The most affordable option isn’t always the healthiest one, and the healthy option is usually the least affordable. That’s true with most things, from your health to the health of the planet. Solar panels on your roof are expensive, but a double down sandwich from KFC, not so much.
So it’s nice when two masters are served, as is the case with Megabus (us.megabus.com), a bus travel business connecting the Northeast, Midwest, South & Southwest using fuel-efficiency and low cost prices.
Before Megabus, what was there for the urban nomad? Cramped, gas guzzling Chinatown buses that introduce us to our least sociable selves, with one too many unexplained passenger pick-ups at rest stops off I-95.
What with the inconveniences we collectively live through at airports, and the long travel times promised on most train schedules, travel buses have been long overdue a makeover.
“Megabus has reinvented motorcoach intercity travel,” said Dale Moser, president and COO of Coach USA. “We are committed to delivering safe, affordable, reliable and the greenest travel to the public.”
For Megabus, that means a fleet of double-decker buses, equipped with free Wi-Fi, reclining seats, 50 lbs of ‘no fee’ luggage, and cord outlets. Cord outlets! It’s enough to tame even the most epic of beard men. Megabus routes include east coast stops in Boston, Philadelphia, D.C., Atlantic City, and Baltimore, and more than 80 other American cities, extending as far west as Chicago and St. Louis.
Riding Green
One of the more green things you can do in this world is carpool, and bus travel is the ultimate carpool. Instead of 81 individual cars all going to Boston from New York—all burping emissions—it’s just one double-decker bus on the highway, taking passengers city-to-city, barely a carbon footprint to speak. “Traveling on Megabus conserves fuel, decongests highways and city streets,” said Moser. “And is the cleanest form of travel offered today, all by taking cars off the road!”
In particular, Megabus buses are equipped to meet fuel efficiency standards—from a GPS system that monitors how long an engine idles before it should be shut off to their Smartire technology, which warns against low tire pressure, something that increases demand for fuel and oil. Remember the inexplicable tire-gauge controversy during the ‘08 election? That’s this.
On the Cheap, On the Fly
We don’t live in Europe. A fact we are reminded of every morning when we try to order a small espresso at Dunkin Donuts. We don’t have the cheapest air travel in the world and who wants to spend scary sums of money refilling gas anymore?
Enter the world of relaxing, inexpensive bus travel. A round trip from New York to Philadelphia on Megabus will cost no more than $22 bucks, and if you’re really smart, take advantage of the deals that one can only quickly describe as “insane.” Think $1 city-to-city express service and 50 cent internet reservation fees. Best of all, once you’ve boarded there’s nothing left to think about. Sit back and watch the country go by.
These low costs facilitate another rewarding aspect of bus travel, spontaneity. It’s liberating to know that you can decide when you wake up to be in Toronto by the end of the day with very little effort or money.
It’s democratic, and to their credit, Megabus has made it green and clean. What’s more, just about every one of the lovely travel destinations, events, and weekend getaways we write about, and review on the site, are a bus ride away. So be your best green selves in your travels and make that a Megabus ride away.
Mega important: Most buses depart from the south side of 34th Street between 11 & 12th Avenues, convenient to 34th Street Penn Station train service and M34 NY Transit cross town buses. Most buses returning to NYC will stop at 7th Avenue & 28th Street. Service to Atlantic City, NJ; Binghamton, NY; New Brunswick, NJ; & Princeton, NJ depart and return to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Book your tickets at megabus.com.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram