March 5, 2008
BoltBus Offers Cheapo Rides From D.C. to NYC
The Washington Business Journal tips us off to a new entrant in the discount bus service from D.C. to New York market. BoltBus, a division of Greyhound Lines Inc., began selling tickets tickets through its web site on Monday, and launches its service on March 27.
There are a lot of options for cheap bus rides to New York, so what makes BoltBus different? It operates on the EasyJet principle, where tickets start out dirt cheap and get more expensive as the bus gets fuller. One-way tickets start as low as $1 (!) plus a 50 cent booking fee, and go up from there. I just purchased a ticket for $7, and if I had been willing to leave on a Saturday afternoon the same weekend, it would have cost me only $1. Boltbus will offer eight trips daily between the two cities, and has a frequent rider program that gives you a free one-way ticket for every eight round trips purchased.
And as if $1 tickets weren't enough of an incentive, BoltBus also offers wireless internet access, much like relative newcomer DC2NY. Think the Chinatown buses are a little nervous?
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Two questions:
1. Are the toilets clean?
2. Can I use them? I had Taco Bell for lunch.
Pretty good deal for a ride in what looks like a big battery.
Pretty good deal for a ride in what looks like a big battery.
nasty
smell ya later, chinatown bus!
(no seriously, their smell is quite pungent)
Anything associated with Greyhound makes me nervous.
a slightly better last-ditch option when i need to get to nyc
Wow shipping the homeless off to NY just got a whole lot cheaper! Or is it the other way around?
what does Jennifer 8. Lee think?
what does Jennifer 8. Lee think?
So I guess they gave up on trying to convince students and yuppies to use regular Greyhound buses, huh?
I bet the driver's this guy.
Cheaper than a Metro ride!
great- i can get to and back from NYC cheaper than I can metro to work in the morning.
great- i can get to and back from NYC cheaper than I can metro to work in the morning.
I already got 5 trips for a grand total of $10.50...not too bad.
Hopefully, if you buy a ticket you actually get to ride the bus.
One time I attempted to take Greyhound, bought my ticket days in advance, showed up plenty early, and was told there was no more room on the bus (a weird channeling of the Seinfeld where he yells at the car rental agent about not holding the reservation). I ended up just getting a refund and walking over to Chinatown to grab an equally smelly and gross bus.
Thank god for DC2NY and the like.
Hopefully, if you buy a ticket you actually get to ride the bus.
One time I attempted to take Greyhound, bought my ticket days in advance, showed up plenty early, and was told there was no more room on the bus (a weird channeling of the Seinfeld where he yells at the car rental agent about not holding the reservation). I ended up just getting a refund and walking over to Chinatown to grab an equally smelly and gross bus.
Thank god for DC2NY and the like.
i'm so glad the private market can provide us with sketchy buses as an alternative to a dismally funded third world passenger rail system.
If the trains ran on time, communist might be appropriate descriptor.
If the trains ran on time, communist might be appropriate descriptor.
CrappyHouse, I entirely agree.
I doubt this bus is any nicer than some of the others, but I'm happy for the competition! I'll add it to my long list of buses to NYC.
The whole wifi on the bus thing was picked up by Washington Deluxe now too. DC2NY started it and it seems to be spreading. The problem with wifi on the bus? If it is a regular bus, good luck trying to open your laptop wide enough to actually put it on your lap, see the screen, and type all at the same time. Does not work unless seats are far apart or you're in row 1.
This reminds me of Walmart's business model
OHMAN OHMAN OHMAN!!! This gets me all tingly inside! I'm excited....and will most likely book a ticket now, even without plans to head up to NYC.
How will they make money? easyjet works partially because the last seats cost a lot more and people who need to fly will pay because there's not much else in the way of options. But if the last seats here cost more than $20 you can easily walk down the street and catch a Chinatown bus at the last minute.
How will they make money?
I am not sure its about making money or killing the competition.
It is a good price, but I'd still prefer to take the Bang Bus instead.
lol. Hilarious to see people complaining about wanting more of my money to flush down the toilet that is Amtrak. No thanks. They can just charge you fools more money if you really want to ride on the train like Europeans.
And newsflash: this isn't Europe. There are many, many reasons the US will never have trains like Europe. Geography being one of the biggest. Get used to and get on the bus or just drown your whining in your wine as you ride the Acela.
@HCE: Uhhh....I hate to burst your bubble, but there is nothing geographically that is hindering railway development in the US to meet standards akin to European train systems. Reading your comment made me laugh.
The reason trains aren't as prevalent in this country is because of the extremely powerful General Motors lobby in the 20th century. The government was pressured to spend more federal dollars on highways instead of railways, all in the name of profit for the big-name American auto manufacturers; and because of it, we're somewhat fucked in terms of efficient public land travel.
Do your history homework before making any further comments. It'll save us time and save you some embarrassment.
I just purchased two round-trip tickets for $4.50. I really hope I didn't miss the clause about giving the bus driver a handy on the way...
Yonas, wrong. It's because Americans as a whole want to drive. When their daily commutes get tougher, they don't wish that public transit was better so that they could ride the train to work, they wish that the roads would be widened and the interchanges improved so they can continue to drive without inconvenience. Mindsets can change, especially with a great regional system like metro, but don't think that if only the train infrastructure was there, people would start ditching their cars, because they wouldn't.
I wish competition would spread to other cities. There is a lot of demand for Pittsburgh DC. Greyhound takes almost 8 hours, but the drive is 4+. OR how about a ride for hikers to the Shenandoah or Harper's Ferry on the weekend? There are a ton of cyclists who would love a ride with their bicycle to Harper's Ferry.
Personally, I think $15 to $20 for a comfortable ride (as all of mine have been) back from NYC is pretty reseasonable. I worry what cheaper fares will bring.
@ kdubz, I remember Greyhound having a policy that a ticket does not guarantee you a seat (can't find it right now, but I remember from the times I used it). So sometimes on a schedule, yes you bought a ticket for that time, but if the bus was coming from somewhere else and was full (or if so many people were in front of you to fill it), well unless they get another bus, you're SOL for that schedule.
I did see on BoltBus' site:
"Once your online purchase is complete, you’ll be given a confirmation number with a boarding group. When your group is called, it’s your turn to board. Passengers who book tickets online are guaranteed a seat; however, they must arrive five minutes prior to departure or their seat may be sold to a standby passenger. Standby passengers who purchase tickets at the bus will board last."
so yes, it looks like unlike GH a BB ticket does guarantee you a seat.
@starfool You are right. I've had it happen to me. More often in getting from DC to NY than the other way but I believe this was only true if you bought a $20 e-ticket, full paying customers got on no matter what -- they seem to have a lot more extra buses at Port Authority that they can call into service.. I was scheduled to take a bus to NY in December at just after 3 am to get to a grad school open house at Pratt. The person before me was the last allowed on the bus (and the next buses didn't leave until 6 am -- which would have made me late for the open house, defeating the whole purpose in going. And of course, no refunds.
Just found www.BusZoo.com has offered $1.00 to various locations(New York, DC, Philadelphia, Richmond, Baltimore and Norfolk).
It seems that the pricing war has just started. With gas price so high, it's good for all of us commuters!