December 7, 2006
Greyhound Prices Drop to Chinatown Bus Levels
That bus exhaust fume you smell is that sound of a bus price war! Greyhound has entered the fray of discount bus routes, dropping their prices as low as $15 for one way and $30 for round-trip for the NYC-Boston route that the Chinatown buses have dominated with their low low prices. Fung Wah currently charges $15 for a one-way ticket.
Are you more likely to ride Greyhound at these price? Or will you stick to Chinatown buses? The bus line price wars now offers customers a choice for where they might want to wait. We think that some riders will still head to Chinatown, as it's convenient for downtown and Brooklyn residents, but riders who can get on 7 line might as well take it to the Port Authority.
Lately, Chinatown buses have been under more scrutiny after some bus accidents. And the congestion caused by the Chinatown bus lines' "sidewalk terminals" has prompted suggestions like opening up terminals for the bus lines at the Port Authority and in Queens.
[Via reader Joseph - thanks!]
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Hey Joseph...subscribing to the Greyhound newsletter finally pays off, huh.
I no longer ride buses, but in the past I did so fairly frequently.
Greyhound has a history of either acquiring competitors and subsequently raising fares or lowballing their fares until such point that the competition folds (or is subsumed) whereupon they raise their rates through the roof.
I would suggest that frequent bus riders not patronize Greyhound.
Is this new? They've had the $15 to Boston forever -- it still sucks, because it takes about five hours and makes more stops than the Chinatown bus. I don't know about the other ones, but I'm pretty sure they all already existed.
I don't like buses anyway. I hate getting off after a few hours and just reeking of diesel exhaust. Amtrak may cost a bit more (and have problems with staying on-time), but the extra legroom and lack of fumes are worth it. Hassles with airport security aren't worth enduring anymore for shorter journeys. You can't carry this, you can't carry that. Won't be long until you can't carry anything on an airplane, including clothes.
Well, at least now you're getting what you pay for.
I rather take the train. Metro-North gets you to New Haven, NJ Transit gets you to Trenton, where you can take the River Line for $1.25 all the way to Camden and take the subway to Philadelphia. Any word on the rumor of NJ Transit service to Philadelphia? Last I heard was that they were looking at it and a route from NYC to Atlantic City.
There are plenty of Greyhound buses to Boston that don't make stops.
Considering the ripoff that Amtrak is, the bus is great. Amtrak is not "a bit" more Brightliner. It's a minimum of $85 one way and more likely $120 to $160. And that assumes you can get a seat on the busy hours.
Take the Limoliner you fools!
Leather seats + huge recline, internet access, Lunch, DirecTV. $79 bucks each way! More expensive then Jetblue, but you'll arrive in style.
Does anyone know how much Peter Pan/Trailways costs these days? It's been over a decade since I've taken the bus to and from Baltimore, but I always found Peter Pan to be a much better option over Greyhound. The buses were usually direct. The buses were cleaner. And sometimes you could get a bus that was equipped to play movies.
Amtrak during the holidays is the worst. After having to stand all the way from NYC to Philadelphia on a crowded train, I vowed never to do that again. Switching to Peter Pan saved me money, and I always had a seat.
Doubt NJ Transit will ever run directly to Philly since it would be eating into Amtrak biz (about $100 each way!? vs the current 11.50 + 1.25 for NJ Transit & Light Rail to Camden), the north east corridor line at that point is owned by Amtrak.
Also the whole line going into PA probably nulls NJ Transit jurisdiction.
The NYC-Philly bus is good for what it is, and 2 hours isn't too bad on a bus. The printable ticket they just added hopefully means no more dealing with lines or crappy card-reading machines, a problem with both the train and the bus.
Anybody got info on Chinatown buses *other* than the ubiquitous Fung Wah? I need a ride to Mohegan Sun, man.
$12 is good, but you'd have to *pay* me to take Greyhound over the Chinatown bus. It's never worth putting up with all the crap Greyhound throws at you.
I've been a rider on Vamoose a few times, which has been pretty nice. Greyhound could be okay, but given the less-than-palatable bus station, and some of the extremely sketchy individuals...nevermind.
I mean, to see folks fight over *places in line* while waiting for buses on more than one occasion...yeah, I'm good with Vamoose. Or Amtrak.
#10, don't think that there's a jurisdictonal problem regarding NJ transit traveling into Philly, PA--NJ transit already runs trains into NY-Penn Station and into Rockland County and Orange County, NY along the Bergen/Main Line.
typo: jurisdictional
wumanjoo,
Peter Pan was eaten whole by Greyhound, thus my comment regarding Greyhound's past history of buying competition then raising prices to astronomical levels once they have a monopoly in place.
Hey- I'm a downtown resident and I am thrilled to hear this. Okay, it's been a while since I took any short bus rides like this (after getting a car), but back in the days, I would have jumped to take Greyhound over the Chinatown buses. Are you guys forgetting about the gang wars that occurred over the Chinatown buses for a while? And how aggravating it is when those old ladies with the clipboards push you away when they realize you've already got a ticket to a competitor? Also, plenty of those Chinatown buses DO NOT HAVE INSURANCE, so god forbid something happens, you're SOL. No thanks. Greyhound has its share of problems, but I arrive ALIVE and I won't have to have smelled someone else's dinner for a few hours.
