New Century Travel

Terrible, terrible, terrible. Save your money and spend a bit more and get a clean, reliable bus. This bus was disgusting. Don’t get it.

Worst bus service. It is now 9:25pm on a Friday and the bus is just departing when it was scheduled to leave Washington DC to Philly at 8:00pm. DO NOT TAKE.

One of the worst buses
You get for what you pay for…

OMG NEVER AGAIN! This bus company is the worst of them all. Took it from DC back to NYC and I’ll never make that mistake again. First the driver was RUDE and he was yelling at everyone in his somewhat English or attempt at English.
And the ride was complimented with some strange skunky smell which I presumed was from the toilet.
When we FINALLY got into nyc, there was an old lady whose luggage was far back in the luggage compartment and instead of the driver helping her, he started yelling at her! WOW the humanity.
Word of advice, take bolt of megabus, it’s pretty much the same price if not $ 5-​$ 10 more and if you plan in advance it’s actually cheaper! It’s worth it.

Taking this bus is a total third world experience. It will get you there dirt cheap and fast, but you might die in the process.
The last time I rode it, the door to the luggage compartment flew off the bus on 95 right outside of Philadelphia and HIT ANOTHER CAR. Our driver had no intention of pulling over, until he was forced by the car that got hit (thank blog they weren’t hurt). Then we had to wait on the side of 95 for about a half hour for another bus to pick us up.
They often oversell tickets and have no system for seating. Sometimes it’s crowded and you will have to fight your way on, pushing and shoving like an animal.
At some point in your trip, you will definitely get yelled at by some lady who doesn’t speak much English. Try to be amused by it. It makes the trip better.
If there is some type of delay, no one will tell you anything and you may wait for a long period of time with all the passengers trying to figure out what is going on and the driver completely ignoring you. One time we got stuck for about 30 minutes at a gas station in New Carrolton, MD on the way to DC. Just when everyone on the bus is calling taxi cabs to pick them up, another bus mysteriously arrived and about 6 people got out of it, got onto our bus, and then we continued on our way. No explanation was ever given.
As an upside, for the most part, your fellow passengers will be hip young urbanites and not creepy homeless people.

Worst experience ever. They make stops in Baltimore and Philly, which is not mentioned anywhere.
Our bus was so old and broken, that the driver couldn’t pass 50mph, which made the ride last forever. After we got to Philly, we had to switch busses, and the new bus smelled like urine.
Besides that, they have rude and impatient employees who can barely speak english.
I will invest a few more dollars for a better experience next time.

There really needs to be more bus companies that go from DC to Philly and vice versa…
Angry Indian Man: «She told me okay!»
China lady: «You Lie!»
Indian Man: «I called yesterday she said okay!»
.:Silence:.
Indian man: «Hellllloo! I’m talking to you!»
«She said I can get on here and I’m going to get on.»
China Lady: «NO NO»
Police Officer arrives.
Indian man talks to police officer. They walk outside.
Minutes later…
China Lady: «DC BUS!»
We all go outside. We stand for 5 mintues…10 minutes…
Ghetto Philly girl: «How long for the bus?!»
China Lady: «TEN MINUTES»
Philly girl: «Them Chinese people be lyin… look at them… they dirty»
I laugh. She would be talking to me about this.
Philly girl: «…look at them… they all live up there. Its like 15 of them.»
We both look above the New Century bus stop to the above apartments.
Bus FINALLY arrives 20 minutes later.
African man pushes behind me. Old man to my right gets squeezed in between.
Me: «This guy is all up on me! I’m NOT moving»
Philly girl says something I can’t remember about the situation. We proceed to get on the bus. I managed to not let that African man get in front of me.
African man: «Mind yo business»
Philly girl: «BITCH I WISH YOU WOULD! I WILL FUCK YOU UP!»
African man: «You a rat»
Philly girl: «NIGGA I WILL FUCK YOU UP I’M FROM PHILLY»
African man: «Go back you rat»
African man spits on Philly girl… misses a bit.
Philly girl: «GET ON THE BUS I WILL GET MY BOYS ON YOU. THEY GON BE WAITING TO FUCK YOU UP. BITCH!!»
African man does not get on bus.
Indian man tries to sneak on.
Chinese people start screaming.
Indian man: «I AM GETTING ON THIS BUS!!!»
The bus driver pushes him off bus.
Indian man «I WILL CALL POLICE!!»
Bus driver closes door and we finally proceed to drive off while Indian man continues to argue about a ticket that was for the previous day.
I can’t anymore!!!

