I have taken Megabus for 4 trips so far.. From Austin to San Antonio and back, and from SF to Sacramento and back... I am not sure I will do it again or not.. The seats are tightly packed together so there is little leg room, if you have a full bus, you are very crowded.. can't even open your laptop. I have had to sit sideways across two seats and pray no one wanted the seat beside me. The wifi has yet to work on any of the buses that I have ridden. It's however is cheap.. I suppose you get what you pay for. read more

My mom just took Megabus from LA to Oakland last weekend and I am sharing her experiences with Yelp. First of all, Megabus is great. We really needed an affordable and non-scrungy way to get between LA and the Bay Area and this is it. It takes around 6-1/2 hours each way and the buses are clean, and the customers are nice and decent people -- no freaks, tweakers or smelly weirdos. The downside is -- it's very new and so they are still ironing out the kinks. Her bus up here from LA was delayed an hour because the original driver "had a panic attack at the thought of driving the bus in San Francisco traffic," according to the replacement driver. Also the signs at the drop-off points at Union Station (LA) and West Oakland BART are very tiny and impossible to see. Finally, the seats are nice but they are packed tightly together. My mom is 5'10" and she says she was definitely cramped. The bus wasn't full and so it wasn't bad, but if and when the buses fill up it might be a problem. Bottom line -- YES we love Megabus and we plan to become loyal customers. Check it out! read more

Dear Mega Bus, I go back and forth to Reno fairly often, and all of these flights take quite a toll on the wallet. So when I heard about you, you seemed too good to be true: San Francisco to Reno for $12? There had to be a catch. But you were everything I had hoped for. You were on time and well groomed. The company you kept wasn't sketchy--in fact, everyone was downright pleasant. I met up with you feeling a bit unsure, but I left you feeling jubilant. This could be the start of something great! It wasn't until an hour or so later that I realized I forgot my suitcase in your luggage compartment. I swear it wasn't an intentional ploy to see you again. I called you immediately. I just wanted my stuff back. The phone rang again and again. Did you give me a fake number? I scolded myself for getting caught up in the excitement of something so new--I didn't really know you, and shouldn't have trusted you. Finally I got through to voicemail and self-consciously left a casual, breezy (or so I hoped) message, explaining my plight. And then I waited. And waited. And you didn't call back. But, lo and behold, the next day you called! You teased me about my forgetfulness, and we had a good laugh about it. You told me that you'd be back in San Francisco that night, and we could meet up to hand off my stuff. I'm not gonna lie--seeing you at the bus station sent a wave of relief over me. I got my stuff back and best of all, forged a new relationship that I don't see ending anytime soon. Mega Bus, I'm not looking for Mr. Right. Right now and right price is just what I'm searching for, and I think this'll work out just fine. Til next time, Hilary read more

Oh my gosh what a great experience! This could not have been more convenient! Stayed the night in San Francisco, needed to get back to Sacramento the next day! The bus was so easy to book. For $11, I got to ride on a clean double decker bus. It arrived on time, the check in process went smoothly, found a seat with a little table to set my drink. The bus has plugs to plug in a cell phone or laptop. The crowd didn't seem "rough" and the locations of pick up and drop off were perfect! The bus quoted 2 hour travel time and even arrived about 20 minutes earlier! This is something I will be spreading the word about. Oh wait...I already have ;) read more

Megabus - Riding the bus back to Sacramento! - Buses Near Me

If I w=could give no stars to Megabus company I would. Driver reported mechanical problems. Problems had started from starting point San Francisco. Arrived late to Oakland where I started off. In San Jose driver called about situation. Driver had to stop several times to add anti-freeze. Driver also had to buy anti-freeze to continue . Although problem had been reported {Driver called several times) Megabus did nothing to correct problem and had NO CONCERNs for passengers. No replacement bus and mechanic that was coming showed up at Grapevines only to follow behind an left after we got through the Grapevines. Finally made it to Los Angeles 1 1/2 hour late. To the bus driver I commend her for keeping passenger inform of the situation. read more

