VALDOSTA — A new bus service is coming to Valdosta, offering connections to Atlanta and Florida.

Megabus, a New Jersey-based transportation company, plans to start its Lowndes County operations Sept. 11, according to a company statement. 

When the buses get rolling, Megabus will offer daily departures from Valdosta to Atlanta, Gainesville, Fla., and Orlando, Fla., the statement said.

The company’s buses will depart and arrive at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center at 25 Meeting Place, at the east entrance to the Conference Center. Atlanta and Gainesville buses will leave at 11:15 a.m., while buses for Orlando will leave at 11:35 a.m., according to the statement.

Megabus has routes covering more than 150 stops in the U.S. and Canada, said Bryony Chamberlain, company vice president.

The company is offering a limited number of tickets as low as $4.99 to and from Valdosta through October, except for Friday and Sunday departures. Chamberlain said regular fares from Valdosta to Atlanta should be about $25, and to Orlando “max around $25-30.”

The double-decker buses offer reclining seats, power outlets, onboard restrooms, wi-fi and a free television and movie service for passengers who bring their own smartphone or tablet and download a free app.

Megabus — founded in 2006 in Chicago — added Valdosta as a stop largely as a result of its status as a university town, Chamberlain said.

“We know that large university communities with lots of students will be good markets,” she said. 

Tickets can be ordered through the company’s website, megabus.com.

Valdosta has been a stop for Greyhound Lines’ national bus service for decades. Greyhound recently closed its longtime in-city South Oak Street depot and moved its services to the SunStop convenience store, 2112 W. Hill Ave., near Interstate 75.