Neilm33

We are going to New York via Philly and arrive from the UK on a Sunday around 3.30pm. We plan to book onto the Greyhound around 6pm. It seems cheaper than the train and not much longer. Any tips about transfer times alternative journey's? Cheers

ellenem

Also look into options on Megabus and Boltbus, two companies offering frequent connections and inexpensive rates.

http://us.megabus.com/

https://www.boltbus.com/

obxgirl

Agree with the above. Definitely cheaper than Greyhound ($10-$15 US) and perhaps departing and returning from more convenient locations.

Dukey1

Bolt is OWNED by Greyhound..their cheaper (and better, IMO) alternative

foodiechan

Check out the Chinatown buses. Much cheaper and on a very frequent schedule between Philly and NYC Chinatown.

DebitNM

Depending on how far in advance you book, you can pay a really low price for Megabus. We paid $3 per person this past summer for NYC to Philly [and $1 for Philly to DC]

It was pretty convenient and for the price, the way to go.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-nyc-to-dc.cfm

joethekay

Another way is to travel via SEPTA train from directly from PHL airport to Trenton, NJ transfering there to a regional NJT commuter train to NY. The SEPTA train requires you change trains at PHL 30th street station for the Trenton Line SEPTA train, and at Trenton, NJ where you need to connect for the NJ transit commuter train to NY Penn Station. Transit time about 2.5 hours.
The combined fare is around $ 25.50 for the NJtransit and Septa per person.
Details at http://www.septa.org/fares/ticket/via.html
and http://www.njtransit.com

Neilm33

We looked at advance for greyhound and can get around 36$ but need to book a time. Will 6pm belong enough?? Cheers

obxgirl

Wouldn't you prefer to pay less money for the same trip? Paying more $ to ride the bus will not mean a nicer ride. I am a little confused by that, but clearly, your choice.

To answer the question, booking a 6 pm bus on a 3:30 arrival is probably good if the bus leaves from the airport. I don't know how and where Greyhound operates in Philadelphia.

Neilm33

Sorry. It was 36$ for all 4 of us. We just have to get to the centre of Philly. I will though check out the bolt bus.

obxgirl

>>We just have to get to the centre of Philly.

PaulRabe

As a resident of the Philly area, I can answer your questions.

There is a Septa train that goes direct from the airport to center city. It stops both at 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, and Market East Station. Septa also has a train that goes to Trenton, but that is a different line -- you'd have to change trains.

www.septa.org/maps/system/index.html

The Airport Line is fast and safe, but it only runs every 30 minutes -- miss one and you have to wait a while for the next one. You can buy tickets after you get on the train with no surcharge, but you MUST pay CASH. I regret to say that Philadelphia has one of the most antiquated systems of paying for mass transit in the world.

www.septa.org/schedules/rail/pdf/air.pdf

Greyhound buses depart from the (no surprise) Greyhound Terminal at 10th and Filbert, almost across the street from the Market East Station.
http://conferences.sigcomm.org/sigco.../image_map.pdf
Other bus companies depart from different locations -- be sure you know EXACTLY where you'll be picked up by the bus before you leave the airport, as that will determine where you get off the train.

The Airport is a Zone 5 for rail fares; thus it will cost $4.75 per person to get from there to center city on a Sunday.

http://www.septa.org/fares/ticket/index.html

Taxi fares from the airport to center city are set, by law, at $25 per ride. Note that a tip, which is pretty much mandatory, is not included in this fare.

http://www.phl.org/taxis_trains.html

However, there is no guarantee that the quickest available taxi can accommodate four passengers or accept credit cards. Traffic should not be a problem on Sunday, so a taxi should get you to your destination about as fast as a train.

Assuming your plane arrives on time, 2.5 hours SHOULD be enough time to clear customs, get to center city, and get on your bus. But let me repeat: be 100% certain WHERE your bus is departing from, as only Greyhound buses stop at the Greyhound Terminal.

Feel free to ask any further questions on getting through Philly!

sf7307

I'm surprised noone has suggested staying one night in Philly and getting in the requisite sightseeing there (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross' house, the Mint), before heading to New York. Any particular reason you're taking this route/schedule?

Neilm33

Philly was the only place we could get in with our ticket. Our aim is to see relatives near Raleigh, do Busch Gardens Washington and New York. So we will go to New York then come back down and hire a car. We just thought having the car to go to New York and back would be a pain with parking etc., and getting a one way from New York would also be a hassle and it seems expensive.

sf7307

Definitely agree about not having the car in New York.

bachslunch

Someone mentioned the Chinatown buses above. No idea who owns the ones that run from NYC to Philadelphia or what their track record is, but some of the ones between Boston and NYC historically have a less than good reputation for safety and maintenance. Check before deciding on a carrier.

ggreen

Ditto what bachslunch just said. And now that there's the newer cheap bus options (Mega, Bolt), there's no reason to risk a Chinatown bus. Plus, the Chinatown bus drops you in *Chinatown* - very helpful for some of us, not so much if you're staying in a midtown hotel, don't know your way around too well, etc.

As for taking a Septa train all the way from Philly to NYC: again, now that there are so many bus options (and Greyhound isn't sketchy like it was 15-20 years ago), no reason to spend all that extra time and making train connections. ...I used to do it plenty to go visit my sister in college, and those old NJTransit commuter trains were no picnic!

MLTimes

Just want to clarify that the flat taxi fare from PHL is $28.50. Also, after the first passenger, there's a $1/person additional charge.

Maxine19147

The bolt bus has recently changed its departure location. It now leaves directly across from the 30th St Train station.. west side. It is the way to go..cheap, comfortable and reliable...with Wi-Fi

You can catch the train from the airport to 30th St station and then hop on the Bolt Bus..be in NY in 2 hrs...done!

PaulRabe

This URL give more up-to-date info than my original post:

http://www.phl.org/ground_transportation.html

Septa fare to center city is $7 per person.
As noted above, taxi fare is $28.50, plus $1 extra per person -- and you still need to add a tip to the cost.