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I've take sunshine travel and fung wah numerous times and I am always pleased.
Everytime I ended up catching a bus different than the one I schedules, which was convenient for me.
The ride is not as bad as people say and they've actually had a decent record considering the run like 40 times a day 7 days a week.
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There is a Boston-NYC bus service that has had guaranteed reserved seats, beverage and food service, electrical outlets and free wifi for years. The Boston pickup/drop-off location is in the Back Bay and the NYC location is a largeHyatt hotel in Manhattan.
Far, far more convenient for NYC-BOS business travel than the chinatown bus companies.
The company is called limoliner.com - they go for business people who would normally fly or take the Acela train and they price accordingly. I think my last ticket was about $70 or so. Not price-competitive with the cheap outfits but they stack up well as an alternative to flying/Acela train.
I take the Vamoose bus between Bethesda, MD and NYC, and even as a former Amtrack rider, the internet will be totally new. However, the buses don't have an outlet and with a 4-hour ride between Maryland and NYC, and another 4 hours from NYC to Boston, you better have a big battery. Still better than nothing though.
Every 5th ride on Vamoose is free, too.
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I ride greyhound in California and have never heard of or witnessed the availability of WiFi or electrical outlets, let alone guaranteed seating. It sure would make my trips easier and less boring.
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My wife went on DC2NY. she liked the bus a lot and although the net was slow - it existed and she was able to read the newspaper as she sat on the bus. A marked improvement over bad in ride movies.
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Vamoose technically isn't a Chinatown bus, since neither its operators (Hassidic) nor its termini (Midtown/suburban DC) are in Chinatown.
While I *usually* don't have a problem with actual Chinatown bus operators, I do think Vamoose is worth the extra $5 each way, what with its cleaner buses, less rowdy passengers and English-speaking drivers.
I took Vamoose once - and while the buses are clean, they fill every damn seat on the bus. Which is fine, except I was stuck next to the fattest guy on the bus who kept asking me to get up when his cell phone rang (he was so large he couldn't reach into his pocket while sitting down).
But I think Vamoose is operated by Jews... I dont think they have service on Saturdays. I'd take Vamoose again though - especially with the buy-5-get-1-free deal.
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The Chinatown buses run South through Richmond to Atlanta as well: todaysbus.com
Added bonus of using a Chinatown bus service: illegal gambling machines in the bus terminals/ticket office.
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@chrisdag: I love Limoliner, I've taken it to Boston many times for work and refuse to travel on one of the chinatown buses.
I like feeling safe and being comfortable.
I use Eastern Travel to get from Richmond, VA to DC a few times a month. A round trip is only $20 compared to Greyhound at $44.50. Richmond to NYC is only $65. Eastern bus terminals are little hole-in-the-walls but are located in convenient places. The buses are clean and staff polite.
Ironic this comes up today. I just spoke with a buddy who rode a C'Town bus back from NYC yesterday. He said the entertainment was a pirated RuPaul movie (complete with heads popping up in front of the theater screen).
Kind of like your beverage service being a 2-liter of Sam's Choice cola that gets passed around the bus...
I used to be a big fan of the chinatown bus between Boston and NYC, but then this happened: [www.boston.com]
And this: [www.chinatown-bus.org]
And this: [www.boston.com]
Three big \"uh-oh's\" will keep me away until they show some significant improvement. Besides, I found out you can get 2 for 1 tickets on Amtrak:
[www.retailmenot.com]
THAT's traveling in style and comfort.
@jdempsey3: But you realize that's all Fung Wah, right? Not to say that other Chinatown buses are perfect, but they don't seem to pop up in the news nearly as often as the Wah.
@chrisdag:
You're talking about LimoLiner. (www.limoliner.com)
My wife and I went to NYC for my birthday and took Limoliner. It was probably the best bus trip I've taken in my life.
They're more expensive, but the extra comforts are a nice splurge every once in a while.
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Hey! I just got back from a trip on DC2NY!
And yeah: wireless was kind of meh, but that's kind of to be expected.
Free water and a driver who seemed to care about what he was doing was nice though.
Nothing beats the entertainment of Fung Wah. The chances of arriving safely can be pretty long. Great for thrill seeker travelers.