Megabus and BoltBus are seemingly now the biggest players in the saturated and ever growing D.C.-NYC coach bus market. People may argue about which is better in terms of service, but when it comes to leaving early in the morning, Megabus is hands down the top choice. They’re the only carrier that offers pre-dawn options to New York, leaving from D.C. at 5:15 and 6:15 a.m. Just don’t try to show up for an early morning bus without a reservation.

Walkup sales are permitted on Megabus if there’s space on the bus, just like with all carriers. But DCist recently witnessed weary passengers denied passage on half empty Megabuses because the company doesn’t actually have a way for them to pay at that hour. Megabus drivers are not allowed to accept cash, and their sales associate, with handheld credit card machine in tow, doesn’t arrive at the D.C. stop until 7 a.m. No one staffs Megabus’ customer service hotline that early to accept payment by phone, or even to agree to give passengers permission to ride and pay upon arrival in New York. And what about paying on the spot on a phone with internet access? Nope. The Megabus web site is actually down for routine maintenance for 90 minutes at that time every morning.

The situation is “something clearly we need to look into,” said Megabus Director of Operations Edward Hodgson. “We’d obviously want to make sure the site’s as available as it possibly can be, particularly when people are looking to board the bus and pay.”