How do I find the Chinatown Bus?

A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

The word is out-the most cost-effective method to get from one major U.S. City to another is on the’Chinatown bus’. In recent times this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in NY, Washington DC, and Boston, and more lately 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. Regardless of 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 near track on this great budget travel option.

Chinatown Bus history

The Chinatown bus phenomenon began in the latter 1990s when an entrepreneur in new york’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in NY to Chinatown in Boston. The service was aimed at Asian immigrants who needed to shop or visit family in either city and needed cheap and convenient transportation. The service was bare bones-no advertising, customer service, or bus stations. Purchasers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or lorry ), and paid the driver on boarding. For those prepared to do without frills, they offered virtually the same service as traditional bus companies at a significantly lower price . Before long, the word spread and all kinds of folks began using the service. It became especially popular with scholars, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more convenient.

shortly more bus corporations copied this model and began offering service in other cities. Now you’ll be able to find this type of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, LA, Vegas and San Francisco. At this point the term’Chinatown bus’ is used more loosely to explain this kind of low-cost/low-frills service. Many if not most, of the companies don’t have Chinatown as their main location and may not serve the immigrant population in the slightest. These operators are also occasionally known as’curbside’ operators.

How can tickets be so cheap?

$15 between Long Island to Boston? $25 from las vegas to Los Angeles? It seems tough to fathom. Chinatown bus companies can keep costs low because they operate in a fundamentally different way from standard carriers. Foremost, the service is very basic. There is little in the way of client service or comforts. Most of these operators don’t have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead. They eschew traditional advertising in favor of personal recommendation. Further, many of the operators play a particularly hands-on role in the operation-you won’t see idle middle management at a little independent bus company. Ultimately, these operators ensure they fill their buses. That is why Chinatown bus operators usually only operate on heavily trafficked routes. Indeed some companies only run buses at top times.

Are they safe?

When these firms initially began operating, concerns were raised about safety standards. There’s still controversy within the bus industry about whether these newbies are complying with the same laws as the traditional corporations. However a task force set up by the federal government to have a look at issues of safety revealed that Chinatown bus corporations didn’t perform better or worse than other kinds of bus corporations ( ie. Charter, tour buses ). All bus corporations operating in the U.S. Must bear the same inspection standards and must comply with the same rules. Realistically there is probably a selection 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.

What you need to expect

No frills service-the driver may be the ticket collector ; there will not be a lot of purchaser service.
Comfortable buses. Despite the low fares buses are generally quite nice. Most buses are close to Greyhound and many are basically more luxury.
Communication challenges. Drivers are legally required to communicate enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency. In reality this is often adhered to rather loosely. At the 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 toilet on board but there is generally a ten or fifteen minute lavatory break on trips over four hours. Don’t be late returning to the bus, the driver will not count heads before leaving at the delegated time.
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. A wierd small affectation on Chinatown buses is that each aisle seat typically 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 explain a sort of operator and not an individual bus company. Many not related bus firms fall into this class. Since most Chinatown buses don’t spend money on advertising it can be tough to discover details about schedules and bus stop locations. Many of the carriers are becoming savvier about the Internet and quite a few have websites with info. Usually a Net search will yield links to bus service to your destination. There also are many directories, for example chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus firms and the author’s employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus firms.

The Chinatown bus is not for everyone. If you need an orderly system with Yankee style customer service, you should potentially stick to conventional carriers. However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a feeling of adventure and humor, you must enjoy the trip absolutely fine. You’ll also enjoy the money you save!

Where do you want to travel in the world? For an idea of where to go on your next vacation, visit famouswonders.com. While you are on the site, also take a look at Shouxi Lake China.

Share and Enjoy: