NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
There are new complaints about a popular discount bus service and how it operates in Nashville.
Megabus promises non-stop service to cities across the country with tickets starting at just $1. The company keeps things cheap by not having a bus terminal, and they pick up and drop off right on the side of the road.
The company had been stopping on Commerce Street downtown, but the buses caused so many traffic jams, the city forced them to move.
Now, customers line up along Nolensville Pike, near the State Fairgrounds, but the new stop is full of the same old problems.
Businesses near the Megabus drop-off point, like Mid State Door & Window, have had to post signs all over the place.
"They take up the parking lot. Then, when you go ask them to move, we're the bad guy, because Megabus left them nowhere to park," said Marcia Steakley, at Mid State Door & Window. "And the trash is unbelievable."
Steakley Plumbing feels the same, and across the street at Mobile Mini Inc., they feel the Megabus passengers pose a danger.
"The type of equipment we have here, it's not safe for people to be in our yard, with the tractor-trailers. It slows us down and causes our business to suffer," said manager Ed Hills.
None of the businesses blame the Megabus customers, who sit outside - at times for hours and in horrible weather - with nowhere to go.
But some think the company should contribute to the city's bottom line if it wants to operate here.
"Again, we pay taxes, as do the other companies and businesses around here. It would be nice if they would pay something that would go to the upkeep and maintenance," Hills said.
But that's not how Megabus works. The company does not pay any taxes or fees to Metro Nashville, even though it has a presence in Nashville.
City leaders in Dallas forced Megabus to pay for a permanent stop, which is something many think Nashville should also implement.
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