100,000 free seats on Megabus

I’ve got to get me one of these. Megabus is giving away 100,000 free trips. They’re doing this in an effort to increase awareness about how bus travel can reduce carbon emissions. So ditch your cars and take a bus to Las Vegas, San Diego, San Ysidro, Arizona, San Francisco and more.

Deal: You can get the free trip on Megabus by inserting the promo code WIN2008 when you book online. The only problem is that because of the 45-day booking window, if you try to book today (like I did) you can leave on Jan. 16, 2008, but there are no return dates available unless you wanted to make it a round trip in the same day. Tomorrow, Megabus will expand their online calendar to Jan. 24, 2008, and add an extra day every day after that. It’s best to keep this deal until the 45-day window reaches your desired date of departure and then reserve quickly for a free or $1 fare. Note: The free tickets will still have a 50-cent booking fee like all Megabus reservations.

Why Go: Megabus did the math and calculated that if they take 56 cars off the road with each bus trip filled to capacity, it will result in 3,850 fewer pounds of carbon emissions for every 100 miles traveled. If they fill 1,786 buses with this promotion, they will reduce CO2 emissions by 6.9 million pounds for every 100 miles traveled. Of course, you can’t prove that these people would be taking the trip in their car if they weren’t taking Megabus, but it’ll still gives you an opportunity to say how you’re living green at your holiday work party.

Why Not: You might miss the freebie window because you have to wait to book your trip until 45 days within departure. Seats are limited on each trip, so set a reminder if you don’t want to forget.

When: Starting today for travel from Jan. 16 through March 11, 2008

Contact: Megabus, (877) 462-6342
Related Links:
Holiday Travel: Megabus adds $1 seats
New Megabus service debuts in Los Angeles
L.A.-San Francisco Megabus tour worth pinched pennies
Reporting from 1st L.A.-Las Vegas Megabus trip
Megabus L.A. to Vegas: A cheap ride worth taking

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal Blogger

[Photo: Jen Leo / For The Times]

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 3, 2007 at 4:42 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Arizona, Family & Kids, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice, San Diego, San Francisco. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.