Bolt Bus

Rudest driver. My friends and I were taking a bus from NY to boston. My friend was on the «A» boarding group but waited with us since we were on «B». Not only did he refuse to let her on because he claimed he had finished with A but he started screaming at her that she could not get on the bus. Then he refused to tell us his name. When she asked for his name, he said that he would not let her on the bus at all. Several people on the bus then stepped in and started complaining too because he was being so rude and angry. Had never experienced this before. Finally he let her on after several men went out to complain. Our bus to NY wasn’t that great either. The bus driver was nice but the bus got stuck in the snow several times. I think the tires must not have been good because other trucks/​buses were fine but our bus kept slipping. I will definitely be using another bus service next time.

3 stars for getting me to Boston from New York in a timely manner on the morning of ¹²⁄₂₁ from the (very convenient for me) 1^st ave pick up. But There are no stars given for the filth, broken emergency window that had air flowing through and is unsafe, and the fact the driver stopped in the middle of the highway in the little area you don’t drive in before an exit, (not waiting literally 50 feet to pull into the break down lane ahead!) to use the bathroom. Oh, and the driver had the radio on the whole bus speakers he whole time and wouldn’t turn it off, so any of us who wanted to just read or sit in silence was forced to listen. Not enjoyable.

The WIFI is unusable, especially on my laptop.
The outlets don’t work very well, or at all on some buses.
Bus itself was fine. Prices are good but they don’t offer free changes like Megabus.

Just boarded a bolt bus to DC. We haven’t left Manhattan yet and I’m already wishing I would have gone with a different mode of transportation. First of all, you can’t plug anything into the outlets. It has this plate on it that makes it impossible to plug my iPhone wall adapter in all the way. The wifi is slow. The A/​C doesn’t seem to be working well. The seats are dirty (stained, gum riddled) and the window sills have some unwelcome art work. They staff so far have been helpful in the boarding and loading process. The driver isn’t driving like a mad man.
I took a greyhound to Philly a few weeks back and their newer buses are really nice (working outlets, clean leather, seat belts, working A/​C).
Don’t take Bolt Bus unless you must. And if you must, lower your expectations.

Once again, Bolt Bus has proven that there are businesses with a worse customer service model than the DMV. That in itself would be impressive, if it weren’t overwhelmingly disgusting.
I was just sitting on the Bolt Bus at West 33^rd Street and 11^th Avenue in New York waiting to leave. Four customers with pre-​purchased tickets were waiting in line to get on the bus. They were told to step aside and wait. They were never told to get on the bus. The bus is now full and their seats were given away. Two of the passengers are children under the age of ten. They were trying to get to Baltimore to see their father. The children were bawling and screaming that it’s not fair. The Bolt Bus employees were threatening to call the police if they don’t get out of the way. The mother was pleading with them to let them on the bus. The Bolt Bus ended up leaving them there.
Bottom line: if Bolt Bus is late, it’s not Bolt Bus’ problem; if you’re late, it’s not Bolt Bus’ problem; if you don’t get on the bus even though you’re there with validly purchased tickets, it’s not Bolt Bus’ problem.

Never again! Was taking the bus from DC to NYC. no one was even there to tell us why the bus was 45 minutes late. Finally a bus driver shows up saying he’s not the bus driver, gets in a screaming fight with a driver who was sleeping in one of the buses the entire time we were waiting. Screams at the passengers for getting impatient. So unprofessional and disorganized. Don’t advertise free wifi if it doesn’t work and half the outlets are broken. Arrived over an hour and a half late. I will be sticking with vamoose or tripper bus