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Zero stars. Horrible! Avoid! Traveling from OAK to LA and after waiting for 45 mins with no bus in sight, called CS only to be told they have no real idea where the bus is or when it would arrive. The "CS Manager" whom I could barely understand, just hung up on me. How ridiculous! Mind you we were outside in 30 degree weather. Save yourself the headache and steer clear! read more

I was introduced to MegaBus by word of mouth, and I've only taken MegaBus a handful of times, but they've all been great experiences for what they are. I'll expand on this. It was the price that drew me into MegaBus, but it was the convenience that drove me back. They have unbelievably low prices, and if you book in advance, it's even cheaper. Deals for $10 trips to to Los Angeles can be had for booking mid-week trips, and there are even sometimes $1 deals to catch the bus. In comparison to flying with new TSA regulations and searches, MegaBus takes approximately the same amount of time. The only reason I'm not giving them five stars is for their bathrooms. Their bathrooms are essentially porta-potties on wheels, but the driver of the bus usually cleans the bus at every stop, which is above and beyond. I have to pee frequently, so I had to bear the bathrooms, but most people have no issue as they stop about four times, and off-bus bathrooms can be found if you can wait until the bus stops, so the bathrooms are only an issue if you have a small bladder. Tips to New Riders: 1. Book your trip early. 2. Double check that your luggage meets their luggage requirements. 3. Get there early to your bus departure. This will ensure you first choice of seats. 4. Have your reservation number handy for easier check in. 5. The overnight bus ride is not the easiest to sleep in, so don't count on it. 6. Bring snacks. Some stops can be far apart. 7. Don't count on the WiFi, it can get bogged down really easily. Happy travels, and in spite the drawbacks, MegaBus is still a steal and quite reasonable for travel. read more

Please see this companies customer service...pathetic: Me: Hello, My name is ****, I had a ticket for the bus from San Francisco, CA to Sacramento, CA on December 19th at 12:30 pm. I had a large bag with me in which I intended to store in the cargo bin. Upon arrival, the driver straight up refused the bag under the grounds that it was his discretion. The bag fit within the dimensions he stated but he refused to measure the bag as he he kept relaying back to "drivers discretion". Due to this mishap, I was forced to go to the Amtrak station in Oakland and pay an additional $30 for a last minute train ride. The drivers unwillingness to look at my bag or communicate with me was a horrible example of customer service. I had high hopes of utilizing Megabus from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I am e-mailing you today to express my displeasure with the driver and request a refund. Please give me a call with any questions. Thank you, Megabus: Please be advised it is the drivers discretion to determine if the luggage meets our luggage requirements. We do apologize but we are not able to offer any compensation if you were denied travel. read more

On a 10 hour trip from San Francisco to Anaheim our bus broke down. We waited for 3 hours for a mechanic to fix the bus before we were on our way to our final destination. That 10 hour trip turned into a 14 hour trip. For compensation I am being offered 100% refund code for a future trip. I am never riding this bus again, why do I need a code for a future trip? Horrible bus service and unacceptable customer service. Don't waste your money on this company. read more

This company has horrible customer service and do not want to resolve your complaints. They would rather ignore you than support their customers. They make tons of mistakes and do not care. The people in charge want to see this company fail. I do not understand why a company would care so little about the people that pay them, they would not have an income if it was not for their customers. This company needs to pay attention and make some serious changes before both them and their parent company Coach USA go out of business because they treat megabus patrons like lower class citizens. If you need a corporate number look up coach usa instead of megabus. read more

The ride was smooth. The drivers were pretty decent and nice. Having the paper and getting on the bus was easy and fast. With the price and the comfort level (not bad at all) I would totally do it again. A lot of people have tired MegaBus and it is a great service. You normally have about 20 or less people within the same ride. Not a lot of people to get the bus crowded but good enough. The bus is clean, the seats are clean, the bathroom in the back is really clean too. Thumbs up! read more

