Last weekend I had to travel from my home in Manhattan to Boston. Wishing to avoid the indignity of stuffing my beauty products in a Ziplock bag or paying extra money to check my luggage, I opted to take the bus instead of flying the could-be-friendier skies. Heading up to Beantown I took the bargain BoltBus and cruised back to the Big Apple in the luxurious LimoLiner.
Bolt Bus
A joint venture between GreyHound and Peter Pan bus lines, BoltBus offers express service from NYC to Boston and a few other cities. If you want to travel cheap, BoltBus is a viable option - my one-way ticket to Boston cost $14.50 and their website advertises limited $1 seats. The brightly painted coaches are new and clean but the boast of extra leg room felt a bit exaggerated. For us New Yorkers who detest the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the BoltBus to Boston conveniently departs from the corner of 34th and 8th in front of the Tick Tock Diner. There is no assigned seating but passengers do board in groups. My 10:00 AM bus arrived about 15 minutes late but we still arrived at Boston's South Station as scheduled at 2:00 PM after a bouncy ride. BoltBus does offer WIFI but be sure to charge your battery because there aren't outlets at each seat. Although the bathroom was clean, I was thoroughly grossed out by the fact that there was no sink with water for hand washing - only a hand sanitizer dispenser. YUCK!
One of the smoothest rides I've ever experienced, in addition to the driver, LimoLiner has an on-board attendant who serves refreshments, sandwiches and a snack. You can even request a vegetarian meal. Want to take a nap? They have pillows and blankets too. LimoLiner offers WIFI and power outlets at each seat. Each comfy leather seat has a cupholder, outlet, and a pull-down tray. The attendant even offers you a head set for watching the movie or listening to satellite radio. The bathroom was spacious, had fresh flowers, running water and you could even press a button to adjust the lighting to the "makeup" setting. To end the trip on a sweet note, the gracious LimoLiner attendant handed each passenger a silver-wrapped chocolate when we exited - classy!
Final Verdict: BoltBus and LimoLiner both met the basic goal of getting me from Point A to Point B. If you prefer to travel cheap but want the peace of mind that comes from riding a bus run by a major operator then give the BoltBus a try. However if you want a bus that feels like a first-class flight and makes the time on the road whiz by, LimoLiner is worth every penny!
