A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

The word is out-the cheapest technique to get from one major U.S.  Town to another is on the’Chinatown bus’.  Recently this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in the Big Apple, Washington DC, and Boston, and more latterly on the West Coast.  Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long adored the rock bottom prices 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 started in the latter 1990s when an entrepreneur in NY’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in the Big Apple to Chinatown in Boston.  The service was aimed at Asian immigrants who needed to shop or visit relations in either town and required inexpensive and convenient transport.  The service was bare bones-no advertising, shopper service, or bus stations.  Customers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or wagon ), and paid the driver on boarding.  For those ready to do without frills, they offered virtually the same service as normal bus firms at a significantly lower price .  Before long, the word spread and all categories of people began using the service.  It became especially favored by scholars, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more acceptable. 

soon more bus firms copied this model and began offering service in other towns.  Now you can find this kind of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, los angeles, Vegas and San Francisco.  At this point the term’Chinatown bus’ is used more loosely to describe this kind 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 often called’curbside’ operators. 

How can tickets be so cheap?

$15 between Big Apple to Boston?  $25 from las vegas to Los Angeles?  It appears hard to fathom.  Chinatown bus firms may be able to keep costs 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 customer service or facilities.  Most of these operators don’t have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead.  They eschew traditional advertising in favour of personal recommendation.  Further, plenty of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you won’t see idle executives at a tiny independent bus company.  Eventually, 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 peak times.

Are they safe?

When these companies initially began operating, concerns were raised about safety standards.  There’s still controversy in the bus industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same rules as the standard firms. However a task force set up by the federal government to have a look at safety issues revealed that Chinatown bus firms did not perform better or worse than other sorts of bus firms ( ie.  Charter, tour buses ).  All bus companies operating in the U.S.  Must undergo 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 attempting to make a fast buck, while others are legitimized entrepreneurs who plan to grow and operate a long term business. 

What you must expect

• No frills service-the driver may be the ticket collector ; there won’t be lots of shopper service.
• Comfortable buses.  Despite the low fares buses are usually quite nice.  Most buses are close to Greyhound and many are actually more deluxe.
• Communication challenges.  Drivers are legally required to communicate enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency.  In reality this is regularly sticked 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’s generally a 10 or fifteen 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 delegated time.
• Full buses.  Buses definitely sell out at peak times ( weekends and evenings ).  Book ahead or get there early if you need secure a seat.
• Plastic Bags.  A wierd tiny quirk 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 only 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 not related bus firms fall into this class.  Since most Chinatown buses don’t spend money on advertising it can be tough to find out details about schedules and bus stop locations.  Plenty of the carriers are becoming savvier about the web and a few have websites with information.  Usually an internet search will yield links to bus service to your destination.  There are also many directories, such as chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus corporations and the author’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 likely stick to standard 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!

Where do you want to travel in the world? For an idea of where to go on your next vacation, visit famouswonders.com. While you are on the site, also take a look at Baishui Terraces China.