posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Feb 15
A Guide to the Chinatown Bus
The word is out-the most cost-effective technique to get from one major U.S. City to another is on the’Chinatown bus’. Recently this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in the Big Apple, Washington DC, and Boston, and more lately on the West Coast. Scholars, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long liked the rock bottom costs that these bus companies offer. Notwithstanding the idolization of these bus lines it can still be tricky 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.
Chinatown Bus history
The Chinatown bus phenomenon started in the late 1990s when a businessman in NY’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in the Big Apple to Chinatown in Boston. The service was aimed at Asian immigrants who wished to shop or visit relatives in either town and needed inexpensive and convenient transportation. The service was bare bones-no advertising, customer service, or bus stations. Shoppers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or wagon ), and paid the driver upon boarding. For those ready to do without frills, they offered virtually the same service as traditional bus firms at a significantly lower cost. Before long, the word spread and all categories of people started to use the service. It became especially well liked by scholars, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more convenient.
soon more bus firms duplicated this model and started offering service in other towns. Now you’ll be able to find this type of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, L. A. , las 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 do not have Chinatown as their main location and may not serve the immigrant population at all . These operators are also often referred to as’curbside’ operators.
How can tickets be so cheap?
$15 between New York to Boston? $25 from Vegas to Los Angeles? It appears hard to fathom. Chinatown bus corporations can keep costs low because they operate in a fundamentally different way from normal carriers. Foremost, the service is very basic. There’s not much 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 favour of recommendation by friends. Further, lots of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you won’t see idle operatives at a little independent bus company. Finally, these operators make sure they fill their buses. That is why Chinatown bus operators often only operate on heavily trafficked routes. Indeed some companies only run buses at peak times.
Are they safe?
When these firms first started operating, concerns were raised about safety standards. There’s still controversy within the bus industry about whether these newbies are complying with the same regulations as the standard firms. However a task force set up by the federal government to look at issues of safety revealed that Chinatown bus corporations didn’t perform good or bad than other kinds of bus firms ( ie. Charter, tour buses ). All bus companies operating in the U.S. Must undergo the same inspection standards and must go along with the same rules. Realistically there’s probably a selection of quality among Chinatown bus carriers. Some are fly-by-night operators attempting to make a fast buck, while others are bonafide entrepreneurs who intend to grow and operate a long-term business.
What you need to expect
- No frills service-the driver may be the ticket collector ; there won’t be a lot of purchaser service.
- Comfortable buses. Despite the low fares buses are usually quite nice. Most buses are comparable to Greyhound and many are really more deluxe.
- Communication challenges. Drivers are legally required to communicate enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency. In reality this is frequently sticked 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 can on board but there is customarily 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 allocated 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. An odd small affectation on Chinatown buses is that every aisle seat generally 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 corporations fall into this class. Since most Chinatown buses do not spend money on advertising it can be tough to find out details about schedules and bus stop locations. Lots of the carriers are becoming savvier about the Internet and quite a few have websites with info. Sometimes 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 writer’s employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus corporations.
The Chinatown bus is not for everybody. If you want an orderly system with American style customer service, you should likely stick to traditional carriers. However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a feeling of adventure and humor, you must enjoy the trip fine. You’ll also enjoy the money you save!
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