Locals looking to catch a bus to cities including Allentown, Philadelphia and New York will have a new option starting Thursday out of Jim Thorpe and Lehighton.

Megabus.com, a national bus company, recently announced a partnership with Fullington Trailways, based out of Clearfield, which features a connection in downtown Jim Thorpe and off Route 209 in Lehighton. The Jim Thorpe bus stop is located at 5 Lehigh Ave. in the parking lot of what is now the Bear Mountain Junction store, while the Lehighton bus stop is at 845 Interchange Road.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to embark on this partnership to expand service throughout Pennsylvania,” said Colin Emberson, vice president commercial for megabus.com.

“As the demand for travel continues to grow, these new routes will offer many convenient new options for our customers and will be a great addition to our existing network.”

There will be one departure time out of Jim Thorpe per day for each destination. For example, a bus will depart each day at 5:40 p.m. to New York City, and 9:05 a.m. to Allentown and Philadelphia, which are on the same route.

The cost for a one-way trip from Jim Thorpe is $52 to New York City, $18.75 to Allentown and $35.25 to Philadelphia. Other destination cities from Jim Thorpe include Easton, Williamsport and Newark, New Jersey.

From Lehighton, departure times are 6 p.m. to New York City, and 9:25 a.m. to Allentown and Philadelphia. The cost for a one-way trip from Lehighton is $51.75 to New York City, $11.50 to Allentown and $31.25 to Philadelphia.

“As we celebrate our 114th year of being in business, Fullington Trailways is delighted to be able to partner with megabus.com,” said Jonathan Berzas, president and CEO for The Fullington Auto Bus Company. “This partnership offers our customers another avenue to purchase their bus tickets.”

Customers can purchase tickets at us.megabus.com.

Tickets to and from Jim Thorpe and Lehighton, with the same departure times, can also be purchased through websites such as trailways.com and greyhound.com.

For roundtrip and other information, go to the websites of the bus companies.