Megabus, the low-fare express bus service connecting cities across the country, is adding service to and from St. Paul starting Wednesday.

The permanent stop will be in the Midway Shopping Center parking lot at the northwest corner of Pascal Street and St. Anthony Avenue.

The stop is near the Snelling Avenue station for the Central Corridor light-rail line, set to begin service next year. "We try to be accessible to other forms of transportation," said Megabus spokesman Mike Alvich.

Megabus began serving Minneapolis in 2006 and picks up riders at a parking lot on Chicago Avenue S. between Washington Avenue and S. 3rd Street near the Metrodome. From the Twin Cities, the bus goes to Madison, Wis.; Milwaukee and Chicago.

Customers with tickets for the Minneapolis stop can pick up the bus at the new St. Paul stop if they prefer, Alvich said. "Adding another arrival and departure location in this market gets us closer to Concordia University students and provides more options for our customers," he said.

Megabus offers express bus service for fares as low as $1, and provides service from 12 hubs in the United States and Canada. Next week it expects to serve its 25 millionth customer. For more information, go to www.megabus.com/.

Kevin Duchschere • 651-925-5035