20 cities from Lansing? Megabus, Indian Trails partner, expand destinations

LANSING — Two bus companies said they've entered into a partnership that will expand their service to 90 cities in the Midwest, including Lansing.

New Jersey-based Megabus and Owosso-based Indian Trails said their new partnership will connect Lansing and 20 other cities beginning April 3.

"What's great about this return is that not only can customers travel from Grand Rapids to any of the (other) cities ... but they will have opportunities to travel to other cities within our existing network," Megabus spokesperson Meghan O'Hare said in an email.

Megabus served the Lansing region from East Lansing for about five years before pulling out of Michigan in early 2017.

Under the partnership announced this week, tickets will be sold by Megabus but the buses will be branded and operated by Indian Trails, O'Hare said. The Lansing routes will operate out of CATA's Intermodal Downtown station on South Grand Avenue in Lansing, she said.

"We look forward to our new partnership with Megabus and the continued expansion of our service network," Indian Trails President Chad Cushman said in a news release. "Our mutual customers will surely benefit from the added connections available by merging our two existing networks."

The expansion extends bus service to 90 cities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan, including trips between Ann Arbor and 20 cities and Detroit and 23 cities.

The cities reachable from Lansing include Alanson, Alma, Ann Arbor, Clare, Detroit, East Lansing, Flint, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Grayling, Houghton Lake, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Mackinaw City, Mt. Pleasant, Pellston, Petoskey, Pontiac, Southfield and St. Ignace.

Contact Ken Palmer atkpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.