The building of the CityCenter DC development on the old Convention Center property is forcing both Megabus and Boltbus to move. Boltbus is expected to move to Union Station moving to a lot near F & 1st NW, a move that (by Bolt's words) they may have been goaded into doing by DDOT as nowhere else may have been available.
Megabus, OTOH, is moving to the parking lot at K St & North Capitol St. A location at half-mile from two Metro stations on the same line that is in an area that's just about to turn the corner and has so-so bus connections (80, 96, D4) to begin with. Even if NoMa became the next Mid-City region, it still isn't the place to run such a hub and this location kills any location advantage it had against Greyhound downtown since their terminal is a mere two blocks down K St.
I will admit to being VERY biased that my one-bus seat ride via the S's vanishes with this, but bias aside this move very well could hurt Megabus's growth. Union is better than this (and double deckers do fit, Megabus used it as an emergency terminal during the G20 summit last April). Random street corners are better than this. The L'Enfant Plaza proposal which everyone hated was better than this. How is a lot that's a bit of a walk from Metro that could be scary at night be the best option under duress?
If DDOT really has really shunted Bolt and Mega away from the center of the city, then something is very, very wrong there. I'll wait to find the stories of Megabus passengers getting mugged waiting for their buses late at night...
There's already a couple of Metrobus routes, some tour and coach buses, and taxis that go into Union Station. Add BoltBus and you get even more crowding, I don't think there would be enough room for Megabus. I do agree that K and N Capitol isn't the best location for a Megabus hub, but I guess it was the last-minute thing they could do, I do hope that this is just temporary.
Quote from: NewFlyer9736BCT on February 23, 2011, 02:13:59 PM
There's already a couple of Metrobus routes, some tour and coach buses, and taxis that go into Union Station. Add BoltBus and you get even more crowding, I don't think there would be enough room for Megabus. I do agree that K and N Capitol isn't the best location for a Megabus hub, but I guess it was the last-minute thing they could do, I do hope that this is just temporary.
The situation at Union Station is a lot less dire than what you explain. Boltbus uses the upstairs garage where Circulator's routes layover and some tour buses use as a terminal. The taxi queue is (mostly) separate from that operation and the thru Metrobus stop for the D6/96 is separate from the terminal stop in Columbus Circle for the D8/X8/97. Don't forget the thru roadway apart from all of those where many of the double-decker tourbuses and Tourmobile use as their stop. Adding all of Megabus's runs wouldn't hurt things all that much.
On another board, someone mentioned that the DC-White Marsh-Boston runs have had DC trimmed out for the Spring and some other runs have been trimmed. This may also be an error in Megabus' database (some runs appear twice and Pittsburgh-DC appears with only one trip a day but the reverse has 3 trips). I know the Pittsburgh and North Carolina service is doing well and Knoxville/Christianburg is doing better than expected, but the others seem sink-or-swim.
Some other updates on this situation:
DDOT claims that both companies picked these stops. Bolt (but not Mega) have claimed their options were few and just about every logical location closer to downtown they were unable to get into. Given the number of offices vs. residents downtown, I'd be hard pressed to find any NIMBY's in Downtown DC that would object to such a stop. Sentiment from riders has been very (http://dcist.com/2011/02/megabus_and_boltbus_get_new_pickupd.php) (DCist), very (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2011/02/23/megabus-boltbus-bid-citycenter-adieu/) (CityPaper), very negative especially on the Megabus end. Who really thinks that someone actually did due diligence on that site in terms of transit access and overall safety, let alone that it's 2 blocks from the Greyhound terminal?
If anyone wins from this, it's the Chinatown lines that somehow aren't being exiled from H St which will get riders who want convenience. I have a feeling that a decline in loads and a few assaults/muggings will get Megabus begging to move somewhere else by Summer. I don't condone violence, I just am being honest about that neighbourhood.
I don't think the issue isn't NIMBYs as I wrote over on BusChat. The issue in my mind is that there are all sorts of vehicle types that can create congestion on downtown streets just by blocking a lane for a few minutes as a critical time. Find a place where the buses won't do that.
After much objection on Megabus's Facebook page to the stop move, Megabus confirmed that the move to K & North Capitol is "temporary". On another board, reports said that Bolt's stop at 90 F NW also probably is temporary and that these stops were picked under quite a bit of duress as the timeline to develop the old Convention Center was moved up over a month with very little advance notice.
My guess: Both got deals to move into Union, but there ended up being a lag period before they could move there.
Quote from: Scrabbleship on February 27, 2011, 08:36:15 AM
After much objection on Megabus's Facebook page to the stop move, Megabus confirmed that the move to K & North Capitol is "temporary".
How temporary will this be? When my wife and I come up on March 31, we need a way to the Extended Stay America in Alexandria that's as seamless as possible (she has motion sickness). Are there any vegetarian-friendly restaurants or coffee shops close to K & North Capital that could allow her to take a breather before getting back on a moving vehicle if need be? If anyone can help us plot a flush transit route from Megabus to the above location in ALX, please advise. So far this seems to be the most streamlined way to do it:
Itinerary 1
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Rail Departs from
There are Elevator and/or Escalator outages for this station. UNION STATION METRO STATION
at 8:04pm
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RED LINE RED LINE Rail
towards SHADY GROVE
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There are Elevator and/or Escalator outages for this station. » GALLERY PLACE CHINATOWN METRO STATION
at 8:08pm
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Rail Departs from
There are Elevator and/or Escalator outages for this station. GALLERY PLACE CHINATOWN METRO STATION
at 8:14pm
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YELLOW LINE YELLOW LINE Rail
towards HUNTINGTON STATION
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» KING STREET METRO STATION
at 8:34pm
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Bus Departs from
KING STREET METRO STATION
at 8:42pm
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DASH BUS 2
towards LINCOLNIA RD & BRECKINRIDGE PL
Arrive
» LINCOLNIA RD & BRECKINRIDGE PL
at 9:12pm
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@Tristan: What is the likelihood that you would be available to do dinner with us, or that the 60s will be running on the AT2 at that particular time?
Quote from: Flxible on February 27, 2011, 11:10:20 AM
Quote from: Scrabbleship on February 27, 2011, 08:36:15 AM
After much objection on Megabus's Facebook page to the stop move, Megabus confirmed that the move to K & North Capitol is "temporary".
How temporary will this be?
On Subchat, someone mentioned that the schedule when they had to be out of the old Convention Center was moved up six weeks. Under that, I'd think that unless the move to the next stop is moved up, you'll be in desolate heck come the end of March.
Quote from: Flxible on February 27, 2011, 11:10:20 AMAre there any vegetarian-friendly restaurants or coffee shops close to K & North Capital that could allow her to take a breather before getting back on a moving vehicle if need be?
Your best bet is to just find something at Union Station at that point. The closest place that fits your description, the Au Bon Pain at North Capitol & H, closes at 7:00 PM. Head near the New York Ave Metro and everything minus the Harris Teeter at M & 1st NE is either fast food (Five Guys, Wendy's) or is a coffeehouse that closes at 8:00 PM (Tynan Coffee & Tea, Pound Coffee).
Thanks for the heads-up on that. Maybe we'll just venture over to Nooshi. How late would they be open on a Thursday night?
Per http://www.nooshidc.com/about.html it says 11 PM.
Megabus to operate a shuttle every half-hour from K & North Cap to Union Station from 6:00 PM-Midnight (http://us.megabus.com/ServiceAdvisories.aspx?id=20850)
Good move in the interim.