View Full Version : Take The Bus
Mother Natures Son
07-21-2010, 19:22
A new bus comany has started serving NYC, Phil., Harrisburg, PA and Washington, D.C. with rates as low a $1.00 for a one way ride! They are Megabus, www.megabus.com (http://www.megabus.com) Shuttles and other means can get you closer to the trailhead.
Danielsen
07-21-2010, 20:18
They're not exactly new.... they've been around for quite a while. Sadly, in February they had a price hike and I haven't seen any $1 specials since. My rides from Buffalo to NYC used to be $20 (or $1 if I was lucky). Now they're $40, unless I book late and they go up to $60. :( The prices for rides on the coast are still relatively cheap, but almost double what they were nonetheless.
Also be advised that the seating is cramped and they jack up the AC so that you're freezing no matter what. I'd rather be on the cheap buses I rode in Peru. It really is a shame the public transportation infrastructure is so limited and expensive here in the USA.
Danielsen
07-21-2010, 20:19
They also used to have a midwestern network but it's been shut down since it wasn't profitable enough or something.
Rocket Jones
07-22-2010, 06:24
I think you just stated the reason for your lament about expensive and limited public transportation. The infrastructure is there (good roads), but there isn't enough demand to make it profitable, and the government would lose even more money than a private company due to bureaucratic foolishness.
Old Grouse
07-22-2010, 07:00
Just be aware that low fares (in the bus biz) often go hand in hand with little or no maintenance of safety equipment.
Danielsen
07-22-2010, 08:43
I think you just stated the reason for your lament about expensive and limited public transportation. The infrastructure is there (good roads), but there isn't enough demand to make it profitable, and the government would lose even more money than a private company due to bureaucratic foolishness.
I know. :( Like I said, I think it really is a shame. It would take a major shift in public attitude to make it realistic. Maybe if gas prices get into european territory it'll start making more sense for people.
Just be aware that low fares (in the bus biz) often go hand in hand with little or no maintenance of safety equipment.
Since Megabus is run by Greyhound and they have a reputation to uphold, I'd expect they're pretty safe. Never heard of a Megabus accident. They all seem pretty well maintained as well. Most of the savings seem to be from sardine-ing as many people in as possible, compromising comfort.
With the Chinatown buses you're generally absolutely correct.
There are a lot of cheap buses on the boston-nyc-washington routes. Many of them are listed on http://www.gotobus.com. After my Duncannon to Harpers Ferry section hike (and a visit with my sister in Arlington, Va., I took a Vamoose Bus from Arlington to New York. $30, it was clean and quiet, and it arrived on time 4-1/2 hours later. I'd do it again.
Do these bus lines have any connection, in the past or present, with the "Gypsy" buses that ran out west in the '70s and early '80s?
Those were ultra cheap and fun times were had by all.
fiddlehead
07-24-2010, 06:51
Just be aware that low fares (in the bus biz) often go hand in hand with little or no maintenance of safety equipment.
Oh yeah, we need more "safety equipment"
My Thai wife and son are here in PA with me now.
She can't light the barbecue grill cause of the child lock BS (her hands are too small)
She can't ride the lawn tractor unless i duct tape 2" styrofoam blocks on the pedals cause she's too small and she's not heavy enough to activate the safety button on the seat without a gallon of water placed on her lap.
We are so tired of safety equip.
Don't ask my son how he likes the car seat thing.
Oh, but they are surprised that you don't need a motorcycle helmet here.
Sorry for the hijacking of the thread.
I'm happy to hear about the new bus line.
Old Grouse
07-24-2010, 09:05
Fiddlehead, your wife's diminuitive size may be an understandable cause of frustration but is a pretty poor argument against safety equipment. BTW, the safety equipment to which I was referring included lots of nonfunctioning brakes found in a recent surprise DMV bus inspection at Mohegan Sun Casino here in CT. Defective bus brakes (especially on vehicles routinely driven above the speed limit, such as Fung Wah's) endanger not only the passsengers but others on the highway, including short or lightweight folks.
My point, which I can see should have been more explicitly made, was that with the reward of lower fares can come the risk of danger. The exact same point can be made for ultralight hiking.