Mega Bust?

We were discussing, you and I, alternative methods in these days of $4 gasoline of getting to Kansas City for Irish Fest. Mary Alice Beebe suggested Amtrak. Midwest Irish Focus publisher Pete Maher countered with MegaBus, who offer very inexpensive fares from St. Louis to Kansas City. Pete, diligent reporter that he is, rode the MegaBus recently and has a report for you:

"Please pass along to all the folks on the boards that my recommendation they utilize Megabus for KCIF comes with a few caveats.

You see, I just went to Chicago and back (from St. Louis) over the weekend and it wasn't an entirely pleasant experience. The bus going to Chicago had broken down and been replaced at the last minute by another coach that hadn't been properly "turned around" before being pressed into service, resulting in an overnight ride without air conditioning and an overflowing toilet. It also left St. Louis more than an hour late, arriving in Chicago long after the scheduled time.
It was cheap, though, with round-trip fare between St. Louis and Chicago coming to only $48.

The ride back was only slightly less arduous. While it did take place on one of their signature double-decker buses (I rode upstairs), it was not without incident. For one thing, the air conditioning above one of the seats just behind me literally sprang a leak, dripping steadily for more than half the trip.

The driver was also a piece of work. Although the ride was touted as a non-stop from Chicago to St. Louis when I bought my ticket, the route apparently now included Normal, Illinois. Which would have been fine if the driver didn't get lost between the off ramp for Normal and the Amtrak station. He finally found it with the aid of two or three passengers familiar with the town.
Leaving Normal (a great name for a band, by the way), we were only about a half hour late. But then came a 20-minute "meal break" and, just 15 minutes short of St. Louis, the driver suddenly pulls into a truck stop and spends about ten minutes dawdling in the store and stepping outside for a leisurely smoke.

A very grumpy bunch of Megabus customers finally arrived in St. Louis about an hour late.
So please let everyone know that, while Megabus is still the cheapest ride around, it does, in fact, come with a hidden cost in aggravation and incredibly lax scheduling. But as long as you're willing to have the patience and/or willingness to essentially be taken hostage to get where you're going, Megabus is the cheapest way to get there."

There you have it. However you plan on getting here, I'd hop like a bunny to make that hotel reservation. We're filling the last rooms quickly.