Station an hour before departure as the employees had everyone line up about 30 minutes prior to departure. We were able to have our pick of seats and chose to sit on the top deck of the bus in the back. I don't think I will chose to sit on the top deck of the bus if I plan another trip on the Megabus because I developed a bit of motion sickness on the trip back to Detroit.

My boyfriend and I truly enjoyed our trip on the Megabus and were very happy to not have to deal with traffic while traveling into Chicago. We were able to relax, read, and watch a movie on our ride and do so relatively inexpensively. In the future when planning a trip on the Megabus we will probably purchase our tickets further in advance so that our tickets are less expensive.

So, if you are planning a trip from Detroit to Chicago, or from Chicago to Detroit plan to take the Megabus, you won't be disappointed!