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Megabus, Tripper, or Boltbus from Wash DC to NYC. Which one is better?

Megabus, Tripper, or Boltbus from Wash DC to NYC. Which one is better?

Old Mar 16th, 2012, 01:10 PM
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Megabus, Tripper, or Boltbus from Wash DC to NYC. Which one is better?

I will be coming back from Washington DC Union Station at the end of this month-Saturday to New York City/Newark. I can't afford Amtrak, so, I have to take the bus. I went online and checked out the reviews for Megabus, Tripper and Boltbus. To my dismay, none of them are consistently good from being late to leave and arrive, to the staff being rude, unorganized, nasty bathrooms, broken outlets for computers and no WI-FI.

My priority is getting back safe and sound. However, I am very tall-6'2" and I can't stand my legs cramped up for 5 hours on the bus. No way!! Boltbus advertises that they have extra leg room. Is that true? I understand that they pick up right a/inside of Union Station versus the other buses. I need to book my trip right away. I was given a price of $17 plus $3 dollars to process the transaction over the phone.

Which bus do you suggest? Boltbus, Megabus, or Tripper?
JLR1677 is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2012, 02:09 PM
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See my comments on this thread.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-nyc-to-dc.cfm
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Old Mar 16th, 2012, 03:22 PM
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I can only speak about Megabus, because it's my preferred bus and it's a doubledecker. I like to be in the very first seat up top. Never had a problem with megabus and I've gotten the $1 ticket several times.

I've been on Megabus to and from Washington DC, New York, Baltimore, about 3 or 4 times and much prefer it to Amtrak. Have never felt unsafe, but my travels have always been in the daytime.

Why do you have to do it over the Phone?

For Megabus, ou can book it online and just print out your ticket.

Safe travels!
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Old Mar 16th, 2012, 04:04 PM
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1) If you go for a super discount price you can;t expect to get luxury service.

2) The buses are late - very often late - because of TRAFFIC, WEATHER or ACCIDENTS. Everyone driving on the same road is also late. It is not the bus - it's the route and conditions.

3) If you're getting a practically free ride I don;t see how you can complain of being unorganized and having no WiFi. (Have yuo ever flown anywhere?)

Yes, train costs more (but if you buy tickets in advance they are cheaper), but it is rarely late (but no absolute guarantees) and gives you much more room to walk around.

You pays your money and you takes your chance.
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Old Mar 21st, 2012, 09:36 AM
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To DebitNM and EasyTraveler: Thanks for the straightforward, practical, and constructive links/suggestions. From your information, I was able to assess which bus is best for me and my budget as I realize nothing is perfect. I have never ridden any of these buses and I am trying to learn from others as to their experience which is a major reason I read the reviews. Please continue to contribute your recommendations and suggestions. You guys are positive contributors to the forum community.

To NYTraveler, you have some serious issues going on. Wow,such negativity. Interestingly enough, I am not doing any complaining, but expressing what is being shown in the reviews as is clearly stated, but "you" obviously need to vent harbored anger. The sole purpose of my question was to acertain from experienced riders what their experiences were objectively. In any case, there is always one in the bunch and you are it. My advice to you is "relax" and back away from the light. You appear to blinded to simply answering constructively to this question.

Let me add, I appreciate all responses because you took the time to answer.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2012, 06:58 AM
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I realize this is too late for the OP, but in case someone comes across this thread seeking information, I am posting my experience with Bolt Bus.

I booked a ticket on a 6:30am bus from NY to DC. Arrived 6:10am. 6:15, no bus. 6:30, no bus. 6:40, it starts to rain. Everyone is outside on the street with no cover, getting rained on. No bus. 6:50, no bus. 7am, it's now pouring. No bus.

Someone finally tracked down a rep from this lousy company - there was no one at the bus stop - and they claimed they "combined" the 6:30 and 7:30 busses. Meaning they cancelled the 6:30 and never bothered to tell any of us that got up at 5am or earlier to make this bus.

By 7:40, the 7:30 bus had still not shown up and I spent $136 on Amtrak to get me to DC for important meetings. No idea when a bus finally showed up.

