A double decker Megabus headed from Chicago to Atlanta overturned this weekend injuring more than 20 passengers. None of the injuries were life-threatening. It follows an October incident in which a Megabus on the same route flipped and injured more than a dozen.
Megabus launched service to and from Atlanta in 2012. The discount bus line is known for its cheap fares ─ as low as $1 per trip.
Saturday’s accident occurred in Indiana. State authorities are still investigating the cause but say wintry conditions and the bus’ speed may have contributed.
Megabus spokesman Sean Hughes says the company is working with Indiana authorities.
“Any incident like what happened over the weekend is certainly a concern, and something we take very seriously,” said Hughes. “Safety is our number one priority.”
Hughes said Megabus goes above and beyond current federal safety requirements. For example, all their newer buses include three point seatbelts. Federal rules don’t require that until late 2016.
Megabus made news in 2012 when one of its buses bound for Charlotte caught fire in north Georgia. No one was seriously hurt.
According to an industry group, 700 million Americans per year travel by commercial bus, roughly the same number that uses a domestic airline.
Federal officials say about 20 people on average die in commercial bus crashes per year and nearly 8,000 are injured.
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