The schedule of Megabus travel between Saratoga Springs, NY and Burlington was reduced, according to Mike Alvich, vice president of Marketing and Public Relations for the company.

“I had a great experience with the Megabus this past semester and was very excited to take it again to visit a friend in New York. However, now I am limited and cannot find a time to go when a bus is available,” first-year Jake Collins said.

He also said that if he, an occasional traveler to New York, is inconvenienced by the bus, then he cannot start to imagine the frustration the New Yorkers will feel when trying to get home.

The company, which started in April 2006, “caught the imagination of the American people,” Alvich said.

This is due to magabus.com’s low fares and routes to more than 120 different cities, and 13 main hubs.

The route between Burlington and Saratoga Springs began on April 2, 2012, according to Megabus.com.  Fares are as low as $1, and increase as the travel date gets closer.

The route will now operate northbound from Saratoga Springs to Burlington only on Thursdays and Sundays, and southbound from Burlington to Saratoga Springs only on Fridays and Mondays, according to Alvich. The changes took effect Jan. 8, he said.

The bus service from Burlington to New York City via Amherst and Hartford will still be offered daily, Alvich said.

The schedule changes make sense for students who travel between Burlington and Saratoga Springs, according to first-year Sarah Bullock.

“Most students would be going home on Fridays and coming back on Sundays, so it works for college students,” Bullock said.

As to why these changes were put into effect, the Megabus company, “took a look at our demand over the past year and we weren’t getting the demand needed to meet the service,” Alvich said.

However, according to Alvich, if demand starts to grow again, Megabus is open to increase the frequency of the schedule between Saratoga Springs and Burlington.

“I think that this change is a huge convenience for everyone who has to travel that route,” first-year Sarah Perlee said.

“Reducing that route to only a couple of days a week would inconvenience students and their parents, who would then have to pick them up in Burlington,” Perlee said.

Perlee also said that reducing the schedule could result in additional disadvantages, such as paying for cab fare.

Sophomore Dana Elleman agreed that this change would be detrimental to some students, adding that there is no direct route to Burlington from her home in Syracuse, NY.

The schedule changes are “catastrophic to people who travel between Burlington and Saratoga Springs,” Elleman said.