I highly recommend booking anything BUT Bolt Bus. I would never trust them to get me where I needed to go. They showed a total disregard for customer service. To cancel a bus - at 6:30am, no less - and not notify people is inexcusable.
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Old Jun 26th, 2013, 09:23 PM
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Its 9:30 pm Pacific Time Zone. I just received a telephone call from my 20 year old son who was taking the BoltBus from Portland to Vancouver, BC. While having his documents checked at the US-Canada border crossing, the bus left. He is now sitting at the border crossing station trying to procure another ride. The Canadian Officers were very apologetic and are trying to help him. They told him this happens with Bolt every few months. I will be in contact with Bolt tomorrow. Please post here if you've had a similar experience or if you have any advice on what action to take against Bolt. Thank you.
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Old Jul 2nd, 2013, 09:59 AM
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I take Megabus round trip at least once a month. Years ago the wifi seemed to work reliably. NOW NEVER WORKS. On ones laptop it will show connected to an excellent wifi signal but trying to sign in beyond the Agreement Terms page doesn't work. NEVER, I called Sweden, Megabus's Swedish wifi provider, ICONERA technical dept is Megabus's wifi provider and they said Megabus never contacted them about work orders that their wifi systems weren't working. They said they would approach the problem from their end to fix it. Megabus COULD NOT CARE LESS that their wifi doesn't work. Their customer service receives enough complaints. Bolt Bus wifi is 10 for 10 and the driver asks before taking off if the wifi is working properly. If it isn't he will reboot the wifi router to get it to work. I am tired of Megabus's I could care less service and will take BOLT BUS FROM NOW ON even though more expensive because there is such a demand for quality. Megabus is just a step up from the Chinatown buses. WiFi probably do NOT work on buses between NYC and DC , too.
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Old Sep 1st, 2013, 11:40 AM
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I would not travel on Bolt Bus. Here's my most recent experience: I traveled on a Bolt Bus from Philly to Boston. The bus was completely full and I ended up sitting next to a large man who spilled over into my seat. While I understand that this may happen from time to time, my situation was compounded by the fact that my bus seat was broken. There was no outside armrest on my seat; instead there was a metal piece protruding from the back of the seat that kept jabbing be in the back. I have never had a more miserable bus ride in my life. With the armrest missing, I felt like every time the bus rocked I was going to be thrown to the floor. In sharing this complaint with Bolt Bus customer service they were arrogant and only focused on the fat man sitting next to me, conveniently ignoring the fact that my seat was a broken torture trap. I will never ride Bolt Bus again and have encouraged my frequent riding family to join me in boycotting them.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 01:26 PM
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Wish I could give it negative 5 stars. Booked a roundtrip from Reno to Sacramento a month ago. Two weeks ago I got an email stating my trip to Sac had been cancelled, but if I clicked on a link I could reschedule at no cost, which I did. Schedule had only CHANGED - by 20 minutes. Not sure why "cancelled"?? Today I get email saying trip from Sac to Reno is "cancelled" and to follow links. No links provided. Took over an hour to find a phone # to call, finally reached very rude customer service who said the refund had been processed and I would HAVE TO just re-book - so nooooo, I don't HAVE to do anything - cancel the whole trip. Again, the trip wasn't cancelled, just the TIME changed by 20 minutes!! They refused to cancel the other leg, and won't refund me for the booking fee. They also REFUSED to allow me to speak with a Supervisor! This is THEIR fault, and it is costing me?? I think not. Do not use these crooks!!!!! I have disputed the charge on my credit card and filed BBB and DOT complaints.
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Old May 28th, 2014, 01:46 PM
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Why did you choose to pull up this particular unrelated thread?
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Old May 28th, 2014, 02:39 PM
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Those other buses are two and three years late.
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Old May 29th, 2014, 03:12 AM
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..due to lane closures on the GW Bridge.

You may be done here, but you ARE funny!
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Old May 29th, 2014, 05:10 AM
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Apparently it was the lack of WiFi that was a major concern and pointing out that you don't have it on an airplane was criticized as being "negative."
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Old May 29th, 2014, 06:55 AM
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tahoedee: where have you been for the last 9 years (and how the heck did you remember your Fodors log in after nearly a decade??? )
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Old May 29th, 2014, 07:01 AM
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Thanks Eks.
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Old May 29th, 2014, 08:36 AM
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There was a frightening incident the other day on MegaBus in Columbus, Ohio. A man tried to take control from the bus driver in downtown Columbus with what appeared to be a gun, but turned out to be a fake. In the gunfire of the police, several people got injured. The man was homeless and mentally ill and had traveled to Columbus from MD.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stor...tally-ill.html
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Old Aug 8th, 2014, 10:34 AM
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I certainly appreciate all the comments. Here is my experience.
I just took the Tripper Bus from DC to NYC and back for the 5th time. This is now my bus of choice. Their buses are clean, well cared for and the cold water is nice plus in the summer months. Also, I do agree with comments about timeliness. It has run behind once so far. That is really unavoidable with the unknown being city traffic. I give myself extra time to get where I need to go on peak days and hours.

Overall, I vote for Tripper. I am a frequent flyer/rider. I sometimes take it on a weekly basis.
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Old Aug 14th, 2014, 10:45 AM
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I hear TripperBus is on time, has good travel times, is clean, and a non-stop trip. Wifi is hit or miss, but they have it on the bus. I'll be using their service the next time I'm in the area.
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Old Sep 30th, 2014, 01:54 PM
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Dear, I would like to know what the best option to go by bus to NYC. I left to buy train tickets at the last minute and is now very expensive. I've read all the comments above but I still can not understand what would be the best option. I am Brazilian and this is the first time that I will make the trip from Washington to NYC. Thank you so much.
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