I took the Bolt bus down to Philly and back. It was my first Bolt experience and I was pretty satisfied with it.
I didn’t have much trouble locating where to board the bus; the destination signs were clear and easy to spot. The ticket-​checking process varies by driver. Definitely try to get there 15 minutes before departure so to ensure you get a seat; if you’re late, you might not be able to board at all because they’ll let the stand-​by take any unclaimed seats. Departs on time based on my experience.
Amenities: depend on the vehicle.
Outlets (which are on the back of the aisle seat) at my seats as well as the seats around me didn’t work on the PHL-​bound bus, but they worked fine on the NYC-​bound bus.
Wifi is generally unstable — either disconnects periodically or just completely vanished from the network list.
It’s pretty much a no-​frills, rudimentary intercity bus. Footrest, seat recline, okay ventilation. There’s a restroom in the back but I’ve never used it (and I don’t intend to ever, just in general in regards to buses).
The PHL-​bound bus I was on stopped at Cherry Hill, NJ on the way down. Not sure if that’s just the ticket I purchased or it’s a regular route they do. But on the way back (NYC-​bound) it was nonstop.
Overall, I would do it again, at least for short rides so the wonky wifi would be a non-​issue. It’s cheap and gets me where I need to go. My round trip came out to be like $ 24 over a long weekend.

What a horrible bus.
I went with a friend to Philadelphia and bought tickets for a 1:30 bus. They say to get there early so I got there just after 1 o’clock. The bus showed up at 2:20. 50 MINUTES LATE!
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, none of the outlets worked. The wifi didn’t work. Yes it was a fair price for the bus, but come on. None of the amenities worked. I expect in the future to take a different bus.

wow. just encountered the rudest bus driver I have ever dealt with, when I simply asked the destination of the bus he was loading to be assured I was going to the right place. I am absolutely mortified, and to be honest, a little afraid to have this man drive me anywhere. never taking this company ever again.

Who doesn’t love a bargain? I sure do!
They say you get what you pay for, but I think you get a better deal with Bolt Bus. I use it almost weekly to go down to Boston for a class.
Is it perfect? No. Sometimes the outlets don’t work (yikes!) or the seat won’t adjust (bummers). But that’s only happened once or twice.
But hey! The fare costs less than the tolls you’d pay if you decide to drive your own car down. Plus you can read, study, or sleep on the way.
I really appreciate the fact that there’s usually little to no talking during the trip.

Mmm… it used to be good. Now it stinks. It’s just as bad as the others. Do yourself a favor and book Amtrak (more than a month in advance) and enjoy a slightly nicer ride.

Horrendous wifi that disconnected every 4 minutes. No water. Dumb driver.
Only pluses are that they leave every half hour and they’re really cheap.

Let me set the stage.
Early January in New York City and heading home to Philadelphia after a mediocre weekend getaway. My shoes, backpack, and soul were wet and cold with frozen rain and disappointment. I waited with unbridled anticipation for this orange bus to take me from one act of this miserable play to the next. Yet, no bus was sitting in the clearly marked sign that said «STA_​TIO_​C: PHIL_​DE_​PHIA» — what a bother!
Fifteen minutes pass before an angry short man approached me and yelled «Your bus is cancelled! You should have checked your email!»
«Hmm,» I pondered, «I don’t think I got one,»
As if by some voo doo magic, the small angry man responded. «IT’S NOT MY FAULT IF YOU DIDN’T GET AN EMAIL!»
«Oh,»
“CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE!“
So we did. Thirty minutes after we originally put the call in, we finally got through. Turns out the bus was cancelled due to bad weather.
Things happen. But where are we to stay? It’s bad weather here too and I was beginning to contemplate jumping into the Hudson.
With no where to stay, my fellow 4:15 PM bus goers huddled me onto an empty bus for warmth. The jury is still out on whether or not we were allowed to be there.
With limited direction from the short angry man, we waited.
An hour passed. Like cattle we were told to fit onto the next bus. The angry short man took my ticket. I was heading home. Fantastic. It only took 2 hours, multiple failed communications between customer service, and one suicidal ideation.

DC — NYC trip was on time, half way clean but neither power, TV nor WIFI worked.
On the way back to DC it was like sitting on a Port-​a-​John! Toilet overflowed … but nobody cared, despite complaints from all passengers.
And suddenly an unannounced bus change on the Jersey side, after 30 minutes ride in the Port-​a-​John. No word of explanation, apology and couples had to scramble to sit together again because other passengers had upgraded themselves. Not well managed!
Just took off another star: my seat doesn’t lean back and the overhead lights don’t work! Enough is enough.