God help us, #17 has a car.
Warn me when you're driving, please.
Are the Chinatown buses large and comfortable with reclining seats and decent (relative term) restrooms on board? Otherwise, forget it! I'd pay for the Limoliner but they don't seem to have too many trips per day and you can't just hop on one at the last minute like Peter Pan or Greyhound.
Darn! I remember the 80s when during a price war the Eastern Shuttle was only $10 more than a Greyhound to Boston. That was a great summer!
I don't know if someone already pointed this out to Toby, but if you want to get to Philly, switch at Trenton from NJ Transit to SEPTA, rather than switching to the River Line and having to switch again.
And for those worried about jurisdictional problems: NJ Transit will end up not running into PA because SEPTA (South Easter Penn. Transit Authority) already has the rights to the Trenton-Philly and West Trenton-Philly lines.
Looks like I spoke out of turn. I could have sworn that Peter Pan was bought by Greyhound, but they have a website that says otherwise.
Rather, it looks as if they just colluded with Greyhound to price fix. (Click the "Who We Are" link and check the 1999 milestone.)
Seems perfectly legal.
So, for $40 you get the 'privilege' of riding the bus round trip from Philly-NYC, or you can take SEPTA + NJT for about half the price.
The bathroom in the Trenton train station is hell on earth.
I believe that Greyhound and Peter Pan merged. I used to go back and forth to Boston fairly regularly. To save money, I'd take Amtrak up and the Greyhound/Peter Pan bus back. Oddly enough, there is little difference in travel time between the bus and the train. But the train is a lot more comfortable and has a nicer view along the coast, but it is a lot more expensive. I have serious doubts about the so-called Chinatown buses. See the below article (hope you can access it) from the Washington Post that evaluates the composite driver safety and maintenance ratings of the various buses. The Chinatown buses apparently have some serious problems. If you value your safety, you'd be better off taking Greyhound/Peter Pan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/15/AR2006091500557.html?nav=hcmodule
my husband and i take p2p/apex bus to philly ALL the time. it's cheaper than nj/septa- quicker and more comfortable. why take njt then a septa and then another connecting train- when the chinatown buses/and even greyhound drop you off right in center city....
all i'm saying is- buses to philly are soooo much easier than the train. save a few bucks.
btw- amtrak is a complete rip off. delays and the prices don't make up for anything.
Hm, well, I also looked at the Peter Pan site and didn't see that it had merged with Greyhound. I'm glad it hasn't! I wonder if it's still a better option than Greyound...not that that would be too hard. Has anyone had a more recent experience with Peter Pan/Trailways? I can't get myself to trust the Chinatown buses.
The second-to-last time I rode Greyhound, it broke down just minutes after leaving Port Authority. The bus crossed the state line into NJ and died. The last time I took Greyhound, the driver got lost in the destination city and an extra half-hour was added to my trip because he wasn't sure where the bus terminal was.
Greyhound drastically lowering its fares is not going to make me stop taking Amtrak home for the holidays. Yes, Amtrak has its drawbacks, including overpricing and overbooking (everyone who paid should have a seat), but it shaves 2 hours off my trip, it's a smoother ride, there's a cafe car, and my fellow passengers are more civilized. Lower bus fares = more low-class riff-raff riding Greyound. No way.
Trailways is Greyhound.
Like one of the early posts mentioned above, all these bus companies were swallowed up by Greyhound.
This is like your Delta/Delta connection or US airways/chatauqua airlines relationships.
Under the new ownership in 1987, led by Currey, Greyhound Lines shortly thereafter acquired the former Continental Trailways company, the largest member of the rival National Trailways Bus System, effectively eliminating a large portion of the bus competition. Although Greyhound negotiated cooperative schedules with Carolina Coach Company and Southeastern Trailways, two of the larger members of the Trailways system, many smaller Trailways carriers were effectively forced out of business.
Three years later there was another costly strike. This, combined with the loss of diversification and strength of the former parent company, and labor-law violations, forced the company to file for bankruptcy, from which it emerged in the early 1990s. At the same time, Greyhound had to contend with the rise of low-cost airlines like Southwest Airlines, which reduced further the market for long-distance inter-city bus transportation.
In 1997, Greyhound Lines acquired Carolina Trailways, one of the largest members of the National Trailways Bus System. Though today Carolina Trailways still operates as a brand name, most of the other independent members of the Trailways System fell into line and began interlining cooperatively with Greyhound. Some discontinued regular route services, diversified into charters and tours, or went out of business.
http://www.staticleap.com/chinatownbus/
Sorry, philly, but your math is off.
There's no way a round trip fare from NYC-Philly using NJT+SEPTA is more than $40, which is what Peter Pan (and I'm assuming Greyhound) charges. I don't know what Apex is.
It may take a bit longer - that much is true - but it's in no way less expensive.
New York to Atlanta.What is the price of one way ticket?
cheapest fare to atlanta