A Guide to the Chinatown Bus
The word is out-the least expensive method 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 latterly on the West Coast. Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long adored the rock bottom costs that these bus companies offer. Regardless of the admiration for these bus lines it can still be tough 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 the Big Apple’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in the Big Apple to Chinatown in Boston. The service was directed at Asian immigrants who needed to shop or visit family in either town and needed cheap and convenient transportation. The service was bare bones-no advertising, buyer service, or bus stations. Purchasers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or van ), and paid the driver upon boarding. For those prepared to do without frills, they offered nearly the same service as standard bus firms at a significantly lower price . Before long, the word spread and all kinds of folks began using the service. It became especially well liked by students, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply handier.
shortly more bus firms replicated this model and started offering service in other towns. Now you can find this type of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, L. A. , Vegas and San Francisco. At this point the term’Chinatown bus’ is used more loosely to explain this type of low-cost/low-frills service. Many if not most, of the companies don’t have Chinatown as their main location and may not cater to the immigrant population at all . These operators are also sometimes called’curbside’ operators.
How can tickets be so cheap?
$15 between Long Island to Boston? $25 from las vegas to Los Angeles? It appears tough to fathom. Chinatown bus corporations are able to keep costs low because they operate in a basically different way from traditional carriers. Foremost, the service is very basic. There’s little in the way of customer service or comforts. Most of these operators don’t have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead. They eschew standard advertising in favour of recommendation by friends. Further, plenty of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you won’t see idle executives at a small 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 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 standard corporations. However a task force set up by the federal government to look at issues of safety found that Chinatown bus corporations didn’t perform good or bad than other kinds of bus companies ( ie. Charter, tour buses ). All bus corporations operating in the U.S. Must bear the same inspection standards and must obey the same rules. Realistically there is probably a variety of quality among Chinatown bus carriers. Some are fly-by-night operators making an attempt to make a fast buck, while others are legitimized entrepreneurs who plan to grow and operate a long term business.
What you need to expect
- No frills service-the driver could be the ticket collector ; there won’t be a large amount of customer service.
- Comfortable buses. Regardless of the low fares buses are usually quite nice. Most buses are comparable 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 very least, expect your driver to have an accent.
- Possible delays. Many of those 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 10 or 15 minute rest room break on trips over four 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 top times ( weekends and evenings ). Book ahead or get there early if you want secure a seat.
- Plastic Bags. A wierd small idiosyncrasy on Chinatown buses is that each aisle seat usually has a plastic grocery bag tied to the arm. I assume they find this is the only way to keep the buses clean.
How do I find the Chinatown Bus?
Again,’Chinatown bus’ is a term used to explain a kind of operator and not an individual bus company. Many not related bus firms fall into this category. Since most Chinatown buses don’t spend money on advertising it can be hard 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 information. Sometimes a Web search will yield links to bus service to your destination. There are several directories, for example 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 firms.
The Chinatown bus is not for everybody. If you want an orderly system with Yankee style customer service, you should probably stick to conventional carriers. However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a feeling of journey and humor, you need to enjoy the trip fine. You’ll also enjoy the money you save!
If you find this article useful, you may also visit famouswonders.com to read more about some of the best places to visit and have a look at Baishui Terraces China.
