The Chinatown bus is not for everyone
A Guide to the Chinatown Bus
The word is out-the cheapest way to get from one major U.S. City to another is on the’Chinatown bus’. In recent years this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in the Big Apple, Washington DC, and Boston, and more lately on the West Coast. Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long liked the rock bottom prices that these bus companies offer. Notwithstanding the popularity of these bus lines it can still be tricky to find information on Chinatown bus service.
What exactly is a’Chinatown Bus’? Read on and you’ll have the near track on this great budget travel option.
Chinatown Bus history
The Chinatown bus phenomenon commenced in the late 1990s when an entrepreneur in NY’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in the Big Apple to Chinatown in Boston. The service was directed at Asian immigrants who wanted to shop or visit family in either town and needed inexpensive and convenient transportation. The service was bare bones-no advertising, shopper service, or bus stations. Purchasers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or lorry ), and paid the driver upon boarding. For those willing to do without frills, they offered virtually the same service as normal bus companies at a significantly lower price . Before long, the word spread and all categories of people started using the service. It became especially popular with students, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more convenient.
shortly more bus companies replicated this model and began offering service in other towns. Now you can find this kind of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, L. A. , Vegas and San Francisco. At this point the term’Chinatown bus’ is used more loosely to explain this type of low-cost/low-frills service. Many if not most, of the companies don’t have Chinatown as their main location and may not cater to the immigrant population in any way. These operators are also sometimes referred to as’curbside’ operators.
How can tickets be so cheap?
$15 between Long Island to Boston? $25 from las vegas to Los Angeles? It appears hard to fathom. Chinatown bus corporations may be able to keep costs low because they operate in an essentially different way from normal carriers. Foremost, the service is extremely basic. There is little in the way of purchaser service or facilities. Most of these operators do not have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead. They eschew conventional advertising in favour of word of mouth. Further, many of the operators play a particularly hands-on role in the operation-you will not see idle executives at a tiny independent bus company. Finally, these operators make sure they fill their buses. That’s why Chinatown bus operators usually only operate on heavily trafficked routes. Indeed some companies only run buses at peak times.
Are they safe?
When these firms initially began operating, concerns were raised about safety standards. There’s still controversy in the bus industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same laws as the traditional firms. However a task force set up by the federal government to look at issues of safety revealed that Chinatown bus firms didn’t perform better or worse than other types of bus companies ( ie. Charter, tour buses ). All bus corporations operating in the U.S. Must bear the same inspection standards and must go along with the same rules. Realistically there’s probably a range of quality among Chinatown bus carriers. Some are fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast buck, while others are legitimized entrepreneurs who intend to grow and operate a long term business.
What you must expect
- No frills service-the driver might be the ticket collector ; there won’t be a lot of customer service.
- Comfortable buses. Despite the low fares buses are sometimes quite nice. Most buses are analogous to Greyhound and many are actually more luxury.
- Communication challenges. Drivers are legally required to communicate enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency. In truth this is frequently sticked to rather loosely. At the least, expect your driver to have an accent.
- Possible delays. Many of these bus routes are on highly congested roads. When the roads are busy, expect delays.
- Rest stops. Buses will have a can on board but there’s usually a ten or fifteen minute lavatory break on trips over 4 hours. Don’t be late returning to the bus, the driver will not count heads before leaving at the appointed time.
- Full buses. Buses definitely sell out at peak times ( weekends and evenings ). Book ahead or get there early if you need secure a seat.
- Plastic Bags. A wierd tiny affectation on Chinatown buses is that each aisle seat usually has a plastic grocery bag tied to the arm. I guess they find this is the only way to keep the buses clean.
How do I find the Chinatown Bus?
Again,’Chinatown bus’ is a term used to describe a kind of operator and not an individual bus company. Many unrelated bus companies fall into this class. Since most Chinatown buses don’t spend money on advertising it can be hard to find out details about schedules and bus stop locations. Many of the carriers are becoming savvier about the web and quite a few have websites with info. Usually a Web search will yield links to bus service to your destination. There also are several directories, such as chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus firms and the author’s employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus companies.
The Chinatown bus is not for everybody. If you want an orderly system with Yank style customer service, you should probably stick to conventional carriers. However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a feeling of journey and humor, you should enjoy the trip absolutely fine. You may also enjoy the money you save!
For more information about travel and useful tips for tourists, visit famouswonders.com and check out Shouxi Lake.
