Megabus, Trailways teaming up on Nebraska service

The interstate bus companies Megabus and Burlington Trailways announced a new partnership that will give Nebraska riders access to a larger list of destinations.

The service allows customers to buy tickets on Megabus’ website, us.Megabus.com, for Burlington Trailways routes from Omaha to 27 cities — from Denver in the west, to Chicago and Indianapolis in the east — beginning Monday.

Eventually, customers will also be able to plug into New Jersey-based Megabus’ larger route system, which serves 280 cities primarily on the East Coast.

“We’re excited about this new venture and partnership with Megabus, and the travel opportunities it will bring to customers,” said Mark Moore, general manager of Burlington Trailways, in a press release.

Burlington Trailways’ Omaha service dates as far back as 1934, with service currently from a terminal at 1601 Jackson St. In Nebraska, the company’s current route network includes Lincoln, Grand Island, Kearney, Lexington and North Platte, with service continuing on to Sterling, Colorado, and Denver.

Megabus was founded in 2006, billing itself as a low-fare and eco-friendly bus company. It served Omaha beginning in 2012, and Lincoln in 2017, with a route to Chicago. But that service was discontinued in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now that pandemic fears have receded, Megabus is adding agreements like the one with Burlington Trailways to reach markets that it had abandoned, such as Omaha and Lincoln, and other new ones it hadn’t served before, said Colin Emberson, Megabus’ vice president for commercial.

“We’ve really been expanding our partnerships,” Emberson said. “It’s allowed us to open many more cities.”