A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

The word is out-the most cost-effective method to get from one major U.S.  City to another is on the’Chinatown bus’.  In recent times this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in NY, Washington DC, and Boston, and more recently on the West Coast.  Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long adored the rock bottom costs that these bus companies offer.  Notwithstanding the idolization 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 will have the inside track on this great budget travel option. 

Chinatown Bus history

The Chinatown bus phenomenon began in the late 1990s when an entrepreneur in the Big Apple’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in NY to Chinatown in Boston.  The service was directed at Asian immigrants who wished to shop or visit relatives in either city and needed cheap and convenient transportation.  The service was bare bones-no advertising, buyer service, or bus stations.  Shoppers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or wagon ), and paid the driver on boarding.  For those prepared to do without frills, they offered almost the same service as normal bus companies at a significantly lower cost.  Before long, the word spread and all sorts of folk began using the service.  It became especially popular with students, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more convenient. 

soon more bus firms duplicated this model and began offering service in other towns.  Now you’ll find this type of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, LA, 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 serve the immigrant population in the slightest.  These operators are also sometimes called’curbside’ operators. 

How can tickets be so cheap?

$15 between Big Apple to Boston?  $25 from las vegas to Los Angeles?  It seems tough to fathom.  Chinatown bus firms may be able to keep prices low because they operate in a fundamentally different way from normal carriers.  Foremost, the service is terribly basic.  There is little in the way of client 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 recommendation by friends.  Further, plenty of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you will not see idle operatives at a tiny independent bus company.  Ultimately, these operators confirm they fill their buses.  That is why Chinatown bus operators usually 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 newbies are complying with the same laws as the conventional firms. However a task force set up by the central government to take a look at issues of safety found that Chinatown bus firms did not perform good or bad than other sorts of bus firms ( ie.  Charter, tour buses ).  All bus firms operating in the U.S.  Must go through the same inspection standards and must obey the same rules.  Realistically there is probably a variety of quality among Chinatown bus carriers.  Some are fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast buck, while others are legitimate entrepreneurs who intend to grow and operate a long-term business. 

What you need to expect

• No frills service-the driver might be the ticket collector ; there will not be a large amount of shopper service.
• Comfortable buses.  Regardless of the low fares buses are usually quite nice.  Most buses are close to Greyhound and many are really 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 adhered to rather loosely.  At the very 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 customarily a ten or 15 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 top times ( weekends and evenings ).  Book ahead or get there early if you need secure a seat.
• Plastic Bags.  A wierd tiny idiosyncrasy on Chinatown buses is that every aisle seat generally has a plastic grocery bag tied to the arm.  I assume they find this is the most effective way to keep the buses clean.

How do I find the Chinatown Bus?

Again,’Chinatown bus’ is a term used to explain a kind of operator and not an individual bus company.  Many not related bus companies fall into this category.  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 Internet and quite a few have websites with info.  Sometimes a Net search will yield links to bus service to your destination.  There are many directories, for example 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 corporations. 

The Chinatown bus isn’t for everyone.  If you want an orderly system with Yankee style customer service, you should probably stick to conventional carriers.  However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a sense of journey and humor, you need to enjoy the trip just fine .  You’ll also enjoy the money you save!

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