Never again. Not even if I need to get to Philly and can’t.
A dirty, unorganized, unsafe mess. I was genuinely scared during boarding (when a fellow passenger yelled at me for boarding after my ticket was taken).
We stopped to pick up people in Baltimore even though there was not a single seat on the bus. I felt bad for the folks who were to be stranded waiting by the side of the road. Then! After starting up the on-​ramp! We pulled over for about 10 minutes with zero explanation. Still don’t know what that was about. I did watch them load food under the bus on a quick stop out of the city from Philly. I’d love to know if that is even legal.
It might be faster than other bus services, but it certainly isn’t safe… you decide if it’s worth the risk.

I recommend New Century Travel for cheap transit between DC and Philly. For travel between DC and NYC, I recommend BoltBus.
I regularly take the New Century Travel bus between Philly and DC. I have also taken MegaBus several times. I prefer the NCT bus to Mega. I’ve had several lousy experiences on Mega, and comparably fewer lousy experiences on NCT. NCT is faster than Mega for this trip. NCT trips regularly take 2.5 to 3 hours. Mega trips take 3 to 3.5 hours.
Tip: don’t buy your ticket online; buy it at the station. There’s no savings, and — when you buy the ticket at the bus stop — you’re not locked in to traveling at a certain time.

At the time I took this bus from DC to Philadelphia in August 2009, MegaBus did not yet operate a route between these two cities. Now that MegaBus does, I’m not sure how anyone could possibly take this bus. While I was warned about the Chinatown buses, you don’t realize how bad it is until you’re actually on it.
First of all, we almost missed our bus because almost no one there spoke English and they were unclear about which bus was going where. Once we got on the bus, we realized that our driver was outside smoking from a homemade bong. No joke. We were already on the bus at this point, so we just figured we’d just stick with it and hope we made it back okay.
The bus reeked a bit of smoke on the inside, but I guess it could have been worse. It wasn’t filthy dirty on the inside, but I wouldn’t call it clean. We got to Philly and back perfectly fine, so that’s the good news — unfortuantely we had the same driver smoking from the same bong on the way back.
I’d probably give this place two stars if it had been cheaper, but it was still $ 30 round trip which is the same I paid to get from DC to NY and back on BoltBus. Avoid this place and go with MegaBus!

1 star for getting me to New York and back for $ 35. That is cheap.
A 2^nd star for making me super nostalgic for traveling in China and Southeast Asia. Buses showing up late and making random, unexplained stops on the side of the highway! Being herded on board and yelled at by angry people! Broken seats and frightening bathroom! Sigh. Totally makes me miss it.
However, because I assume most people do NOT get nostalgic about crazy/​tedious long bus rides, I stop at two stars.
Next time I will pay $ 7 more and take the Bolt or Mega bus.

Not the best experience. they are better than Tony Coach.
If you take a really late night/​early am bus be aware that passengers waiting may rush onto the bus. Stand your ground if someone tries to recline their seat into your lap and make you move to the back of the bus even though you were sitting in the row behind them before they got on the bus…

Avoid NCT at all costs. I had to use it this weekend because I had no choice. Staff are surly and your bus is almost certain to be late. In my case, the bus from NYC to Washington DC was an hour late tonight most of which I (and a large group of folks from Philly whose bus never showed up) we spent waiting in the cold outside to try to make sure we got a seat. NCT seems to have a habit of over-​booking. The facilities are awful, the ride is bumpy, and getting on the bus is a mess. But having been to China, at least it is pretty much an authentic experience boarding. Try Bolt Bus, Megabus, or one of the other options. Only use these guys if you absolutely have to — and if you dont mind poor service and being late.

