Bus Travel

A bus is a very practical way to get to a one-stop resort destination such as Ocean City or Virginia Beach, but many of Maryland's and Virginia's more scenic attractions lie outside the cities served by bus routes. Municipal buses do provide point-to-point transportation in Baltimore, Richmond, the Hampton Roads area, and metropolitan Washington, D.C.

Greyhound Lines has extensive service to Virginia and Maryland, supplemented by Peter Pan from Washington to points north to Massachusetts. Unfortunately, there is no system for reserving or assigning seats, so even ticket holders may not get a seat or may lose their seat during stops to change buses. Buses in Virginia and Maryland tend to be quite crowded, so competition is fierce for seats.

A low-cost alternative is the system of "Chinatown" buses, which operate primarily between little travel agencies in northeastern cities. Reservations can be made in person or online, and the price is about half the equivalent Greyhound ticket or less. Chinatown Bus Lines has information for some (but by no means all) "Chinatown" bus companies on the East Coast.

Two newer arrivals, BOLTBUS and Megabus, run discounted trips several times a day between Washington and New York. Fares are cheapest when you reserve well in advance.

Bus Information

Chinatown Bus Lines. www.staticleap.com/chinatownbus.

Greyhound Lines. 800/231–2222. www.greyhound.com.

Peter Pan Trailways. 800/343–9999. www.peterpanbus.com.

BOLTBUS. www.boltbus.com.

Megabus (877/462–6342. www.megabus.com.)