Gary BUTTERWORTH Online

STRATFORD, NJ, USA

Sometimes, I feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump.

I’ve been on public busses and private busses. City busses and intercity busses. Domestic busses and international busses. Busses that left early and busses that left late. I’ve waited for busses that never showed up at all. I’ve been on busses that got into accidents and busses that broke down. Beautiful busses and filthy busses. Busses that were overcrowded and busses with no passengers but me. I’ve been on busses that were stopped by police and busses that were lucky they weren’t. I’ve taken busses that invented great shortcuts and busses that got terribly lost. I have horror stories and unremarkable stories about busses. And I’ve taken trains, too.
And, believe it or not, the good experiences far outweigh the bad.

Last night, I came home from my whirlwind 32-hour trip to DC on the Chinatown bus.
Whenever I mention that I take the bus, I almost invariably get asked a lot of questions. So, I thought I’d write a post to answer some of them and to compare the two biggest options most bus riders have in the northeastern US: Greyhound and “Chinatown busses.” Every once in a while, I hop on a train; so, I touch on that, too.

Background

I have been riding Greyhound since 2001 and Chinatown since 2004.

Believe it or not, despite my love-hate relationship with it, I usually prefer the bus to driving. It’s not that I mind driving–I love the freedom of it, and sometimes the act of driving can be fun in and of itself. But busses are cheaper, safer, and better for the environment. Plus, I don’t have to worry about finding a parking place somewhere in a busy city. In fact, I don’t have to worry about much of anything. I can sleep, or read, and let someone else do the work for me. Like having a chauffeur, I find the bus to be something of a luxury.

Greyhound is by far the largest and most comprehensive intercity bus operator in the USA. But in recent years, it has been facing increased competition (especially in the northeast US) by numerous up-start, independent, small-scale private bus lines owned primarily by recent Chinese immigrants. Collectively known as “Chinatown busses” or “dragon busses,” these routes provide limited, but fast and cheap, service between various Chinatowns.

How do these two options stack up?

Comparison*

Which is better?
It depends upon what is important to you.

Number of destinations: Greyhound. Greyhound has taken some heat in recent years for eliminating many of its rural routes, but it still has an unsurpassed infrastructure. You can buy a ticket from Florida to Alaska, and they service many suburbs and small towns, as well as major cities. Chinatown only operates point-to-point service between major cities. You may be able to build your own longer-distance itinerary, but you’ll have to buy multiple tickets on multiple busses and figure out the connections on your own.

Comfort on busses: Greyhound. I find Greyhound’s busses cleaner. While they seem to be older, on average, they are less likely to smell. (Insider tip: Always sit near the front, away from the lavatory!) Plus, you get a little more legroom, footrests that are often adjustable, and a pouch on your seat back to store your reading material. And they are less crowded. You’re more likely to have two seats to yourself. Greyhound wins this one, but Chinatown isn’t bad at all.
(All of the busses I mention can be considered “coach busses,” and feature at least the basics of comfort, like cushioned seats.)

Price: Chinatown. Chinatown is almost always cheaper. Greyhound is responding by lowering some fares, but they might be restricted (eg., buy online, buy in advance, travel free with a friend, etc.). Despite this, Chinatown usually remains cheaper.

Clientele: Chinatown. Yes, the cheaper, less comfortable bus attracts a slightly higher class of people. I can’t explain it, but it’s true. Lots of college kids, recent immigrants, and suburban middle class folk. People on the ‘hound have told me about their drug habits and prison terms. Not so on the Chinatown. Probably because, rightly orwrongly, there is a bit of a stigma attached to Greyhound, so some people think they are too good for it. Maybe it’s a self-fulfilling stigma. Still, Greyhound is hardly terrible. I once sat next to a CFL football player!

Speed: Chinatown. If you’re going from one big city to another, go Chinatown. The busses generally don’t make intermediate stops to pick up additional passengers. That savings can add up to hours.