NCT is the least palatable of the «Chinatown buses» that inexpensively connect Washington DC to NYC. I rode the bus in Nov 2010 and won’t do it again.
First of all, after you book your ticket online, you still have to go to the office and get it ‘validated’ (aka, initialed) by an NCT staffer. The other bus lines don’t require this.
Second: there’s no way to know in advance if your bus will proceed nonstop to NYC or whether it will stop in Baltimore AND PHILADELPHIA, as was the case for me. Those stops resulted in a 5.5 hour trip to NYC, rather than the estimated 4.5 hour trip. When I asked the NCT employee about this, she said that passengers should inquire with the driver at the commencement of the trip.
On the trip home to DC, the Route 50 entrance ramp was closed. The driver and front-​seat employee didn’t know how to get back to Chinatown, so passengers had to help direct the bus through a ghetto area at night to get back on route. Very unprofessional and a little scary.
Third: the buses were old and needed new upholstery.
I’m disappointed with NCT. A few small changes (nix the ‘validation’ step, disclose whether there will be stops IN ADVANCE) could make a big difference for this company.
I do not recommend.

Oh… New Century Travel… how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways…
1. One is for the number of people in your outfit that speak fluent English… wait… can we start at zero instead? Now, if you were running a Chinese restaurant, fine I get it. But, you are in customer service. You need to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the English language.
2. Two is for the number of hours you made me wait before my bus never came. This place rarely runs on time, and by rarely, I mean never. Always expect a delay, never expect to get to your destination on time. It’s like playing an evil game of choose your own adventure — PLOT SPOILER!!! Everyone loses.
3. Three is for the number of times I was pushed out of the way by angry, aggressive people who had purchased their ticket that same day and were displacing customers who had bought ahead of time.
4 – 6. Four to Six is that the judge will likely give me when I come back and burn this pace to the ground. But, I’m sure I’ll have a lot of witnesses that will back up my self-​defense claim.
BOTTOM LINE– Not worth the about 50 cents you save over Megabus, Vamoose, or Bolt. Not worth it. But, on the other hand, if you are an illiterate retard incapable of planning ahead of time, if you expect to be served no matter what, and will vocally and physically assault other customers to get to your destination, or if you like riding on a bus with these people for a few hours… this place is the place for you.

Considering how much I despise this service, I continue to take it on a semi-​regular basis. It’s a necessary evil, since no one really wants to drive on the Beltway[1].
Bumpy rides, late buses, and overcrowding during busy hours. Sounds like fun, right? For your sanity’s sake, check in with the office when you arrive so you can be directed to the right bus. I swear, it doesn’t always leave from the same place…
The fact that DC Chinatown buses are few and far between means you should get your ass to New Century’s office early so you’re not forced to kill time in faux Chinatown[2].
[1] At least I don’t.
[2] But if you like Hooters or Fado, then by all means, arrive late. That’s one more seat for me.

New Century Travel SUCKS. They’re rude, disorganized and dirty. I took it from DC to Philly and back. On the way to Philly we were late and overbook and herded on like cattle. Then from Philly it left before the scheduled time (30 mins), the drivers side window was missing and was covered up with CHINESE newspaper, and the seat for the driver was padded with OLD CARBOARD BOXES. Really now? And to top it all off the entire floor from the bathroom to the door and under the seats was covered in mysterious brown FUNKY water.
Yes all the Chinatown buses are cheap and not luxury travel but this is a serious no-​go. When possible, take Bolt or Megabus. If desperate, stick with Eastern! So far, they’ve been the best and most reliable of all Chinatown buses! Just steer clear of this one!

