AA Bus

My flight to Chicago was cancelled, and I had to find another way to get there. The boyfriend found this place online, and off we headed straight down from LGA to here to get onto the bus.
Getting on the bus was intense, as Chinese people squeezed their way on any way they could. I was squeezed left and right. We did leave at about 10:10 pm, so pretty on-​time. Within about an hour, I fell asleep. At about 1 am, another customer who didn’t speak Chinese asked why all the signs were leading to New York City. Turns out, the weather was so bad, visibility so low, that the driver had turned around at some point and «announced» that he couldn’t continue. Unfortunately since the majority of people had fallen asleep, no one knew what was happening. We arrived back into Manhattan at 3 am, with them just saying that if we wanted to get on, they would try again at 10 pm the next day. As I was only going for a couple days, I had to end up canceling the trip.
Still waiting to get a refund from them. We had bought the tickets online through a 3^rd party vendor connected to this Chinese bus company. Called the vendor the following day, who tried to contact this company. No answer. We were told we can’t get a refund until the company says they turned around. Personally went to the stop today and was told by the woman there that she’s not in charge and she can’t help.
Unless you want to be tossed around on a bus and there is perfect weather, I would skip this company.

Absolutely never again.
The stops that the driver thinks he is making are not the same stops that the company thinks he will be making (there were many mad people who had a ticket on our bus at the right time that were headed to new wark, but the driver had no intention of going there.)
The driver was screaming violently at some passengers who disagreed with him. Language barrier or not, he was about to get punched in the face by the guy he was yelling at.
The bus has electrical outlets and lights, all of which are turned off during your trip, for your inconvenience. (including the light in the restroom, which is. disgusting)
Also make sure you add an hour to your travel time, because the route the bus takes to get out of the city is probably the worst one, and it takes about an hour to get to the Lincoln tunnel from where it initially picks up in Chinatown.
Also, the bus picks up/​takes off about a block from the waiting area.

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER! The driver was smoking and talking dirty joke all the time, and apparently he did not knew the way and got lost, delayed the trip for an hour. The bus was freezing cold. What was worse, there are people smoking pot on board and it just went like that. I really want to give 0 star to this one. SIMPLY TERRIBLE.

I was a little reluctant to use this bus service because of the reviews, but I took a chance and here I am writing a review. This seems to be the only bus company with low prices that has a bus that leaves at night I’m route to Virginia.
The office left a lot to be desired. The office looked like a pop office like it was thrown together. The staff was nice and the bathroom was clean despite the graffiti on the walls. The bus was due to leave 10 pm. The bus arrived at 9:45 pm and we pulled out at exactly 10:03 pm. I was shocked and happy at the same time. The bus was clean and didn’t smell but they need to get the shocks fixed or something because the bus bounced a lot. We were due to arrive at 5:30 am but we arrived earlier at 4:45 which was cool.

this bus is not for ppl with High expectations so let me just make this clear for you, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. possibly even less depending how busy it is that day.
make sure you use the barthroom before you get on this bus, Seats are not Assigned guaranteed, make sure you ask for destination cuz they dont announce it all the time, try to bring as little luggage as possible and make sure its a carry on. First come first Serve, Ride at your own risk.

Lmao, I can laugh about this now, mainly because I’m learning to not let things get to me.
So I booked two tickets last week. One fro NYC to Albany and Albany to NYC, received my confirmation, and was ready to go. I’ve ridden this bus line before and know that they NEVER check ID, they just take the ticket from you, but I always have my ID at the ready.
I showed up 30minutes before the scheduled departure and waited :).
Soooooo, 6:30 came and went and the people working there had no explanation as to why the bus didn’t show up. At 8:30 (yup I waited two hours) I requested a refund… yes requested, not demanded (I was listening to Rihanna and I was in chill mode). I was told, «you have to call number on ticket for refund, but not today, call Monday». I’m not fond of having people tell me when I can do something, so I called that very moment and was told my refund will be processed Monday morning.
Monday (yesterday) I called back to get confirmation that my refund was processed and an eta on when I will be reimbursed… lmao, here is where I laughed the hardest. I was told that I waited too long to request a refund therefore I will not be getting anything from them. (wipes away tear… I’m still laughing).
So on Friday I was told call Monday because she knew I would encounter this problem and for that very reason, I called Friday (while still standing at the bus stop). Despite explaining the details to the «customer service» rep on the phone, I was still denied my refund. So like any mammal who knows how to read, I called my credit card company and informed them of the situation.
Service: ⁰⁄₅
Price: ⁵⁄₅
Location: ³⁄₅
Safety: ¹⁄₅
The fact that they’re still in business: smh… no seriously why are they still in business?

