This week, I had the unique experience of riding on the maiden voyage of a new bus line here in Austin, Texas. Megabus, a luxury bus service that has been operating around the country since 2006, launched service in Texas this week. Their introductory offer featured free trips to San Antonio from Austin, with a $.50 service fee. The offer sounded intriguing so my boyfriend and I booked our tickets and left on Tuesday for an evening in San Antonio.

In the first five minutes of the trip we encountered our first hiccup. The engine seemed to stall a few blocks before we entered the freeway. We waited about 10 minutes until it was fixed, not sure if we would make it to San Antonio after all. The double decker bus was brand new and featured free wi-fi. The rest of the ride was smooth sailing, sitting in the front row on the upper deck.

After a splendid dinner at Greens restaurant and a quick visit to the Alamo, we hopped back on the bus headed for home. As the bus began to pass the exit for the Austin bus stop, we became concerned that the driver was not going to stop. After alerting the bus driver, we discovered we were on the non-stop to Dallas. Luckily the driver was nice enough to make a special stop for us.

This short adventure with Megabus is an experience I will never forget. The company seems to have some kinks they still need to work out but overall it was a joy.