Everything started off quite nicely, then we pulled into San Jose. Yes of course the price is right, but saving $50-$100 is certainly not worth the discomfort of being trapped with the folks who are riding with you for 7 hours. The girl throwing up in the bathroom had to move next to me and then the lady with a cough/cold sat directly across. The free wifi is misleading because you cannot stream Youtube or music because the network will not allow you to use any bandwidth. It is not worth the roll of the dice and I highly recommend that you re consider the bus trip to SF to LA if you have an option. read more

So far just okay.. The seats are tiny, wifi never works.. Lets see how well this ride goes. I guess you can't expect much from a bus. But this is false advertisement with this non-working wifi. Btw... Where are the outlets they said we would have on board? I haven't seen one yet. If you have allergies please bring your medicine. I don't know if its just dusty as hell or what but a lot of people (including myself) are having allergy attacks as we speak since we boarded this thing. I may need to knock off a star at the end of this trip. read more

So upset. I went to purchase a ticket for my mom on my phone and found you can NOT purchase a handicap ticket. Is this legal?? There is no option to note that the passenger will need assistance or that they have a wheel chair or a service animal. It also did not let me state the passengers name or address assumption was that the person listed on payment was passenger. I purchased ticket hoping to resolve it by calling customer service. NOT helpful the agent Mike communicated he was very limited in what he could do. He let me know there would be a $10 change fee PLUS what the difference was in fare ?!?! Also told me he would not let me speak with a manager after I had requested several times. I paid the fee service fee changed the name but the call took 30 minutes with interruptions and a call back due to a "slow system". So disappointed. read more

I took my first Megabus trip this weekend. SF Giants were opening the season in LA and I decided to take a roadtrip. Turns out Megabus drops you off at Union Station where there is a connecting bus going straight to Dodger Stadium which is only a couple miles away (1.7 I think). I also understand that Megabus drops off less than a mile from Angel Stadium where the Giants will play a series this year. On Friday March 30, 2018 I boarded at San Jose at 8:20 and arrived at L.A. at 3:00. I paid an extra five dollars for a reserved seat with a table. The table is small, too small for four laptops. The bus also bumps too much for a smooth working environment. The seats are close together. It was mostly clean, but there was dust and dirt. I am not a clean freak, but next time I may bring some cleaning wipes and wipe the table and window down. The drive was smooth and the driver was cool. We stopped in Kettleman City (spelling?) for about 25 minutes or so. There were a number of fast food restaurants and a couple convenience stores. What can I say? The ride down was pretty quick and almost on time (about 8 minutes late). The wifi did NOT work... that is the one drawback. I was pleased with the experience. This is a cheap and easy way to get to L.A. I was surprised at how quick it went by, and I did not burn any nervous energy the way I do when I drive down there. The return trip was the "RED EYE" overnight from L.A. to San Jose. I feared this might be rough. I typically cannot sleep on planes, and dreaded being a sleepless night and difficult next day. I was surprised to fall asleep easily. I woke a couple times but went back to sleep quickly. I had a pillow and black beanie I pulled over my eyes. This helped. Also I was lucky no one sat next to me. The bus was almost full. I am not sure how well I would have slept if someone was next to me. But I managed to be out almost the entire time. The bus did stop for 20 minutes somewhere. I glanced out the window. I am not sure what was open if anything. Got to San Jose on time (maybe a couple minutes early). On Sunday morning the first northbound Caltrain leaves at 8:38. So I had a two hour lay over. Which was not fun, but also not terrible. Although if it was a sleepless night that two hour layover would probably be miserable. Honestly, I am pleased with the experience. It is a discount bus. No frills, nothing fancy, a little tight, but for the price, its a great option. Now if only the wifi worked... read more

