Alessandra Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Ds age 15 will be traveling to Washington this week. He will stay with relatives, but travel by himself. (He looks older than his years, over 6' tall, used to NYC subways, etc). Does the Hive have any recommendations for busses? A few people here have mentioned that they use the Bolt Bus. It sounds good, but I would love to hear peoples' experiences, opinions. Thx! ETA. this popped up on google, no idea how accurate is, would still like to hear experiences from Hive. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/travel/busreview/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I don't know about NYC-DC (I took the train for that run when I lived back East), but we have had good experiences with the Bolt Bus here. My 17yo son took a Bolt Bus from Los Angeles to SF and said it was comfortable, clean, had WiFi, etc. It's good if you can get tickets as soon as you know your plans, because they're cheaper ($5?) the earlier you book. We know young people who have taken the Bolt Bus in WA state and love it. ETA: That is a useful comparison you posted. I forgot, we had to reschedule my son's ticket, and it was only a few dollars to do so. I notice that some of the bus lines aren't as flexible. ETA2: LA-SF is almost 9 hours (much longer than driving would take, but so much more pleasant!), and my son had no problems during that long ride. I think they stopped somewhere for a quick break. They have several (4?) departure times, including a "red-eye," and a choice of several starting and finishing points (I see this is of course also true for NYC), including stops that connect with train lines (Union Station in LA, BART in SF area) and other bus lines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 26, 2015 Author Share Posted June 26, 2015 I don't know about NYC-DC (I took the train for that run when I lived back East), but we have had good experiences with the Bolt Bus here. My 17yo son took a Bolt Bus from Los Angeles to SF and said it was comfortable, clean, had WiFi, etc. It's good if you can get tickets as soon as you know your plans, because they're cheaper ($5?) the earlier you book. We know young people who have taken the Bolt Bus in WA state and love it. I have usually taken a train to, but tickets bought with relatively short notice seem to be about $150 and bus is less than $29. Pretty big difference. Clean & comfortable is what I want. I'm glad to hear your ds likes Bolt. It's the same company on both coasts. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 its been years, but i liked Vamoose when i used it. today i might try Bolt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 My daughter rode the Bolt Bus all by herself last October. She was 16 years old, is about 5'3" and weighs just over a hundred pounds. She was fine. She rode from DC to NYC, and back. We live near DC, and she was riding up to meet up with a friend and her family for the weekend. The bus was clean. The others on the bus were nice - mostly college age kids. She didn't really talk to anyone. The bus was not full, so she didn't have to sit right next to anyone. She said she felt safe. The WiFi was sketchy, and she had to try a few outlets before she found one that would charge her phone. We moved last summer from a very small town to the DC suburbs, so she doesn't have much experience with public transportation, but everything worked out fine. We did try to schedule her ride for daylight hours, and I would have felt better if the bus drop off in NYC hadn't just been on the side of the road, but even that was okay. I know she felt like it was a great adventure! Best of luck to your son! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 My daughter rode the Bolt Bus all by herself last October. She was 16 years old, is about 5'3" and weighs just over a hundred pounds. She was fine. She rode from DC to NYC, and back. We live near DC, and she was riding up to meet up with a friend and her family for the weekend. The bus was clean. The others on the bus were nice - mostly college age kids. She didn't really talk to anyone. The bus was not full, so she didn't have to sit right next to anyone. She said she felt safe. The WiFi was sketchy, and she had to try a few outlets before she found one that would charge her phone. We moved last summer from a very small town to the DC suburbs, so she doesn't have much experience with public transportation, but everything worked out fine. We did try to schedule her ride for daylight hours, and I would have felt better if the bus drop off in NYC hadn't just been on the side of the road, but even that was okay. I know she felt like it was a great adventure! Best of luck to your son! What a wonderful recommendation! At first, I did not realize how many different bus lines there were, and I thought of a dingy Grayhound bus, yuck. But hearing about your dd is so encouraging. Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 What a wonderful recommendation! At first, I did not realize how many different bus lines there were, and I thought of a dingy Grayhound bus, yuck. But hearing about your dd is so encouraging. Thank you! Bolt Bus is run by Greyhound, but it goes straight through to the destination and doesn't stop to pick up passengers along the way - so it's faster and hopefully safer. My dd caught the bus at union station in DC. The train station is beautiful! But you follow signs out of the station to the bus area and it is much sketchier... the area is grungier and so are the people... But really - the price is awesome, and it's not too bad. My sister and I may go to NYC by Bolt Bus this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Bolt is great. I am also a huge fan of MegaBus- every ride I've taken has been incredibly relaxing, and unbelievably quite. I wish airlines would take a hint. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Kids here take MegaBus to DC and NYC. There's a stop on the university campus :) It's so much less than Amtrak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 We use Best Bus Academy and Bolt Bus. We had a not as great experience on MegaBus last time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 Kids here take MegaBus to DC and NYC. There's a stop on the university campus :) It's so much less than Amtrak. Yes, the difference between Amtrack and the bus was astonishing. I made reservations today on Bolt. Thank you everybody, for all the help. I really appreciate it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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