The article, below, almost slipped by me. Please note, high speed
train lovers,that this is not a substitute for any other modality of
travel. It is, however, by far the least expensive way to travel
from SF to LA.

Also, here is a paragraph from a LA Times article written this past
September about the Megabus. Note the costs:

To score my $11 fare, I booked three weeks in advance; Times staffers
Richard Hartog and Mary Forgione, who accompanied me, booked 10 days
in advance and paid $25 round-trip, plus a 50-cent booking fee. That
was still a good deal when compared to Greyhound, with $75 round-
trips; Amtrak, $100; and the airlines, $133.

These prices are round-trips. Why is this important? Because high
speed rail promoters claim that their ticket costs will be $55. one
way from SF to LA. Such nonsense! When the high speed train, ACELA,
goes the same distance, from Wash. D.C. to Boston, it costs anywhere
from $ 83. to $211. one way. I should add most prices, depending on
time and date, are in the higher three-digit range.

Of course this Megabus bus-ride is slower than a high speed train,
though not slower than a regular train running today. But, the high
speed train will be slower than flying. (HSR predicts 2 1/2 hours vs.
1 hour) So, the train solves neither the speed problem, nor the cost
problem, since the train construction will cost every citizen of
California thousands of dollars, and after that, the forever sales
tax costs to keep the train running. The high speed trains in the
rest of the world are far more expensive to ride than anything
predicted by our railocrats.

And, you should read this much longer September article about what
this bus ride is like:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/36197

Martin
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Published Friday, November 2, 2007, by the San Mateo County Times

Megabus adds Millbrae stop

By Tim Simmers
Business Writer

MILLBRAE -- Megabus, a no-frills bus line offering some $1 fares
between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, just added daily service
from Millbrae.

The bus company, which has had success operating in the Midwest,
launched its California service in August from San Francisco, San
Jose and Oakland to its L.A. hub.

"There's a lot of demand for the Bay Area service, and we wanted
to tap into the airport and BART access in Millbrae," said Don
Carmichael, senior vice president of operations at Coach USA and
its subsidiary, Megabus. "We're pulling people out of their cars
with the service."

The closer to 45 days in advance a traveler books a trip, the more
chance of getting the cut-rate $1 fare, Carmichael said. There are
at least three or four such fares on every trip on the 56-seat bus,
he said.

There also are other low fares in the $6 to $18 range. Fares rise as
departure dates near. The fare is $40 if the trip is booked 24 hours
before departure. The bus company books tickets through its online
site at <http://www.megabus.com>.

Megabus is following the lead of some low-fare airlines, which offer
a limited number of super discount fares on each flight.

The bus company has routes from its L.A. hub to San Jose, San
Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Millbrae trips
started Thursday, and depart daily from bus stop 10 of the Bus
Transit Center in Millbrae at 8:30 a.m. They make a quick stop in
San Jose, and arrive in Los Angeles at Union Station at 3:30 p.m.

-- 
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Martin Engel
1621 Stone Pine Lane
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650:323-1670
martinengel@earthlink.net
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