How to Ride the Chinatown Bus To and From New York City

Getting to and from New York City can be expensive no matter where you are coming from. To drive in yourself, you have to pay for turnpike, bridge and tunnel tolls, as well as gas and parking. Public transportation offers an alternative, but usually Amtrak trains will still run you more $100 dollars round-trip. An excellent alternative to this is the Chinatown bus. There are many brands of Chinatown buses that operate to and from New York City--to Chinatown and sometimes other parts of the city as well. These buses come from Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C., and are operated by independent, usually Chinese-owned companies. Although the Chinatown buses sometimes have their setbacks, the amount of money you will save on these buses will usually outweigh any sketchiness you might encounter. Read on to learn how to ride the Chinatown bus to and from New York City.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Figure out where you will be traveling from and when you will be traveling. Keep in mind that Chinatown buses are most crowded (and take longer to ride because of traffic) during rush hour times and near holidays.

2. If you are not close to one of the major cities that offer Chinatown bus service to New York City, you can often get a fairly cheap train from the suburbs to that city. For instance, a Septa R2 Regional Rail train ride from Newark, Delaware to Philadelphia is only around $10 round-trip.

3. Choose which bus brand you will be using. Chinatown-Bus and Go to Bus offer a good list of options servicing many cities to and from New York City. AA Bus offers convenient service from Wilmington, Delaware to West 34th Street near Penn Station for $35 round-trip. The 2000 Coach service offers a $20 round-trip ride from Philadelphia, right near the Septa train station, to 88 East Broadway in Chinatown, New York City.

4. Know that most of the Chinatown buses now offer the convenience of buying your tickets online ahead of time. This is a really great option, as you can use your credit card, and not have to worry about buying a ticket later. If you are planning on returning, buy a round-trip ticket because they usually offer a discount. Print two copies of your ticket (one to get there, one to return) and bring them with you.

5. After purchasing your tickets, research where your bus stops are for both locations. Oftentimes, the bus website will provide maps of the bus stop, as well as subway directions to the stop in New York. Print all this information and bring it with you, as you will find it useful getting back to the stop to return home.

6. Arrive to the stop at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. Have both of your tickets out and ready when the bus arrives.

7. Before getting on the bus, always verify that you are getting on the right bus company's bus, and that the bus is going to the right destination. You can either stow your luggage in the compartment under the bus, or if you are traveling lighter, carry your bag on.

8. Find a seat and enjoy your ride.

9. Sometimes there is an extra stop on a Chinatown bus once it has arrived in New York City. If you are not sure where you are, do not get off before asking someone first. The stop may end up being closer to where you want to go or right near a subway station, but it could also end up being very far from your destination. If you have stored your luggage underneath the bus, this is more difficult, if not impossible to do.

10. Get off the bus and enjoy the city.

Tips & Warnings

• Many times a bus will not leave on schedule, and will circle the block numerous in attempts to fill the bus up as much as possible. Make sure to leave yourself extra time if you have scheduled plans.
• Sometimes, if extremely crowded, you are not guaranteed a seat even if you have paid in advance online. This rarely happens.

Resources

• Great Comprehensive Chinatown Bus Site
• Chinatown-Bus.com
• Gotobus.com
• AA Bus Double Happiness
• New Century Travel