I used to ride this service to and from New York twice a month for almost four years. I consider myself an intrepid renegade when it comes to travelling on the cheap which made this bus service my first choice over Megabus or BoltBus. I believe Double Happiness/​AA Bus is now shut down or is at least running on the down-​low. For a while there you’d have to catch the bus running because they were banned from parking on the street in Chinatown. Don’t bother with making online reservations, just show up early and hand them your $ 20. You don’t always have to buy a ticket at the waiting terminal because you can buy it from the ticket-​taker on the bus. Don’t put your stuff in the bottom or they might drive off with it. Avoid the bathroom and keep an eye on the front window or you’ll get bus-​sick from the wild maneuvers they pull on the highway. Ask the bus driver exactly where the bus is going and where it will stop because they definitely don’t announce the arrivals. In Wilmington they shuttle you onto a small van which takes you to Dover. As soon as you get off the bus in Wilmington, walk across the street to catch the van. Try to be the first in line because they will seriously pull out a bucket for you to sit in the aisle if all the seats are taken. Sure, you can pay a little extra for the relative safety and cleanliness of the Megabus, or you can carpe diem and enjoy the thrills of riding the Chinatown bus.

And in conclusion…
This is the WORST busline of them all! Terrible! Trip was Baltimore to NYC. Stated 3hr 40min on ticket. Bus was 30 mins late. Then did not inform they were stopping in Wilmington to pick up more people. Also they dropped us off 2 blocks from where they were supposed to. Minus the small amount if traffic, our trip was over 5 hours.
Want to know about the return trip? So the bus was supposed to arrive at 1140 but it didn’t make it until after 1:15. It was christmas day, so we all waited in the cold for about 2 hours since no stores were open. The driver was new, so he didn’t know how to get out of nyc. Stopped again in Wilmington. Stopped at a random rest area because some asian lady wanted dropped off there.
terrible.

I did not expect too much, and – based on the reviews that I read – was expecting the worst from AA Bus.
I am here writing this because I wanted to balance the negative reviews for anyone who is
a) considering taking an AA Bus from Chicago to NYC, or
b) has bought a ticket and is regretting it.
I want to address the points I remember from the reviews I read:
–the bus arrived roughly on time, but left a little late because the ticket-​checking and issuing took some time
–the stops that the bus made were not announced and completely random, but put us (maybe) 10 minutes off schedule
–the passengers were, save for two people – a Chinese man and an African lady yelling into their cellphones – uniformly quiet, nice, courteous
–the driver was not overly aggressive and even said «Thank You» when I exited the bus
–the bus was not dirty… I had a clean bodega bag for my garbage and the bathroom looked like what you’d expect a bathroom that is being jostled at 70+ an hour for hours on end to look like. It wasn’t disgusting, but it wasn’t the Four Seasons.
…and so forth.
I have no complaints about AA Bus.
I think they do an admirable job.
We got to NYC in decent time and there were no hassles.
Maybe my experience was unique but I suspect that this site attracts the incensed and not the people who bought their ticket, had a decent trip, and went on with their lives.
I think this is a bargain for $ 80.

Shut down by the US Department of Transportation today, and I am not at all surprised. It was becoming more and more unsafe and sketchy.

