Megabus to stop service from NYC, but buses will continue to arrive in State College from other areas
Despite efforts to keep people at home and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, Megabus has continued to offer trips to State College from New York City, which has over 21,000 reported cases of COVID-19.
In an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading throughout Pennsylvania, more than 400 people signed a petition to stop the company from transporting individuals to the area. State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, posted on social media that he and U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, were working with the state Department of Health to address the “multi-state matter.”
On Thursday, the charter bus company announced that all travel in and out of New York City will be suspended until April 9. Megabus will continue to transport passengers to State College from areas including Philadelphia, according to its schedule.
In Pennsylvania, the charter bus industry is a “non-life sustaining business” and all companies should discontinue services amid the statewide shutdown, according to Gov. Tom Wolf’s order.
During Thursday’s briefing, Wolf said the state is working to limit charter travel from outside states, especially in areas with high concentrations of confirmed coronavirus cases.
“Regularly scheduled bus services that are coming in from states where there’s a problem, that does pose an issue that we have to address,” Wolf said.
Megabus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On its website, the company outlined precautions it has taken to ensure the health and safety of passengers, including the reduction of available seats, increasing sanitation and providing all travelers with hand sanitizer.
“We are urging people to stay home and to practice social distancing. Those steps are essential to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others,” Nate Wardle, DOH press secretary, said. “However, there are currently no federal orders that prevent travel from one state to another, nor state orders limiting travel.”
State College Borough and Patton Township had also contacted Megabus management on Thursday after being made aware of community concerns, according to the borough.
The last bus to State College from New York City was set to arrive Thursday afternoon.
“I applaud Megabus’s decision to step up and temporarily suspend operations to and from New York City through April 9,” Thompson said in a statement. “My office has been in contact with them and relayed many constituent concerns that have been voiced over the last 24 hours, and I am glad to see this was resolved in a timely manner.”
“We would like to thank the excellent collaboration from many including our residents, Megabus management team, Patton Township and other local and county municipal partners,” the borough stated in a news release.
Centre County has nine confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the DOH, bringing the state total to 1,687 cases.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 2:49 PM.