I like Philadelphia. It’s a swell place. Getting there from D.C., however, is no easy task for those lacking an automobile. Amtrak costs approx. $ 125 roundtrip and the Greyhound makes stops along the way in Baltimore and Wilmington, sometimes with half hour waits at those places. After deciding I would rather spend my money in Philadelphia and get there within a reasonable period of time, I sucked it up and took a Chinatown bus. I was scared.
Using the New Century Travel website was really easy to buy tickets and the English was nearly perfect. They tell you to arrive a half hour early and I would recommend that. Also buying tickets online is better because e-​ticket customers get priority in boarding the bus over cash ticket customers on the busier trips (not saying that’s good or bad business, just telling you how it is). I followed instructions and showed up at their H Street stop a half hour ahead of time and saw some people standing around outside. I followed the instructions on the papers hanging outside which told me to go in and show my ID and sign my ticket. The office reeks of urine and was packed. I booked out of there as soon as the person behind the glass signed my ticket, and I stood outside. About fifteen minutes before departure time, every one from the inside comes out and fills up this narrow sidewalk. A Chinese woman is screaming trying to separate e-​ticket passengers from those who bought a ticket with cash, with the e-​ticket customers in a line up against the sidewalk curb with cash ticketers closer to he building. After a few confused minutes, the bus pulls up and it is madness. PURE MADNESS. I joked around in high school about feeling like cattle in the hallway but that was a walk in the park compared to this. Not just people are in this stampede, but also bicycles, children, and large suitcases. I’m amazed someone didn’t get hurt. The Chinese woman is inside the bus, taking tickets at the top of the stairs yelling «E-​TICKET FIRST!!!». Well, maybe she should be standing outside since cash ticket holders were getting on the bus than having to turn around and leave, adding even more congestion to this massive crowd. There’s no employee outside handling bags, you put your bags underneath the bus yourself. I didn’t mind that so much, but probably would have had I been elderly or disabled. I did mind though that they kept us on the bus for about ten minutes with all those doors to the baggage area open without any employee on the sidewalk, any passerby could have easily stolen a bag when simply walking past the bus. There was then confusion about making sure there were three empty seats for the passengers they were picking up in Baltimore. And by confusion, I mean woman yelling in Chinese from the front to the back of the bus. Then they began yelling at a woman who put her two year-​old daughter in the empty seat next to her. The woman kept saying she would put her daughter in her lap when they got to Baltimore, but the bus employees kept yelling at her to do it now, which made no sense to me. Eventually they gave in. And then we finally left.
The ride was smooth, driver drove well despite a little traffic (no surprise leaving DC on a Friday late afternoon), and the bus was pretty clean, with the exception of the toilet which I could smell despite sitting six rows away from it. Brief stop at the side of the road in Baltimore to pick up people there, but it didn’t seem to add much time to the trip. We were scheduled to arrive in Philadelphia at 6.45 but didn’t get there until 7.15, but I expected this due to traffic leaving DC.
On my return trip to DC, I showed up at the bus stop a half hour early for my 11.30 departure. This stop is much nicer and cleaner than DC’s, it’s above ground and open and doesn’t smell. They still had a Christmas tree up, so take that for what you will, but I didn’t mind too much. The bus was already parked outside, so I made a little trip to the WaWa next door and then got on the bus and waited comfortably for departure.
This bus was not nearly as new or as nice as the last bus — this bus had clearly aged as some of the seats had tears — nothing major, nothing that made me not want to sit somewhere, but definitely visible. Also, some of the overhead bins in this bus lacked door covers — which made one bag fall out and onto floor while driving, which is a bit dangerous and luckily no one was hurt. If you see this on your bus, do NOT sit under them and point it out to anyone putting luggage up there.
The bus to DC was half-​empty and we arrived twenty minutes ahead of schedule.
All in all, it’s cheap and pretty quick but there’s definitely some things you should be aware of and look out for. Although I don’t like recommending companies where I think a physical injury could happen, the speed, ease, convenience, and price make me a custo

This company is an antithesis of how a bad company can be run worse.
They are inconsiderate to their clients and office/​ticket counter is in violation of the ADA.
I went with a friend on their DC to NY charter early in the morning. My friend is a disabled vet and when I went to check us in they demanded that this one legged man hobble down rocky steps because they wanted to see him and his ID.
Mind you this was for a $ 20 bus ticket not first class on Delta. The lady then yelled that she didn’t take military id’s because she «Loves Obama.»
After we got done with that they yelled that he wasn’t allowed to keep his crutches on the bus.
The bus smelled and made seven stops on its non-​stop trip.
Stay away…

Take note that if you’re paying $ 35 for a round trip ticket from DC to NY– don’t expect luxury. This is probably like… the McDonalds of buses– low quality, cheap, to some– a last resort. Nothing fancy, just a tour bus. They can be known to book to the limit– even overbook. Other times, you can have multiple seats all to yourself.
I bought a ticket online and printed a receipt– you NEED to get there on time/​early for the bus you picked. They usually won’t let you get on another bus if you miss yours– and no refunds.
When I wanted to come back, I just showed them my RT receipt and hopped on a bus– time wasn’t an issue. And the E Broadway was a little difficult to find/​confusing– there were multiple buses and everyone yelling at me to get on– even though I didn’t know which was «mine».
A-​OK for a cheap RT way to NY for under $ 40.