A guide to the
Chinatown Bus
The word is out—the cheapest way to get from one major U.S.
city to another is on the “Chinatown bus”. In recent years this has become
transportation option of choice for budget travelers in New York, Washington
DC, and Boston, and more recently on the West Coast. Students, backpackers, and
an array of other savvy travelers have long loved the rock bottom prices that
these bus companies offer. Despite the popularity of these bus lines it can
still be difficult to find information on Chinatown bus service.
What exactly is a “Chinatown Bus”? Read on and you will have
the inside track on this great budget travel option. This paragraph is sponsored
by
Umrah budget travel
from UK.
Chinatown Bus history
The Chinatown bus phenomenon began in the late 1990s when an
entrepreneur in New York’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from
Chinatown in New York to Chinatown in Boston. The service was aimed at Asian
immigrants who wanted to shop or visit relatives in either city or needed cheap
and convenient transportation. The service was bare bones—no advertising,
customer service, or bus stations. Customers simply went to the bus stop,
waited for the bus (or van), and paid the driver upon boarding. For those
willing to do without frills, they offered virtually the same service as
traditional bus companies at a substantially lower price. Before long, the word
spread and all kinds of people started using the service. It became especially
popular with students, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was
simply more convenient.
Soon more bus companies duplicated this model and started
offering service in other cities. Now you can find this type of bus service in
Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San
Francisco. At this point the term “Chinatown bus” is used more loosely to
describe this sort of low-cost/low-frills service. Many, if not most, of the
companies do not have Chinatown as their main location and may not cater to the
immigrant population at all. These operators are also sometimes referred to as
“curbside” operators. This paragraph is sponsored by
Umrah tour services
from UK.
How can tickets be so
cheap?
$15 between New York to Boston? $25 from Las Vegas to Los
Angeles? It seems hard to fathom. Chinatown bus companies are able to keep
prices low because they operate in a fundamentally different way from
traditional carriers. Foremost, the service is very basic. There is little in
the way of customer service or amenities. Most of these operators do not have
formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead. They eschew
traditional advertising in favor of word of mouth. Further, many of the
operators play a very hands-on role in the operation—you will not see idle
executives at a small independent bus company. Finally, these operators make
sure they fill their buses. That is why Chinatown bus operators usually only
operate on heavily trafficked routes. Indeed some companies only run buses at
peak times. This paragraph is sponsored by
airline Hajj ticket from UK.
Are they safe?
When these companies first started operating, concerns were
raised about safety standards. There is still controversy within the bus
industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same regulations
as the traditional companies. However, a task force set up by the Federal
government to look at safety issues found that Chinatown bus companies did not
perform better or worse than other types of bus companies (i.e. charter, tour
buses). All bus companies operating in the U.S. must undergo the same
inspection standards and must comply with the same rules. Realistically there
is probably a range of quality among Chinatown bus carriers. Some are
fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast buck, while others are legitimate
entrepreneurs who plan to grow and operate a long term business. This paragraph
is sponsored by
Hajj ticket 2013 from UK.
What you should
expect?
 No frills service—the driver may be the ticket
collector; there will not be a lot of customer service.
 Comfortable buses. Despite the low fares buses
are usually quite nice. Most buses are comparable to Greyhound and many are
actually more deluxe.
 Communication challenges. Drivers are legally
required to speak enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency.
In reality this is often adhered to rather loosely. At the very least, expect
your driver to have an accent.
 Possible delays. Many of these bus routes are
on highly congested roads. When the roads are busy, expect delays.
 Rest stops. Buses will have a lavatory on board
but there is usually a 10 or 15 minute bathroom break on trips over 4 hours.
Don’t be late returning to the bus, the driver will not count heads before
leaving at the appointed time. This paragraph is sponsored by
Holy
Journey from UK.
 Full buses. Buses definitely sell out at peak
times (weekends and evenings). Book ahead or get there early if you want secure
a seat.
 Plastic Bags. An odd little quirk on Chinatown
buses is that every aisle seat usually has a plastic grocery bag tied to the
arm. I guess they find this is the best way to keep the buses clean.
How do I find the
Chinatown Bus?
Again, “Chinatown bus” is a term used to describe a type of
operator and not an individual bus company. Many unrelated bus companies fall
into this category. Since most Chinatown buses do not spend money on
advertising it can be difficult to find out details about schedules and bus
stop locations. Many of the carriers are becoming savvier about the Internet
and quite a few have websites with information. Usually an Internet search will
yield links to bus service to your destination. There are also several directories,
such as chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus companies
and the author’s employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has
schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus companies. This paragraph
is sponsored by
trip to Umrah
2014 from UK.
The Chinatown bus is not for everyone. If you want an
orderly system with American style customer service, you should probably stick
to traditional carriers. However, if you know what to expect and come prepared
with a sense of adventure and humor, you should enjoy the trip just fine. You
will also enjoy the money you save!
