photo by Ty Smith 
Travelers board the Philadelphia bound Megabus on Sat. Oct. 11 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown. The low-cost carrier provides service to many cities from Pittsburgh including Harrisburg, Washington, D.C., New York and Morgantown, W. Va. 

For most college students, spring break is an opportunity to go home or go on vacation. Traveling can be costly, which is not always in favor of college student budgets, but a cheaper way to move around is by taking buses. 

For those inexperienced with traveling on buses, it may seem daunting to try and score the best deal. 

These are several tips for students traveling on spring break with plans to use a low-price bus service for transportation. To score the best deal for spring break on Megabus, Greyhound or any other mass transit option, it is recommended to book as soon as possible. 

Many bus services reward customers by offering bigger discounts on fare prices the earlier a trip is booked. Different routes will vary in price, so customers should research where they are going before buying tickets to secure the best deal. 

Bryony Chamberlain, director of operations at Megabus, encourages customers to get their tickets early. 

“The best value is to book ahead or book mid-week,” said Chamberlain. 

Chamberlain also suggests that when traveling with a group, it is best to reserve specific seats for a small additional fee in order to be guaranteed sitting close together. Reserved seating is currently only available for certain cities, routes and times, so travelers should check when purchasing tickets. Megabus also offers free Wi-Fi and a double-decker design, which allows for more seating. 

For students like acting major Madelyn Tomko, price and convenience plays a key factor in choosing which bus company to travel with. 

“Megabus tends to be cheaper, and I’ve also had pretty good experiences with Megabus for the most part,” Tomko said. “I usually take it once or twice a year.” 

Another bus company to consider is Greyhound. Ashley Sears, a Greyhound spokesperson, listed the many amenities that Greyhound has to offer. 

“It is committed to providing safe, reliable and affordable transportation for customers and offering our modern amenities such as free Wi-Fi, power outlets, extra legroom and leather seats at the lowest fares,” Sears said. 

She also said that with Greyhound’s large variety of destinations, people can get tickets to almost anywhere. 

“Whether they are going to a small town or a large city, it’s likely that we will have a schedule that will get them there,” Sears said. 

When taking Greyhound, customers have the option to get the Student Advantage card, which provides a 20 percent discount off standard fares in addition to discounts from its other participating retailers. Money can also be saved by ordering tickets online. Greyhound is currently offering a deal where booking seven or more days ahead of a planned trip online will reduce the fare by 50 percent. Greyhound has also introduced its OnTouch online catalog, so customers can shop for destination-specific activities and packages while traveling. 

According to Sears, “On-Touch lets customers spend less time looking for things to do when they arrive at their destination and more time actually enjoying the activities they have already booked.” 

Students like Alicia Rightmyer, an English literature major, often have to base their choices on available bus routes. 

“It’s the only one that will go round-trip and that will actually go from Pittsburgh straight to Rochester,” Rightmyer said. 

She also takes Greyhound because of the prices offered compared to other ways of traveling. 

“It’s the only real option for me, and it’s a lot cheaper than other traveling options,” Rightmyer said. “My dad does not have to use his [airline reward] miles all the time.”