CHICAGO megabus.com is adding five cities to its existing route structure in what could be the beginning of a national expansion for the low-cost intercity bus service.

The company said it is beginning service this month from Chicago to Ann Arbor, Mich.; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky., and Pittsburgh.

The expansion brings to 13 the number of cities that the subsidiary of Coach USA will be serving from its Chicago hub.

According to Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer of Coach USA, the megabus.com expansion stems from the services outstanding results, which he says have exceeded projections. So far, the operation has carried more than 275,000 passengers, and volume continues to increase.

"We are delighted with our results for the first 12 months," he said. "The service is more about getting people out of their cars and eliminating traffic congestion, while offering them a real value-for-money-transportation alternative. In theory, megabus.com appeals to a market that wants to-and-from service to a destination city for leisure travel."

Meanwhile, Motor Coach Industries announced that Coach USA is adding 15 new MCI J4500 coaches to its Midwest operations, with 8 of the coaches destined for megabus.com. The others will be operated by Van Galder Bus, Wisconsin Coach Lines and Coach USA Chicago operations.

"By putting brand-new J4500 coaches into service, were delivering the high-quality service the urban travelers have come to recognize," said Moser.

The J4500 coaches for megabus.com feature the companys bright blue livery and gold-tinged decals, and the seats are in a bold blue-patterned fabric to match. The delivery brings the megabus.com fleet to 18 coaches.

The J4500s going to Coach USA are wheelchair-lift equipped and feature a GPS system, a six-monitor DVD system, Amaya seating for 56 passengers and a Detroit Diesel engine and ZF AS-Tronic transmission.

Moser said Coach USAs Midwest charter services operated by Van Galder, Wisconsin Coach and Coach USA Chicago, are "going well and continue to show solid growth."