I ride Megabus 3-4 times a week. This is my email to them Wed, March 13th 2019, I arrived at 65th and University at 5:15am. I usually catch the megabus at 6am three to four times a week. This morning was no exception, however it was late. I received the email regarding megabus being 30-45 minutes late. It was more than 30-45 minutes late. We all understand there are times of unforeseen situations. I've supported Megabus over 3-4 years. I have experienced the bus being late, broken down or not showning up. This was a bit too much. We all have to work. I had to chose another option which was an inconvenience for me, needless to say an expense. I would like for Megabus to book another roundtrip ticket for me at the same price and time March 19-23. Feel free to email me regarding this problem #AH3NJ7Q MEGABUS RESPONSE We're very sorry that our bus was delayed. Occasionally operational issues, can result in short operational delays which may affect our normal on time bus departures and scheduling. We do our best to anticipate these and try to make proactive arrangements to minimize inconvenience. Unfortunately, we will not be able to issue any refunds for these circumstances as they are out of our control. We appreciate your business. Thank you for choosing megabus. Sincerely, Annie Megabus Customer Service Specialist I WILL MAKE SURE I RIDE FOR FREE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AS REPAYMENT read more

Worst coach i have ever used. Very rude driver and co driver. No waiting lounge so you basically stand in line out in the cold for an hour waiting to get in. Very uncomfortable seats, very stingy luggage policy - only one item of luggage is permitted. Very costly compared to better alternatives like bolt bus, fake $1 fare promo as their fares are always over $30 from LA to San Francisco. All in all a rubbish coach service and will never use it again read more

Pros: cheap price. Arrived in one piece both times I've taken it between SF and Sacramento. Trip leaving SF has always arrived on time. Cons: Trip leaving Sacramento was ~1.5 hours late one time (on time the other time). The time it was late, it was impossible to get a hold of anyone at their number. A couple waiting at the same place claimed they had missed the afternoon trip because they waited to no avail. It was cold and pouring rain, too, which didn't help. Also con: do not expect marked signs of their stop and be prepared for stops to move around. Last year when I took them, they were on the east side of Caltrain station. This year the stop moved to the north side. For Sacramento, last year it was in old town and this year it's clear across the downtown area (which incidentally is a good thing since it's right at the lightrail station so lots of parking). I've never used their Wi-Fi but heard it's slow, so ok for email but don't expect streaming video to work. There's a restroom on board and little trash bags, reading lights...not bad for the price! read more

Never take Megabus. Just never do it. I've never done a yelp review before but I feel like it's necessary to help others. I've ridden Megabus twice and both times have been absolutely horrendous. Time 1) taking a bus from Southern California to northern. The bus BREAKS DOWN at midnight on the grapevine and we're stuck sitting there for 3 hours until a replacement bus could come. There we were, sitting in a bus, on the side of the freeway, in the pitch black of night. When the rescue bus came the lady who was driving it was rude to all the passengers, had a huge attitude, and was mad because the broken down bus ruined her plans somehow. She also said to the other drivers something to the effect of "This was the bus I told you all not to drive because it wasn't ready yet." Incredibly unprofessional. I called Megabus asking for my money back from what was a horrible experience and they said that wasn't possible and could only give me a $20 credit towards my next trip. Time 2) taking that $20 credit I needed to get down to Southern California once again so I used it when a last minute trip came up. The bus was scheduled to leave from the stop at 12:35. Its freezing outside, it's 1:20 and there is still no bus in sight. I thought "oh! Maybe there's an advisory of some sort on the app!" I downloaded the app, checked my trip status only to see it say "your bus is on time. Check back 30 minutes before your trip." Ha. I'm sure Megabus is fine for some things. Maybe. But my experience has been absolutely horrible and I will never ride Megabus again. read more

BOOK WITH GREYHOUND I had an issue with my ticket and wanted to change it (I booked the wrong one on accident online). I had initially bought two tickets, one with Megabus (2/3 way to travel destination) and second with Greyhound (last 1/3), but I wanted to exchange these for a different travel plan that took me all the way to my destination with Greyhound, hours later. When I spoke to Greyhound customer service they were so friendly and nice to work with and easily took care of my issue. Gave me a comp ticket and I was able to book my desired travel ticket. When I called back Megabus to ask for an exchange or a comp ticket to then use the funds to by my return ticket, I was denied. Megabus would have rather pocketed my money, not allow me to have any funds now to buy my return ticket, they took my money so quick ($144 worth) and didn't even care. Not to mention from their initial customer service rep, Chanel, to Joe their supervisor and now even in e-mail Asia.... ugh, THEY ARE JUST SO RUDE AND UNKIND TO THEIR CUSTOMERS Just save your buck and peace of mind... book Greyhound or Flixbus read more

The worst! Left my daughter stranded en route, with no back-up, then refused to give a refund! Do not use this company!