Deserves ZERO stars because it is not even SAFE.
Obviously, this is a cheap Chinatown bus. The dozens of other issues listed by other reviewers, I won’t approach. You get what you pay for, fair is fair.
Okay, I can’t help myself: I need to mention the SCREAMING. The psychotic woman who took our tickets started SCREAMING at a man on the bus because he did not understand her terrible «English» when she first asked to see his ticket. I understand the frustration of running cheap transportation during a holiday weekend, but no one should scream at customers who have done nothing wrong.
And when we reached our final stop the other night, the poor service escalated to a dangerous situation. My partner and I were the last people on the bus; everyone else had stepped off at 34^th Street. The bus driver pulled to a stop and announced it, we stood up and began to gather our few belonging — and then the bus suddenly slammed forward several feet and slammed to a stop. We both fell over, and our bags fell to the floor from where we’d placed them on our seats. My partner was furious, of course. If the bus driver had pulled forward even a minute earlier, I might have been knocked out while I pulled my computer case from the overhead bin — or damage might have been done to our valuables. My partner lost his cool and started yelling at the driver — yes, I admit it wasn’t the best reaction in an already poor situation, but what do you expect from a human man when his girl has been knocked over on a bus? The bus driver immediately sprang up from his seat and jumped around in the aisle while screaming «I TIRED WANT TO GO HOME GET OFF OF MY FUCKING BUS. YOU NO GET OFF BUS, I WANT YOU TO GET OFF FUCKING BUS SO I START DRIVING.»
Seriously?

Some people are connoisseurs of wine, or of fine cheese, or of old-​school rap music. I may not be able to taste the difference between Kraft and Camembert, or understand what makes Biggie a «better» rapper than Mystikal, but what I lack in those areas I like to think I can make up for with my encyclopedic knowledge of the Mid-​Atlantic I-​95 Chinatown bus system. Here my palate is sensitive and my judgment discriminating. There is good, there is bad, there is boring and there is terrifying.
AA Bus is, definitely, the absolute worst. Nobody mentions that this place doesn’t just stop (conveniently!) at the finest parts of Wilmington, DE and Baltimore, MD, but will also hit up three or four random places on the side of the highway (if you speak Mandarin and need to get off between exits 3 and 4 on the NJT, this is your bus).
AA Bus is a free for all, which could be a good thing, I guess. Bus was forty five minutes late and the line to get on it is an absolute madhouse. There were without a doubt several people with tickets who did not make it to their destinations that day. Don’t pay attention to whoever is leading the line because chances are she is just as confused as you are. Nothing really to complain about in terms of the driving, aside from the random drop-​offs into the woods. Sketch. Then, after we spent a leisurely hour parked in front of the bail bond shop in Wilmington, (nowhere on the website does it mention that this is even a stop – definitely makes the NY-​Baltimore trip last longer than NY-​DC) someone legit lit up a joint five rows behind me. Most buses don’t even let you smoke regular cigs.
Well I guess this could be your kind of bus… but I’m going to avoid it.

The Megabus that I wanted to take was sold out, so I tried to buy a ticket on AA Bus to Albany. Unfortunately, their online form was having some kind of technical problem, and I couldn’t place an order.
I called them on the phone, and it went straight to a generic voicemail message (which didn’t even say it was a bus company, and provided no information).
I tried to use the «online live help» at
, which also sells their tickets, but no one responded.
So I went and bought a ticket on Greyhound. Surprisingly, it was the same price. I’ll have to leave a little earlier, but I’m sure my experience will likely be more pleasant, and definitely more reliable.

I took this from Chinatown to Albany once and don’t plan to do it again. This bus isn’t much cheaper than Megabus and I think Megabus is 1000x better. I was surrounded by people with crying children and the seats had absolutely NO leg room. I am a tall person so sometimes I assume it’s just me but everyone was squished. The bus was nearly full but thankfully no one sat down next to me so I could turn my legs to the side. I don’t plan to ever take this bus again even though the drop off in Albany is way more convenient than where Megabus drops off by the Amtrak station. I was uncomfortable the entire ride and didn’t feel like I was even getting my $ 15 worth.
Also, the bus I originally booked they canceled and so I had to choose a different time. They canceled it the day before and so that was annoying. When I got to the bus stop I wasn’t sure if my bus was there yet or where to wait, etc and when I tried asking at the counter they either didn’t understand me or I didn’t understand them but after some hand gestures I got the message to just sit and wait. As I was sitting many people came in to find that their bus had been canceled (for various destinations) and they had to choose a later time. So irritating!

The Double Happiness bus is always really filthy. Nearly every time I’ve gotten on the bus, there is trash left over from previous passengers. not hiding under the seat, but right on the seat. These buses are never cleaned and the toilets are beyond disgusting. There’s never any toilet paper and there is usually urine and worse on the floor.
Also, this is the only bus company that requires you to actually have a paper ticket, which is beyond ridiculous in our internet world. If I buy an E ticket online, I don’t want to have to run around town to find a printer so that I can bring them a piece of paper.

