BoltBus adds Boston to schedule

by Martha Edwards on

Remember last week when I told you about the awesome $1 fare for bus service between NYC and DC aboard BoltBus? Well, the good news just got even better — they’ve added Boston as another one of their cheap-o destinations, starting in April. You won’t find seats for $1, but once they go on sale, they’ll cost you around $7 for a one-way trip. But, like I mentioned before, be sure to book far in advance and expect to see a booking fee on top of that.

Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but once they are available, book quickly as their sure to go fast at that price. As an added incentive, Bolt Buses offer free WiFi and power outlets on their coaches.

(via Cheapskate Travel)

Why take the Buddha Bus?

by Abha Malpani on

I don’t understand why the OzBus is popular. Why would you want to spend 13-weeks on a bus, traveling with a rigid itinerary and a bunch of people you don’t know?

People say: it’s the most environmentally friendly way to travel, it’s the hippy way to travel (?), it’s a different experience. To me, just the thought is excruciating and exhausting. That’s just me though, no strings independent travel is more my thing and I can travel in an environmentally friendly way without being handcuffed to a bus.

Anyway, I bring this up as I read news of the launch of the Buddha Bus: a bus that will take you from London to China in 16-days. The first “Zen bus” will depart from London on September 6.

“To broaden the mind, to stimulate the senses; the perfect antidote to the stresses of the modern world,” is it’s philosophy. It plans to average about 800km a day (with the occasional rest days inserted here and there) — that’s at least 8-hours of daily bus journey. To me that translates to: a sore bum from bumpy roads, waste of time because of numerous bathroom breaks, 60-odd chattering strangers, traffic jams coming into and leaving the city, occasional overnight travel, departures at dawn — urrmm — how exactly is it an antidote to stress?

The longest time I have spent being on a road at a stretch is 4-days/3-nights on a train in India. It was air-conditioned, I was only with my family, the train had sleeper-bunks; it was a typically smooth ride, I can’t complain but I wanted to strangle my parents at the end of it, and other than green fields and a few dirty bathrooms at the train stations, I saw nothing.

I have not been on the OzBus, or any such journey — so it’s really not my place to rant. I’d love to think that the “environmental-friendly experience” is the whole and sole reason why people choose to take such long and organized road trips, but I have my doubts about that.

Have any of you been on a similar journey? Was it worth it?

DC to NYC for $1

by Martha Edwards on

Good news for those of you frequent travelers in the NYC and DC areas — Starting today, BoltBus will be offering $1 fares on Eight daily non-stop routes between the two cities. And while travelling on the bus usually isn’t too appealling, get this — they offer free WiFi and power outlets, so that trip won’t seem like any time at all.

Of course, there are some conditions. To take advantage of super-cheap bus fares, book as far in advance as possible; walk-up customers will have to pay the full fare. And that $1 is supplemented by a booking fee, of course.

According to their press release: “Customers can board the street-side service in Washington, D.C., near the Metro Center Station at 11th Street and G Street. BoltBus will operate in New York near Penn Station at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue and in south Manhattan at 6th Avenue and Canal Street.”

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Why take the bus when you can fly in style? (And with a queen size bed!)

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$1 Bus Rides to Major American Cities

by Neil Woodburn on

I’ve spent many hours of my life in transit to San Francisco. Back when I was a student in college, I’d make the six hour drive from Los Angeles in my car. My only cost was about $15 for gas. I was quite proud of this and never thought I’d be able to make the journey for any cheaper.

I am happy to now be proven wrong by a company called Megabus.

Megabus currently operates in 21 cities across America. Sure, Greyhound services a lot more places, but do they sell seats for just one buck? Nope, I don’t think so.

Megabus does, however. As long as you book early enough, tickets cost just $1. And no, there aren’t $50 worth of taxes added on like budget airlines tend to do; just a 50 cents per reservation fee. That means I can make the six hour trek from Los Angeles to San Francisco for an incredible $1.50. Another buck will get me to Las Vegas, and yet another will get take me all the way to San Diego.

This, folks, is a great deal!

Stories from the Overnight Bus

by Martha Edwards on

Overnight buses are a budget traveler’s friend. They’re a cheaper alternative to planes, trains and automobiles, and they allow you the freedom to get off and on where ever you please. Plus you save on a night’s accommodation because you spend it on the bus. However, the mere mention of taking an overnight bus sends shivers up my spine. Perhaps it’s because I find it impossible to sleep in an upright position and the next day, like a creature of the night, I stumble down the steps of the bus into the bright early morning sunlight with bright-red eyes, wildly disheveled hair, an aching back and numb limbs. Then I have to sleep a good portion of the day to catch up on the sleep I missed by not sleeping on the bus. Convenience my ass.

But perhaps my disdain is because of the following experiences:

  • The first overnight bus I ever took was from Bangkok to Surat Thani in Thailand. We were wooed by the amazing price of this bus ride, but a couple of days later, we realized how they make their money — we were very stealthily robbed during the night. How they got to the wallet that I hugged to my chest all night is beyond me. A night of firsts, this was also the first time I’ve been robbed — actually make that the only time (fingers crossed.) We splurged on the train on the way back and enjoyed a crime-free rest.
  • About a month later, we found ourselves in on a long overnight in Vietnam. For the record, buses in Thailand are like Buckingham Palace compared to buses in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Anyway, the un-air-conditioned bus was so full that they actually sat people on folding chairs in the aisles. Lo and behold, we broke down in the middle of the jungle at 3am and the drivers couldn’t get the bus going again until about 5am (I think they need AAA in Vietnam.)
  • From Brisbane to Airlie Beach (a mere 17-hour trip), my travel friend Lauren ended up with a broken chair that didn’t recline. Right next to the bathroom, allowing us to enjoy some pleasant odors all night long.
  • Also in Australia, I spent one night busing it behind a troll-like man who snored unimaginably loud almost the entire trip (10+ hours) and then engaged in questionable behavior while he was awake (it was dark on the bus and we were looking at him at a funny angle so we couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing but it looked bad)

I suppose these are all down to bad luck, and I realize that overnight buses have saved me lots of money in the long run, but in some ways they’ve taken years off my life too (ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic.) My point? Beware.