So I recently wrote a review about a NYC to Philly bus ride on a Saturday AM which was a total disaster.
Now here is the review for the ride back to NYC from Philly.
It is like I have been transported to an alternate universe.
The bus left on time at 7:30pm from near 30^th street station. About half full. No pushing or shoving to get on, courtesy reigned.
No weird passengers. Relatively quiet.
Newer greyhound bus. The wifi works well. :). Outlet to charge my cell worked.
Now, I do not like to use bus bathrooms. They are usually gross pits of disgust. However, I had to go. Lucky for me, the restroom on my bus was clean. It did not smell either on approach or inside. No ‘unknown liquids’ on the floor or beside the potty.
Toilet paper present. And hand sanitizer :)
Ok, I still prefer Amtrak but this bus was not bad. And good for the price!

If it’s going to be bare bones like the good ol Chinatown bus just call it that and don’t pretend you’re going to deliver wifi and outlets. Four buses and not one functioning wifi signal and maybe three outlets, half of one outlet which works.
Bus back from DC in 95 degree heat had no AC so we’re all here pretty much sweating our — off. As the banana peel (literally saw this) and half empty bottles ferment on the floor with the rest of the trash.
Oh also can you go back to charging me the $ 15 that the Chinatown bus cost instead of the $ 60 rt I paid to go to DC.
I’m going to just get better at planning and buy train tickets at the saver price four weeks in advance. It’s like only $ 80 rt NY-​DC.

Ok I’ve been traveling back and forth from Boston to New York for years and bolt bus started with and bang with its priority seating system and wifi. BUT for the last year the trips There has been a consistent lack of power or wifi or both.
Today I’m sitting on a bus that smells like feces, this smell existed before we took off. The smell is so bad I’m gagging. The wifi again doesn’t work and the driver is incapable of restarting the box — is it too much to ask bolt to train its staff on where is the on/​off switch. BTW this is the second worst trip.
The worst trip was watching our bus driver parked at the corner not letting anyone on the bus until 6:25PM for a 6:30PM trip in 10 degree weather. Awesome bolt! the elderly woman waiting with us just shivered her butt off while your driver simply watched. Who does that???
Trying not to inhale.

Prices are great if you book at least 3 weeks in advance. The breakdown:
Pros:
–You’re paying half (or more) the price as the train (going to NY), but travel time is 2x as long.
–It does have a electrical outlet — but only on some seats
–it has a foot rest
–bathroom is clean
–long trips have a pit stop to break up the ride
–clean bus
–one fee which includes all toll fees
Cons:
–Wi-​fi is really horrible
–Unexpected delays … you don’t know about delays until you get there (no prior notification)
–double the travel time (especially during peak hours w/​traffic. add another 1 – 2 hours)
After trying BB out and hearing what others have to say, this is a good choice for the price if you don’t mind the unexpected delays *we were stuck for 45 minutes waiting for a bus * and a longer commute.
** Tip: If you sign up for a BB account, your 8 trip will get you a free ticket and you get to board earlier.

My partner and I took the Bolt Bus from NYC to DC.
Pros:
— Price — $ 10 per person
— Because of limited traffic, we arrived in DC early
Cons:
— Boarding area in NYC is very confusing, hard to find, little to no signage as to where to stand
— Bus cleanliness — it wasn’t terrible but it could have been cleaner
— Wifi signal isn’t great, I couldn’t stream Netflix or Hulu
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for and if I was traveling on a budget, I would use Bolt Bus again.

I’ve taken a couple round trips on Bolt.
The internet works the best of any company I’ve used, but I haven’t ridden on another company in a couple years. The power for my phone work great too.
An amazing thing about Bolt is they allow you to throw bikes on underneath, which megabus does not.
In both cases on my most recent rides (DC to NY and NY to DC) were smooth, and the driver was pleasant enough. The way up was direct, and the driver made a 15 minute break at a gas station to let everyone have a breather. I would have preferred not, but whatever. On the way back they didn’t go direct, they picked up from another spot close to the Holland Tunnel and so, fortunately didn’t make a rest stop, which was nice as it took us 45 minutes just to get to that other pickup location in NYC.
I recommend booking as far in advance as you can to get the lowest possible price.