11/17/18 they did it again! This is the second time I booked a reservation for Megabus from Sacramento California to San Francisco California put in the date and paid and my receipt came back with a different date so I had to change the reservation which they charge me $7 for!!! do not use this company it is a scam!!!!! read more

Don't ride Mega Bus. I booked a trip ($46.50) from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I arrived 30 minutes early today, as they demanded. We all waited and waited. Then I recieved an email that they had cancelled that trip. No offer of alternative travel nothing, not even an appology! Then they refused to give back all of my money only $42.00. They don't refund service fees and taxes when a trip is cancelled. But THEY cancelled! So now I must pay for a very expensive last minute air flight. Megasbus is a very dishonest British company trying to rip-off Americans. Boycott these thieves read more

Bus from SJ to LA got delayed for 3 hours on Mar 25. Simply doesn't know how to run a business. Wifi doesn't work either. read more

I called the toll free number to voice my concerns and the supervisor I spoke to seemed to care less and directed to me to a website to express my concerns... I guess instead of being proactive MEGABUS will have to react after one of their careless drivers kill a bus full of innocent passengers!!! read more

I am SO SAD Megabus took out their West Coast line. I thought I could combat the rumors of its doom by spreading the word to every person I knew (which I did), but it's still gone... and it still hurts. When I daydream about the days when I could book a trip from Oakland to LA/SD just a few weeks in advance for a mere $20 RT, I remember the clean new bus seats, the flat screen TVs (that sometimes played movies), an often half-filled bus, the West Oakland stop adjacent to BART in a semi-shady area, and the one time when our bus driver got us to LA in 5 hours flat. Amazing... no pit stops, no funny business, just pure driving with a whopping 6 passengers sleeping in the back. That's probably why we got got - not enough business. Come back to us, Megabus! :( read more

glad there isxa bus ffom.sac to San Francisco. Not a bad deal my biggest gripe is that it's already a long commute and u can hardly never get them.to leave on time.... ugh.. not all buses have Wi-Fi even when they say they do. power outlets to charge your phone. read more

BEWARE: Megabus is a scam and is crooked! The only reason I have used their services so many times is because they are the only bus that travels to where I need to go. But the relationship we have created is VERY ABUSIVE: they have taken my money many times over for services NOT rendered. If you have another option, USE IT. 1. Their main goal is to KEEP your money. In the past, there were a few times that I accidentally booked the wrong date and had to buy a whole new ticket because they would not change it! Recently, I bought a l ticket, which was DOUBLE the price because it was last minute. I missed the bus by a few minutes. When I called "customer service", to see what they could do, they insisted on giving me the scripted response, "sorry for your loss, can I assist you in reserving ANOTHER FULL PRICE TICKET?" ...??? Even airlines will assist you in rebooking a flight at no charge, due to availability, OR they charge a rebooking/change fee. Megabus, on the other hand, will POCKET YOUR MONEY and offer no help! 2. Their WI-FI is a joke - it works every leap year 3. They have no true "customer service" - They offer rides 24 hours, but do not have 24 hour phone support in case any mishap happens... (I've seen drivers get into fist fights with customers. I've seen drivers quit mid trip. I've seen drivers leave riders at rest stops...) so good luck! - If you are lucky enough to each a "customer service" agent, they will not be able to do anything for you except say "I'm sorry, can I assist you in buying another ticket" - that's not "Customer Service", that's "Reservations" - If you ask to speak to a manager, you might just get "I'm sorry, my manager cannot help you" about 10 times, even after repeatedly asking "why?" as I did. 4. Megabus needs an "Undercover Boss" or someone from the head down to TRULY experience what their customers are experiencing, because their services are hacky and extremely disappointing. They are no fares that are $1. And even though they say their fares are "discounted," it's not discounted when you have to pay Full Price TWICE for the same trip. read more