Reliability: Push. They are all more-or-less equal and more-or-less reliable in my experience. You’ll always get there eventually, and you’ll usually get there close to when you should.

Customer service/transparency: Greyhound, but that’s not saying much.
I’ll give Greyhound credit–they try. I have a little inside information, and I know that the leadership is working very hard to overcome their stigma, adapt to the competition from the Chinese busses, and just become a more consumer-friendly organization. But they have their work cut out for them. Outside of the corporate headquarters, Greyhound is largely an inefficient, impersonal, and unfriendly organization. But at least there is a phone number to call and complain.
While I’ve never had any problems with the Chinatown busses, if I do, there’s nothing I can do. It’s a cash-only business that operates in the back of dingy little storefronts by people who speak little English. You’re on your own.

Number of departures: Greyhound. They run more busses on most routes. It’s that simple.

Simplicity: Greyhound. Neither bus is particularly difficult to use. But Greyhound has a central terminal in each city where they will drop you off and pick you up. The Chinatown busses will usually just pick you up and drop you off on a street corner somewhere that may be a block or so away from where you buy your ticket. Plus, you have to figure out which “Chinatown bus” in your city goes to your destination. After you do it once, you’ll catch on, but it can be confusing or intimidating at first.

Flexibility: Push. Greyhound prints a date and time on your ticket. You’re supposed to use it then, but you don’t really have to. The Chinatown bus sells non-exchangable tickets online for specific departures, but those aren’t guaranteed. You’re better to just show up and buy a ticket 15 minutes before the bus leaves than buy in advance. In short, after you learn the ropes, both companies are more flexible than they initially appear.

Safety: Push. I’ve heard more horror stories about Chinatown busses (particularly on the NYC-Boston route) than Greyhound busses, but I’ve had negative experiences on Greyhound, not Chinatown. All in all, I feel plenty safe on both of them. My main concern in this area is the bus station. Chinatown busses normally drop off and pick up on street corners in fairly decent parts of town. Shady, maybe, but it’s generally pretty safe. Greyhound has actual terminals, but they are sometimes in dicey areas. I’ve visited a couple dozen Greyhound stations, and they vary considerably: Syracuse, NY, is like a mini-airport; it’s very nice. Washington, DC, is horrible. I would not recommend most single women to Greyhound into DC unaccompanied. But overall, both buses are pretty safe.

Controversy/corporate citizenship: Push. Chinatown busses have been criticized for alleged links to organized crime and failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Greyhound has been criticized for cutting down service to rural areas. Either way, I don’t think either group is evil.

Fun: Chinatown, I guess. With any bus, you frequently end up with a story to tell and a love-hate relationship with it. But the Chinatown bus seems to be earning a place in the culture of young urban-dwellers. There is almost a little cult following. I enjoy Chinatown because, despite the other flaws, it’s faster and cheaper. There is a VERY slim chance of being shown a movie on each one. But it’s extremely unlikely. Overall, a bus is a bus, and fun is in the eye of the beholder. But Chinatown seems more beholden.

Other bus lines

I once took Eurolines one-way overnight from Strasbourg, France, to Bratislava, Slovakia. It was a wonderful experience. Ultra-clean busses, airplane-like restrooms, a water cooler, and a “flight attendant,” who had his own little bunk!
Private charter busses and commuter busses can vary greatly, but are almost always acceptable.
I’ve never used Peter Pan (which I think is part of the Greyhound network), Megabus, or Vamoose, but I’ve heard good things. Washington Deluxe, Vamoose (“the Jewish bus”), and a couple of others are trying to market themselves as more upscale “luxury” busses, and I hear they are quite nice–like Eurolines.
Some other bus lines, like many Trailways affiliates, run as part of the Greyhound network. It’s kind of complicated.
Even the crappiest busses FAR surpass school busses. If you’re new to bus travel, set your expectations fairly low, but definitely not school bus low.

How does Amtrak stack up?

