Has anyone taken the Greyhound/Peter Pan bus to Philadelphia from the Port Authority? Checking the website, it seems that making a reservation doesn't guarantee a seat, so I don't see any point in making a reservation. Have heard of some negative press relating to Greyhound, what type of passengers do these buses attract? First hand info would be appreciated.

The train is a better bet & there's a way to take something other than Amtrak so it's a bit cheaper. Also, the very cheapet buses are the Chinatown buses so you might check that. Do a text search here for travel NY to Philadelphia. There have been discussions about the options. I've taken Amtrak from Penn Sattion. Quick & easy.

Never took the bus to Philly, but have taken Greyhound and Peter Pan to Washington, DC from NY and I can attest that the Peter Pan buses are better than the Greyhound. (more room, cleaner, and they show movies). As for guaranteeing a seat, they usually only take so many reservations per bus. As long as you get to the gate a half hour before departure, you should be ok.

The bus attracts people like you: people looking to save some money. I find lots of immigrant workers, military, and old folks when I take the bus.

Why take the bus?
Amtrak costs about $50, takes 1.5 hours. There are trains that are a little faster but cost a lot more.
You can also take NJ Transit/Septa trains, changing in Trenton for $20. This option takes 2.5 hours.

For $20 round-trip you can take a Chinatown bus and have a real adventure! A couple of companies run these -- just do a Google search with the names of the two cities and Chinatown bus.

You should be aware that Chinatown buses are so cheap because they carry no insurance, do not pay reasonable wages to their illegally overworked drivers, and are sometimes run by Organized Crime. there was a recent article in the New York Times about this that i am too lazy to post.

It's only 1.5 hours by bus, even if your seatmate smells badly it will be over quickly.

If you're looking to save money, I'd go with the SEPTA to NJ Transit train option - it is 2-1/2 hours but cheap and runs frequently. The Amtrak is the best option, nicer and faster but more expensive. I wouldn't go with the bus as my first choice. Also, the Greyhound terminal in Philly can be somewhat shaddy at night.

I'll have to add my 2 cents.

Never took the Greyhound bus, but many of my friends have (singe females) and they all have returned alive.

Chinatown bus - yes they're dirt cheap. But there have been articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer and NYT about whether the buses are up to safety standards. I also know people who have taken them and also came back alive. My parents took them once from Philadelphia to NYC and had a horrible experience. 1) After they bought their ticket at the counter, the company decided to cancel the 9am run because there were not enough passengers. They had to wait for the next bus (11am). 2) On the way back from NYC, the bus was so crowded that the company put folding chairs in the aisle in the bus to seat more passengers.

I take the SEPTA/NJ Transit train from Phila to NYC about 1x/month. The passengers are mainly commuters. It's cheap (you can buy an off-peak r/t Penn Station-Trenton ticket for $16 and a r/t Trenton-Phila for $13.50; so the total r/t price is <$30). The only downside is sometimes the trains run late, and the connecting train does not necessarily wait for the late train.

If you're going from NYC-Phila, your best bet is to take an earlier NJ Transit train, which gives you about a 20min transfer time in Trenton. In that way, even if your NJT train is a little late, you'll still be able to catch the SEPTA train. The SEPTA train usu runs only 1/hr, and you don't really want to be waiting around in Trenton if you can avoid it.

When I've taken the Septa/NJ transit trains, they have held the connecting train when the first train has been late. Everyone just scoots across the platform and the train takes off.

I've taken Greyhound many times between Philly/NY and NJ/NY. IMO, it is the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to get back and forth. You're right about not needing a reservation, b/c often times when you arrive at the bus terminal there will already be a long line at the gate, not guarenteeing you a seat for that time. The key is to check the bus schedule and then arrive at least 40 minutes early if possible.

Don't know what type of negative press you've heard, but it's a very reputable company with many busses making the trip back and forth. I've never had a problem, and the bus usually leaves right on time.

As for the type of people it attracts, I don't think that should be a concern for you. I've seen everything from students to professionals to mothers with babies - just like any other form of public transportation. It's not like the class of people is significantly lower than say, Amtrak.

For me, I can get up to NY from NJ in a hour and a half. I don't know if Greyhound still offers it, but if you buy tickets in advance they were only $30 roundtrip. This to me is a big savings over Amtrak, which last time I checked charged more than $50 from Philly to NY roundtrip, and the ride is only a half hour shorter than Greyhound. I wouldn't bother w/SEPTA/NJ transit at all b/c they're notorious for delays, and it takes twice as long.

Don't worry about the area around the bus station in Philly, it's not what I would call dangerous. Plus there's many cabs waiting out front, and you're close to public transportation.

Regarding the SEPTA/NJ Transit connection, it was my experience that SEPTA would always wait for NJ Transit (and NJ Transit was rarely even a minute behind schedule), which NJ Transit would not wait too long for SEPTA (I experienced this, but I only had to wait around 20 minutes). The Trenton stations is fine, usually fairly busy.
IMHO, the train method is cheap, reliable, safe, fairly comfortable (compared to a bus), but slow.
Amtrak is the best option for quality & speed but is very expensive considering the alternatives.

As I have stated in my previous post, I have been going to NYC about 1x/month for the last 3yrs or so.

From personal experience, I have been stranded at Trenton station at least 2-3 times due to late trains (and they are only 5mins late or so). And I have friends who had the same experience.

I am not saying it is a frequent occurrence, but definitely annoying when it happens. That is why I'd rather take a slightly earlier NJT train (only 20mins earlier) and have a peace of mind during the train ride not worrying whether the train will be on time and whether the SETPA train will wait. It sure beats waiting in Trenton for 1 hr.

I work for a company that sells bus tickets for many different bus companies online. We have a few "chinatown" companies that go to philly. Definitely worth a look.
www.gotobus.com