Travel Suggestions Blog

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 NY, Washington DC, and Boston, and more latterly on the West Coast.  Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long loved the rock bottom costs that these bus companies offer.  Notwithstanding the popularity of these bus lines it can still be tough 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 began in the late 1990s when a businessman in NY’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in new york to Chinatown in Boston.  The service was aimed at Asian immigrants who wanted to shop or visit family in either town and required cheap and convenient transportation.  The service was bare bones-no advertising, customer service, or bus stations.  Shoppers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or lorry ), and paid the driver upon boarding.  For those prepared to do without frills, they offered almost the same service as normal bus firms at a significantly lower cost.  Before long, the word spread and all kinds of folk began using the service.  It became especially popular with scholars, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more acceptable. 

soon more bus corporations duplicated this model and started offering service in other towns.  Now you’ll find this type of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, los angeles, las vegas and San Francisco.  At this point the term’Chinatown bus’ is used more loosely to describe this sort of low-cost/low-frills service.  Many if not most, of the companies do not have Chinatown as their main location and may not minister to the immigrant population in any way.  These operators are also sometimes known as’curbside’ operators. 

How can tickets be so cheap?

$15 between New York to Boston?  $25 from Vegas to Los Angeles?  It appears tough to fathom.  Chinatown bus companies are able to keep costs low because they operate in an essentially different way from normal carriers.  Foremost, the service is very basic.  There’s not much in the way of client service or comforts.  Most of these operators do not have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead.  They eschew standard advertising in favour of personal recommendation.  Further, lots of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you won’t see idle operatives at a little independent bus company.  Finally, these operators ensure they fill their buses.  That is why Chinatown bus operators customarily only operate on heavily trafficked routes.  Indeed some companies only run buses at top times.

Are they safe?

When these firms initially began operating, concerns were raised about safety standards.  There is still controversy within the bus industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same regulations as the traditional firms. However a task force set up by the federal government to have a look at safety issues discovered that Chinatown bus companies didn’t perform better or worse than other sorts of bus firms ( 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 attempting to make a fast buck, while others are bonafide entrepreneurs who intend to grow and operate a long term business. 

What you should expect

• No frills service-the driver could be the ticket collector ; there won’t be a lot of customer service.
• Comfortable buses.  Despite the low fares buses are usually quite nice.  Most buses are comparable to Greyhound and many are basically more deluxe.
• Communication challenges.  Drivers are legally required to communicate enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency.  In reality this is often 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 is usually a ten or fifteen minute rest room break on trips over four hours.  Don’t be late returning to the bus, the driver won’t 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’d like secure a seat.
• Plastic Bags.  An odd little affectation on Chinatown buses is that every aisle seat usually has a plastic grocery bag tied to the arm.  I guess they find this is the best way to keep the buses clean.

How do I find the Chinatown Bus?

Again,’Chinatown bus’ is a term used to describe a sort of operator and not an individual bus company.  Many unrelated bus companies fall into this category.  Since most Chinatown buses don’t spend money on advertising it can be tough to discover details about schedules and bus stop locations.  Plenty of the carriers are becoming savvier about the web and quite a few have websites with info.  Usually an internet search will yield links to bus service to your destination.  There are several directories,eg chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus firms and the writer’s employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus firms. 

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 adventure and humor, you must enjoy the trip fine.  You will also enjoy the cash you save!

To read more about travel topics, visit famouswonders.com and while you are at it, check out Baishui Terraces.