Flee on the Cheap

I'm a teacher, which means I have a prolonged and much deserved vacation ahead of me. I want to travel on a limited budget. I've heard about the Chinatown buses and their cheap fares to Boston and Washington, DC. Is this a safe way to travel?
Abbigail, Bay Ridge

Considering bus fares are only $10 each way, the Chinatown buses can be a great way to travel (between New York, Boston, DC, and Philly). We've heard that sometimes the buses are noisy and crowded, and the drivers tend to speed, but considering the trip costs less than lunch in midtown, it seems worth it. We'd recommend buying tickets in advance, though, or else you may not get a seat. Most of the bus lines, like Fung Wah, sell tickets from their websites.

newyorkmetro.com also has a list of cheap bus lines for trips around the Northeast. Bus fares are going down across the board lately, despite the rising gas prices, so taking the bus is probably cheaper than driving.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Erin O'Brien in Miscellaneous on June 7, 2004 11:32 AM

Comments [rss]

Sterling

I took one such bus -- the Washington Delus (though this one did not run through the Chinatowns like the other ones... yeah there are several. There are at least 5 that run between DC and NY. It ran through Brooklyn, and midtown Manhattan.) It was pretty good, but very no frills. Bus was non-descript, had to pay by cash (I think one of the buses takes credit cards online, but not Wash. Delux. They just let you hold a seat online...by the way, if you can reserve a seat, do so. DC-NY at least fills up quickly, so you need to be sure you don't miss out.) It cost $35 round trip (to compare with Greyhound $65 walk-up fare -- $55 or so w/ student discount). They picked me up along K Street near McPherson Sq. and dropped me off at 34th and 8th. I could have picked it up back there the next day, but I really didn't want to risk my seat in the event of the driver miscalculating how many seats he had. (I picked it up in Brooklyn...later learning the neighborhood is either in or near Bed-Stys.) We pretty much went straight through, only stopping once each way at a turnpike service plaza for a 15 minute food break.

crass auto

Today's Bus to Philadelphia has been good for the most part sometimes they take weird routes but usually it is under 2h. Also you can ask to get off as soon as you get past the tunnel which is much better than having to trek out of east broadway.

hm

If my memory serves, I took the Greyhound round trip to Boston a couple of months ago and I only paid $25 for a round trip ticket.

me

you guys know that they did some surprise inspections of those chinatown buses recently and like 90% of them failed or something freaky like that. you couldn't pay me to go anywhere on them.

larry dvm

Greyhound now offers $15 each way for weekend travel to Boston. Buses run on schedule, are air conditioned, and don't make you feel like a total teenage runaway.

Andy

From DC to NY, you literally have to FIGHT your way onto the bus to ensure a seat. There's no first come first serve policy - the bus simply pulls up and everyone jams the door. So get ready for some tussle.

However, once I was on, it was three hours from DC to the Holland tunnel.

heather

I've taken the Fung Wah to Boston several times now and never had a problem. Yeah, it's really crowded (especially weekends) but it's definitely worth it for $10. If you go on a Friday night though, be prepared for delays. Other than that, it's always taken 4 hours to get there and I never took a detour. I'd recommend it.

Erin

Yeah, I think that's really the point. I've heard a lot of similar stories, their arrival times are not predictable or reliable, etc, etc. But... $10!

astrid

Chinatown buses ARE cheap, and CAN BE easy -- but sometimes you get what you pay for. My experiences, and my friend's experiences, have included a 40-minute detour through Flushing to drop off companions of the driver, a 2-hour detour on the way to Boston through Providence just to drop off a driver's friend, riding on a 60 year-old bus in 90 degree DC humidity that had no A/C and couldn't top 55 mph, and having Chinese talk radio blasted throughout the van at full volume. There's no customer service -- so you can't complain. But for $10 each way, you really shouldn't.