If you absolutely want a seat, go to the Transportation Center in Hyannis. It is the beginning of the route.

The bus will fill up quickly at Barnstable or the parking lot across the bridge. Sometimes it will run express with no more stops to Boston from there. The P&B headquarters is there. Buses sometimes run express from South Station to the Cape in the afternoon -- or used to. I am no longer commuting. That was always an ad hoc decision, not announced until you are at the gate.

Reliability? Excellent, but Route 3 is Route 3. Best seats? Some buses have a wheel chair space. The seat behind that has lots of legroom, but you have to be fast! Drivers are good about maintaining order, and other than the length of the ride, there weren't any negatives on weekdays.

Ackislander - Thank for your reply and info - very helpful!
hadleyfarm