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Megabus Crash Reminds That the Back of the Bus Ain't So Bad

August 2, 2012 at 4:28 PM | by | Comments (0)

UPDATE: There has been one fatality in the crash, a 25-year-old graduate student. It isn't known where she was seated within the bus.

There once was a time we'd pant while waiting in line to board a Megabus. The sentence "it will be mine" would repeat in our head, as we set our heart on snagging one of the scenic upper deck, front row seats.

That time has gone. It's all about the back rows now.

Today marks the second instance of a double-decker Megabus essentially smacking its own forehead on overpass bridges. The first accident occurred in September 2010 and peeled the roof back like a tuna can. Four died in the crash after the bus took a detour that included a bridge with too low clearance. You get the picture.

Today's crash didn't flip the bus (watch a news report on it here), but it did inflict injuries (the severity of which hasn't yet been confirmed). It occurred as the bus was traveling between St. Louis and Chicago, as Megabus has a major hub in Chi-town. We sincerely hope that all involved recover quickly and that travelers don't chose to stay home just because of these rare accidents, but we do advise caution as the American infrastructure wasn't built for doubledecker buses. Heck, semi trucks barely squeeze through on major roadways.

This has already effected our own bus travels, which we first noticed earlier this spring while booking tickets on the overnight doubledecker between Santiago, Chile and Mendoza, Argentina. The front row was available! Reviews online say those are the best seats! Still, we just couldn't do it after reading the grisly reports from the 2010 Megabus crash. We chose last row on the way to Mendoza and got a little braver for second row on the return.

Regardless, so long as Megabus runs those Midwest routes we'd rather not bother with flying, then we'll continue to bus it. They have that going for them.

[Photo: KMOV St. Louis]

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