Megabus is back as of 2013!!!! Yay!!! Megabus cancels all California service effective June 22, 2008!!!! They tout low ridership as the reason. I say, look at how long it took for the BART extension to SFO to get popular, like 2 or 3 years. This is a total bummer. It was a phenomenal service for the price and we know it would've been popular between San Francisco and LA, if given the proper amount of time to take off, especially considering gas is now over $4. :o( read more

Looking at see where a bus can take me I see only Anaheim, Burbank, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, CA. There are no buses that go across to Nevada or anything going farther up north than Sacramento. read more

Had an issue and called their customer service line. As I asked questions about the return policy to get credit for a $40 ticket they were very rude. I kept my composure because I've been working with customers for years. They still were angry and hung up on me. I filed a complaint , still haven't heard back and this was months ago. I would use megabus multiple times a month but they have lost my business to Bolt. Remember that just because I am one customer who will no longer use your service will become a Demise for your company slowly but surely. Your company is losing money from people everywhere and the overall quality of the bus is declining rapidly. Have better people take calls for customer service and fix your return policy for at least credit. read more

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE Bought two identical tickets and megabus refused to credit or change the duplicate ticket because it was after three hours. read more

I've taken megabus a few times over the years from Oakland to LA and it wasn't bad. I recently took it again and weirdly enough we were on the 880 and then stopped in San Jose. Turns out, they added another stop and it's damn near unridable. The buses are overpacked now and there's zero room on the bus to begin with. You're stuck in Silicon Valley traffic for an extra 2 hours instead of a straight shot from Oakland like it used to be. And if you're coming from LA, an vice versa. Silicon Valley traffic is as bad as LA traffic, and unlike LA traffic, it's lasts all day. I've been on megabus a few times before where traffic was already a problem and trips would be a couple of hours longer than planned, so now that the Silicon Valley is added, it's double the wait in those situations now. With SJ added, it's much more crowded, stuffy and then easily a 2 hour longer ride, which can be easily bumped up to four hours longer making it a 10-12 hour bus ride. You're snuggled up with other strangers and half the trip is in stand still traffic. Plan trips much faster ahead or look like hell for cheap last minute flights, cause this viable option just only became an option only if you're desperate. Look for every other option before you go to megabus. read more

I love megabus!!!! I always ride megabus when I travel to SF and LA! The bus is clean, they have bathrooms and wifi too.

Megabus leg LOS ANGELES EXCELLENT Be sure to bring a visor or baseball hat for the glass ceiling roof. The leg from San Francisco to Los Angeles was only one star, due to the bus driver lack of polite customer service due to the drivers poor attitude of " I'm the boss" be VERY CAUTIOUS to ONLY bring a shopping bag or similar on the bus as the driver will decide what is and what is NOT able to be a carry on AS THEY ARE THE BOSS!!! No sense pursuing an argument with bus driver as they have the right to refuse admittance it refuse service or corporate customer service Phone number as they only want to make or cancel Megabus reservations Not for real customer issues or complaints It happened that there were international travelers on the bus, bus driver took the baggage payment credit card and is keeping it in his procession until Los Angeles for a swipe Credit Card access When I called Megabus customer service they were no help, just telling me to email inquires@megabus.com BEWARE OF THE LUGGAGE ON BOARD RESTRICTIONS AND BUS DRIVER ANGRY MOODS read more

I took the Megabus from SF to Reno last week and have no complaints. It was cheap, comfortable, simple to book and arrived right on time.Yay! read more

