Megabus announced to riders last month it will be pulling out of Texas.

The company has ceased operations on all routes connecting major Texas cities, including Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston.

“Unfortunately, Megabus had to make the difficult business decision to discontinue our service to/from Texas,” said Colin Emberson, Megabus’ vice president of commercial operations, in a statement to The Daily Texan. “We are still offering trips to more than 500 cities in North America, and we’re always looking for opportunities to provide new routes in the future.”

Students like economics senior Anvi Bora relied on Megabus for an affordable and convenient way to travel back to their hometowns on weekends or during breaks. 

Bora said she valued the convenience of having the Megabus stop near campus, located at the corner of San Jacinto Boulevard and 15th Street. She said it was particularly student-friendly.

“Normally, for the other bus options, (I’d) have to either take a bus there or Uber there, so having a stop nearby prevents the additional costs of Ubers,” Bora said. “Also, it’s just a nicer bus. It feels safer because usually students use it.”

Without a car, neuroscience junior Genevieve Hudlow relied on the Megabus for her travels to and from Dallas. She said the suspension of Texas routes has made it significantly harder for her to make the trip and will reduce the frequency of her visits to her hometown.

“I will definitely be going back less, because it’s just less convenient for me,” Hudlow said. “I probably (will) only head home on specific holidays or when my other friends are going in their cars.”

Bora said that losing Megabus services will negatively affect students, as finding public transit to their hometowns is already challenging. 

“The fact (is) that we already have a hard time with transportation (in) Austin if you don’t have a car,” Bora said. “Having that be taken away will impact people negatively in terms of seeing their family or friends.”