For our trip to State College, we decided to use the new bus service, MegaBus. The total round trip ticket for 2 people came out to only $4.50. That's a price you really can't beat. Driving there by yourself would cost you significantly more than that in gas alone!
We were able to conveniently pick up the bus at 30th Street Station in Philly, which is the main transportation hub of the city for those who aren't familiar with it. Because we did this on a Sunday, we were able to easily find on-street parking with no cost to us at all. There are plenty of lots available around the area to park your car in if you'd prefer, but those would cost about $20 per day at least. The other option is to take the train in to Philly if you live in the suburbs. Since all trains end up at 30th street station, this can be a good option as well.
The trip itself was pleasant, and everything was on time. If you're someone who gets cold easily though, be prepared for the A/C on the bus to be on full blast and bring a blanket.
One thing Megabus did only a few days before our departure was to change the drop-off location in State College to a Walmart that was about 2 miles away from the Penn State campus. Unfortunately, for anyone who would then only be walking after getting off the bus, this is quite inconvenient. When we first booked the trip, the stop was supposed to be in the downtown portion of State College. By switching this, it made it quite inconvenient to get back to the bus stop after a long day of walking around.
There is a local bus system called CATA you can use, but their service can be very limited at times, so make sure you are fully aware of their schedule when making plans.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI just read your post because I was planning of doing same thing. Did you need to transfer between State College and Philly and/or Phillay to State College? (like at Harrisburg?)
Nope, there was no need to transfer. There was a stop at Harrisburg, but there was no need to get off the bus during this 15 minute stopover.
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