Megabus is back in Chattanooga, and the low-fare carrier hopes its fifth bus stop here will be the charm.
Megabus resumed service Wednesday at a temporary bus stop in Highland Park, and in July it plans to move to a permanent stop on a leased vacant lot at 2020 E. 23rd St. in between the Waffle House and The Chatt Inn, an extended stay hotel close to the Fourth Avenue exit from Interstate 24.
Known for its double-decker buses, curbside stops and fares that start at $1, Megabus first appeared in 2011 in Chattanooga.
But the carrier’s curbside stop got shunted around the city four times, dogged by complaints that its passengers loitered and caused a nuisance.
First, Megabuses stopped at South Terrace Plaza along Interstate 24 in East Ridge. Then Megabus moved to the Eastgate Town Center in Brainerd. Then Megabus went to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority’s (CARTA) Shuttle Park South next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel.
Then, at the city’s request, Megabus finally left the city in April from its fourth bus stop at West Main and Chestnut streets near Finley Stadium, where it drew complaints from the owners of nearby T-Bone’s Sports Cafe.
The new Megabus temporary bus stop is at 709 S. Beech St. between the St. Andrews Center and Highland Park Commons, a soccer field and playground complex that opened in 2011 as a project of the Maclellan Foundation and the Chattanooga Football Club “with the idea to bring soccer facilities to a growing, yet underserved, Hispanic population.”
“We did get four letters of support [from neighbors],” said Sean Hughes, director of corporate affairs for North America for Megabus. That was something the city required, he said.
“We absolutely love Chattanooga,” Hughes said. “We’re very thankful that the community really worked to reach out to us.”
City spokeswoman Marissa Bell said in an email, “We are encouraged to see that Megabus has secured a location that works for their customers and has the support of the surrounding neighbor- hood.
“Access to as many transportation options as possible is important for Chattanooga residents and visitors,” Bell’s email said. “That’s why the city has worked with Megabus over the last several months to help find a solution that would meet their needs as well as the needs of the business owners and residents located near the pickup/drop-off location.”
Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu@timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/MeetsForBusiness or twitter.com/meetforbusiness or 423-757-6651.