MetroRiderLA

• A Damien Goodmon video from earlier this year surfaces.  Comments ensue.
• Megabus bids adieu to the West Coast.  We hardly knew ye.
• Don’t worry drivers, money spent on gasoline is just 17% of the total cost of car ownership.
• Republicans don’t realize that money spent on gasoline is just 17% of the total cost of car ownership.
• Even though the cost of gas is only 17% of the total cost of car ownership, the price increase is leading more people to the Gold Line.  If these people choose to dump their cars altogether they could get back the other 83%.

• Four reasons why rising gas prices are hurting public transit.
• The O.C. to spend $12 million studying monorails and trolleys for the area.
• Megabus about to bail from Los Angeles confirming stereotype that Angelenos love their cars.
• Save mass transit, save the world.
• Amtrak needs to get on the wi-fi tip and quick.  Strike while the iron’s hot!
• L.A. Visions provides an update on the Downtown Regional Connector.

Image courtesy of Sung Sook.

Angelenos now have one less transportation option when it comes to traveling to San Diego.

One of our readers, Michael, reports that Megabus has canceled its Los Angeles to San Diego route. According to Wikipedia, this route was ended due to low ridership and service officially ended on March 23rd. San Diego now joins Phoenix (which ended in January due to low ridership) in the Megabus route graveyard. It was less than a year ago that Megabus was introduced to Los Angeles, and Wad gave us a ride report chronicling the Los Angeles to San Diego route. It looks like even a positive review from MetroRiderLA and fares as low as a buck can’t convince Angelenos to get on a bus. The Los Angeles hub still has a few routes left, including Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Los Angeles to San Francisco (via either San Jose or Oakland). How long will these routes last? Only ridership will tell.

Image courtesy of femaletrumpet02 via Flickr.

Today on the LA Times Daily Travel & Deal Blog there was a post asking, “In California, is it cheaper to drive or fly?” According the the author, if you’re going to San Francisco it’s cheaper to fly and if you’re going to Las Vegas it’s cheaper to drive. Of course, the author ignores other modes of travel to those two cities that may be cheaper, namely taking a bus (either Megabus or Greyhound).MetroRiderLA is going to give you the information that the LA Times neglected in order to help you find the cheapest way to appease your wanderlust.

San Francisco

In the spirit of Wad’s Bay Area transit adventures, we’ll start with a trip to San Francisco. According the the L.A. Times Travel blog, flying is the way to go if you’re looking to save money. Total flight cost, when taking advantage of a Southwest Airlines sale, is $109. Driving will cost you $129 round trip. And what about the missing element? A trip on the Megabus, booking tickets at the last minute, will cost you $73. The Greyhound will set you back $88.

If you’re looking to save money on a trip to San Fran, riding the bus is clearly the way to go.

Las Vegas

You may be a high roller, but you’d rather spend your cash on the slots rather than the ride. The LA Times Travel blog says you should consider driving if you want to get to Vegas on the cheap. Putting the pedal to the metal will cost you $87. If you hop on a cheap Jet Blue flight, you can get to The Strip for $113. Of course, if you’re a real bargain traveler I’d recommend the Megabus, at $62 for a round trip ticket, you can afford to take some risks in Vegas. The Greyhound clocks in at $85.

Of course, if you’re traveling with a group, driving may turn out to be the best deal because costs can be shared. That is unless you and your friends manage to nab some of those $1 seats on the Megabus.

Last summer Megabus chose Los Angeles as the second hub for the English coach operator’s American market. Soon after the service debuted, MetroRiderLA took Megabus on a short jaunt from Union Station to San Diego. The fare, speed and ride quality on that service left a helluva first impression. That was a two-hour journey, mere child’s play for an operations manager.

But what about taking the big blue bus — no, not that one — to its limits? How well can Megabus do when traveling across California, from the congested megalopoles of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area? And, more importantly, is the Megabus concept catching on here as it has in the UK and the Chicago hub?

A trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco is scheduled for 7 hours, 15 minutes. This won’t take nearly as long to read.

Let’s ride.

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