Honestly, not very well. While it hits the big cities, our national passenger railway hits very few smaller destinations. Amtrak’s windows are generally small compared to busses, so you often don’t get much of a view. The interior lights are not dimmed at night, making it difficult to sleep. It is all coach seating–there are no non-sleeping compartments, which cuts down on socializing. Amtrak does not have much in the way of a high-speed network: I’d say an average train ride will be MAYBE 10% faster than a comparable bus or car trip, assuming there aren’t any delays (which is a big assumption). The dining options are mediocre. Some Amtrak passengers are just a little too preppy, and I’ve been treated rudely by staff.
In the cities I visit most often (DC and Philadelphia), the busses stop at locations that are just slightly more convenient for me than the trains. I know this sounds odd, and I’m probably in a minority here, but I actually find that Amtrak gives me too much legroom. I like having a place to rest my feet; I get that on a bus, but not on a train.

I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that on peak travel days, like Thanksgiving weekend, Amtrak sometimes uses older, beat-up, low quality cars to transport extra passengers. Supposedly they charge full price for this.

A higher percentage of my Amtrak trips have involved breakdowns and long delays than my bus trips.

That should be enough right there. But then there is the price. Oh….the price!
Amtrak is, simply put, ludicrously expensive. On a Chinatown bus, a one-way trip from DC to Philadelphia will set you back $14. Greyhound is slightly more. Amtrak’s fares for the same route START at $40, and can go over $220! All to save you about 30 minutes of time.

If you’re interested in getting a bed on a longer route, forget about it. Just fly.
On a 26 hour trip from the east coast to Chicago, $80 one way for a seat is admittedly not a terrible deal (although budget airlines can probably beat it). But if you want to lay down, be prepared to shell out over $400 each way! And be prepared to book weeks or months in advance. And that is for the lowest class of sleeping accommodations!
(There are no couchettes.)

I really enjoy riding trains, but I just don’t care much for Amtrak.

That said, if I were afraid to fly cross-country, or ultra-concerned with my greenhouse emissions, I would most certainly chose a week on the train over a week on the bus. For long trips (12+ hours, for me, but everyone has their own limits), the inherent perks of train travel (namely, the ability to walk around, buy food on-board, use restrooms that are nicer than busses, and plug in your laptop) outweigh Amtrak’s flaws. Plus, sometimes Amtrak’s departure times are more convenient. Rightly or wrongly (I think wrongly), trains have less stigma than busses, at least in the US. And trains are just cool.

All in all, Amtrak is not terrible, but it is certainly not great, and it is certainly a poor value for the money.
Heck, I might chose the bus over the train even if they were the same price!

Verdict

Obviously, all transportation options have their pros and cons. If I’m travelling by land in the US, I generally pick the Chinatown bus when it’s possible. But generally, Greyhound is pretty equal, and superior in some respects. Amtrak would be great if it were in the same price range. But it’s not, so that makes it an inferior option, especially for short trips where you can deal without the creature comforts for a couple of hours.

Don’t let the cons get to you, though. Regardless of the option you choose, you are likely to have a pleasant trip.

*Disclaimer: These comparisons are probably not fair. I admit it. For one, they are based entirely off of my own experiences, and I really have no idea how representative those are. Additionally, “Greyhound” and “Chinatown busses” are far from homogeneous. The term “Chinatown bus” refers to a phenomenon of various independent low-cost bus lines that operate from primarily Chinese ethnic neighborhoods. While the various lines have A LOT in common, they are nonetheless completely independent of each other, and they would probably object to being grouped together (I almost exclusively ride with New Century Travel, simple because it is most convenient for me). Some, like Vamoose, try to set themselves apart from the “Chinatown” archetype.
Similarly, Greyhound has some of its own busses, but also contracts out and shares routes with other lines, like the various Trailways operators, Peter Pan, and my personal favorite, Trentway-Wagar on routes to/from Canada. Experiences can vary from bus line to bus line, or even bus to bus with the same company.
Also, I haven’t fact-checked this. I could have a fact or two wrong, although I don’t think so.

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Link du jour: Myriad Chinatown and other transport options to/from New York City.