Yeah, that’s right. 4 stars. Sure they don’t have wifi and outlets at every seat, but the bus I took yesterday from Newport News, VA to NYC was pretty perfect. The bus was clean, pretty new (newer than some Peter Pan/​Greyhound buses I’ve been on recently) and the AC was working just fine. Now I can’t comment on any of the other reviews because I took the late night bus from Newport News. But the bus arrived early to pick us up and left exactly on time. We rode through the night and arrived to NYC 30 minutes early. I bought my ticket online but there were still plenty available at the office. I would definitely use this bus again.
And make sure to arrive early! It is clearly stated to arrive 30 minutes before your bus.

I’ve been on this 3x now and ²⁄₃ have been good experiences. The last one was on a trip from Dover, DE to NYC. I left Dover at 11:30 am and got to NY at 4. The previous 3 trips took 3 hours 20 min. The extra hour was because the connecting coach in wilmington was either too early (and didn’t wait for the van) or never came. Also, every single seat was occupied when we finally got on. I was afraid I wouldn’t make it since I wasn’t as pushy.
The worst part was the 20 passenger van connection between Dover and Wilmington. The driver clearly thought this was China. There were 23 passengers. Apparently they have previously put folding chairs in the (tiny) aisle but in this case, made the 3 girls stand for an hour. Our luggage was packed tight under the back seat, stacked in the aisle, and stacked on our laps.
Recommendations:
1. Take the 7:20am bus out of Manhattan. Plenty of seats.
2. The coach won’t fit any bag in the overhead compartment that couldn’t fit under a seat, so all suit cases go in the exterior storage.
3. Headphones.
4. If possible, don’t bring more than you’d want to carry on your lap.
All said and done, it was $ 35 round trip and I’ve had to stand for ½ hour on a $ 100 amtrak train.

I must downgrade this to 3 stars after last bus I was on ran over 2 pedestrians and kept going.

The only good thing that I can say about our AA Bus experience is that we arrived at our destination safely. Due to the huge snow storm that hit Baltimore during our trip to NYC (Feb. 2010), Mega Bus canceled their buses for 2 days! When we researched alternatives, I was happy to find that AA was still operating but that’s where my satisfaction ends.
First, the bus wasn’t nearly as nice or modern as its competitors, Mega and Bolt — no free wifi and squeaky seats that clatter whenever we hit a bump! Second, we stopped at rest stops TWICE during the trip — RIDICULOUS! Third, when we bought our ticket from NYC to Baltimore, there was no indication that the bus also stopped in Wilmington, DE, which added additional travel time and a total of THREE extra stops before Baltimore.
Now the real kicker — the bus did not make its scheduled stop in downtown Baltimore! We had planned to take public transport home or at least see if we could find a taxi; instead, we found ourselves stranded at a travel plaza in mounds of snow for over a half hour until a random taxi showed up and rescued us. The AA driver couldn’t care less and even pretended not to speak English at first. He said the bus didn’t have the appropriate tires to drive into downtown — what?!
I am just grateful that we made it back safely, but it was still a crappy bus! Plus it was $ 20 pp — you can always find cheaper deals with the competitors!

AA gets you from A to Z and back (in this case NY to Baltimore… and back) in good time. That said, you’re in for one mostly-​unpleasant adventure!
Right off the bat, I knew I was in for some sketchy good times. The condition of the bus was on par with what I had gotten used to taking the Fung Wah to Boston no fewer than a dozen times (this is not a good thing). A crack addict would probably be wary of that bathroom. Even without using the bathroom, I felt like I would need to shower post-​bus ride. The full extent of the sketch wasn’t realized until we got to Baltimore (quick stop in Delaware to pick up/​drop off passengers – would have been nice to know ahead of time). They drop you off on the outskirts of Baltimore, then pile you into a 15-​seat van to ride downtown – the ghetto-​est part of downtown they could find, I’m sure.
It looks like they’re not so organized on the booking side of things, either. They filled the bus up in Baltimore, then could only take two or three more passengers once we got to Delaware, where at least 10 people were waiting; I hope we didn’t leave anyone with a reservation on that sidewalk.
Jesus Christ, the 4.5 hours of non-​stop crying babies! My head is still pounding, and the trip was last week!