A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

The word is out-the most cost-effective way 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 lately on the West Coast.  Scholars, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long liked the rock bottom prices that these bus companies offer.  Despite 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 will have the inside track on this great budget travel option. 

Chinatown Bus history

The Chinatown bus phenomenon commenced in the latter 1990s when a businessman in new york’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 city and needed inexpensive and convenient transportation.  The service was bare bones-no advertising, shopper service, or bus stations.  Shoppers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or van ), and paid the driver on boarding.  For those ready to do without frills, they offered virtually the same service as standard bus firms at a substantially lower price .  Before long, the word spread and all categories of folk started to use the service.  It became especially popular with students, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more acceptable. 

shortly more bus firms duplicated this model and started offering service in other cities.  Now you can 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 sort of low-cost/low-frills service.  Many if not most, of the companies don’t have Chinatown as their main location and may not minister to the immigrant population at all .  These operators are also sometimes referred to as’curbside’ operators. 

How can tickets be so cheap?

$15 between Big Apple to Boston?  $25 from Vegas to Los Angeles?  It appears hard to fathom.  Chinatown bus firms can keep prices low because they operate in an essentially different way from standard carriers.  Foremost, the service is extremely basic.  There’s not much in the way of customer service or amenities.  Many of these operators do not have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead.  They eschew standard advertising in favor of recommendation by friends.  Further, many of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you will not see idle middle management at a small independent bus company.  Finally, these operators confirm they fill their buses.  That is why Chinatown bus operators customarily 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 is still controversy within the bus industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same regulations as the traditional corporations. However a task force set up by the government to have a look at safety issues found that Chinatown bus corporations didn’t perform good or bad than other types of bus firms ( ie.  Charter, tour buses ).  All bus companies operating in the U.S.  Must undergo the same inspection standards and must comply with the same rules.  Realistically there’s probably a variety of quality among Chinatown bus carriers.  Some are fly-by-night operators making an attempt to make a fast buck, while others are legitimate entrepreneurs who plan to grow and operate a long-term business. 

What you need to expect

• No frills service-the driver could be the ticket collector ; there will not be lots of customer service.
• Comfortable buses.  Despite the low fares buses are sometimes quite nice.  Most buses are comparable to Greyhound and many are really more luxury.
• Communication challenges.  Drivers are legally required to speak 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 generally a ten or fifteen minute lavatory break on trips over 4 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 top times ( weekends and evenings ).  Book ahead or get there early if you’d like secure a seat.
• Plastic Bags.  A wierd tiny idiosyncrasy 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 best 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 corporations fall into this category.  Since most Chinatown buses do not 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 net and a few have websites with info.  Sometimes a Web 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 companies 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 is not for everyone.  If you need an orderly system with Yankee style customer service, you should potentially stick to conventional carriers.  However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a feeling of journey and humor, you must enjoy the trip just fine .  You may also enjoy the money you save!

If you enjoy traveling and would like to read more on some of the most famous places in the world, visit famouswonders.com and also check out Shouxi Lake China.

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