They never have WiFi. The drivers don't use the AC so you'll be sweating the entire trip. They don't enforce other riders to control their volume. Go with Greyhound- I have been taking the bus 2x a month for over a year and I can confidently say Greyhound is better quality and cheaper. read more

I have used mega bus many times through out the years, and it was a good experience up until the last couple of years. Traveling with Mega bus has been down right horrible. The service for this company has went down hill and the drivers could care less about the passengers that are on board. The last several times the bus has been so late we're all left standing in the cold. How is that other company's such as Flex bus arrive on time, but mega bus is over an hour late for departure? To add injury to insult, Mega bus has been so late that the driver has to end their route at their 10th hour and leave passengers stranded in a random city for hours!! On August 17th we took a break at button willow and as I was still in the store I turned to look out the window and to my surprise the bus was driving away, with out me on the bus!! I understand that we needed to be back on the bus at a certain time, but it's 4am in the morning and passengers are tired. The driver never bothered to check to make sure all her passengers were on the bus. She never bothered to do a head count which I have seen drivers do for mega bus in the past. So again adding insult to injury I hit panic mode and start screaming and running as fast as I can to get the bus to stop!!! This is good customer service ?? Your drivers leaving passengers abandoned in the middle of no where with all my things still on the bus??? This company is a disgrace and I am never using mega bus ever again! read more

This year service has been absolutely terrible..my son trip yesterday was 7 hours late for bus, my last was delayed 3 hours and time before the bus was just canceled 15 minutes before trip... read more

I took Megabus for the first time two weeks ago, and I was impressed. If you're impatient, needy, or a misanthrope you'll probably disagree -- but this is a ride that exceeds expectations on almost every level. If you live in California, you owe it to yourself to try it. Megabus will make you think differently about air travel, and travel in general. From the time I boarded the bus in San Francisco, I was easily the oldest person on board. It was a Saturday, and the bus was mostly full of exhausted Millennials; I think most of them slept all the way to L.A. At San Jose, a young mother boarded with her two little girls, who got the reserved seats next to me. These kids could not have been older than 4 and 8, but they handled long hours on the road with grace, sharing an iPad and playing I Spy with their mom as the miles passed. If you're planning to try Megabus from San Francisco to L.A., here's what you need to know: * If you're traveling on a weekend, consider reserving a seat. * Pack snacks and water. Your only opportunity to buy these is the mid-trip break, about 4 hours after you board. * The onboard wi-fi works, but it's slow. Bring something else to do: reading, sudoku, origami, whatever. * Plan to take photos. The drought is doing amazing things to California, including making all the cherry trees in the Central Valley burst into pink bloom in February. You'll see some sights you'll want to remember. * Your mid-trip break is exactly 25 minutes. That is NOT long enough to get to In-N-Out and back to the bus in time. Choose another option for road food, or the bus will leave without you. (There is no pre-departure headcount.) * If you're a hand-sanitizer type, bring it. The onboard restroom is very clean, and there's plenty of hand sanitizer, but you may feel better with your own. * Wear layers. The bus goes from warm to cold as the trip wears on. * There are no wipers on the top-deck front windows. By the time we reached L.A., the four of us in the top front row had watched all the bugs in California die on our windshield. (It was awesome.) * Remember the Golden Rule of Travel: Treat all others -- driver, baggage personnel, your fellow passengers -- as you expect them to treat you. * If your final stop is L.A.'s Union Station, allow yourself at least an hour to explore the place. It was restored in 2007, now contains a really nice restaurant (Traxx) and a Starbucks, and is every bit as beautiful as you remember. The eight hours I spent on board Megabus were the some of the best time I've spent traveling in years. The driver was punctual and deadpan-funny, my fellow passengers were friendly, the view was great, the bus was clean, and arriving at Union Station on a warm winter evening was the perfect end to a nice day. Best of all: no bag fees, no security lines, no need to take off my shoes, no boarding groups, no seat-back space shrinking to less than a foot when the guy in front of me decides to sleep. All of this for like $30! I can't wait to do it again. :) read more