Washington Deluxe

This is my first time to write a review on Unilocal.I just can’t believe what I just heard from the bus driver. I took this bus from DC to NYC on January 29, 2016. I got the ticket from
. When I showed the bus driver my ticket, he was very rude, and said «you should buy our ticket from our website, not gotobus app. If we are full, I cannot take you.» Its not understandable, if they do not want to serve client from gotobus, then do not sell ticket on gotobus! But I can still tolerate these words. Then what he said next shocked me. He said «you Chinese people like buying tickets from gotobus, because its cheaper. We are washington deluxe…» I can’t tolerate these racist words. I do not even know they have a website. And I checked after he told me, its actually 0.5 dollar cheaper to buy ticket from their website than from gotobus. How dare he said this kind of racist words even without knowing the actually price on both website. And I don’t even say I am Chinese or bring up any racial topic. How dare he brought up this racist comments and judge all Chinese people just because I buy ticket from gotobus. I just cannot believe I heard these words from the driver. Personally, I will not support a business like this any more.

We are taking this bus to NY and it’s an ok but not fantastic experience. I’m writing the review on the bus.
Seats are ok, they could be more comfortable.
I can’t get the wireless to work but my reception is decent.
No bottled water offered but I like that – less plastic wasted.
My big gripe is perhaps unfair. Driver announced at the start that we would NOT be going over 65 mph. Ok, that’s the best and safest thing, but EVERYONE is passing us – even old ladies – and we want to get to NYC.
Could we possibly crank it up to 70???

Among several other bus services between NYC and Washington DC, this is probably pretty good. New buses, reliable drivers and attendants. On schedule. Low key, but very punctual. The service quality may vary depending on the bus, but we got a descent car for both ways, and power outlets on the return trip, which really helps! They seem to cater to reasonable passengers who like to travel economically yet considerate to other passengers — no trash, no loud music, etc.

I’m not sure what all the negative reviews are about. I find that Washington Deluxe is a reliable and affordable means of traveling between DC and NYC. If people want comfort, space, and a fast trip take the Amtrak and stop your complaining.
I see some of the negative reviews about how dirty the bathrooms are, but I’ve never actually used them before so I can’t comment. The bus always seems to be clean, there are power outlets under the seats that have always worked for me, and the bus has left on time for the most part. They are pretty good about sending email updates on whether the bus is expected to depart a little later which is understandable since the bus is usually coming from DC or NYC and we all know there is often traffic between the two cities.
I’ve used this bus company a number of times. One of the pluses is that they give you a free one way trip for every 4 round trips you take with the company which I think is a nice little touch. They give two convenient options for pick up and drop off in DC at either Union station or Dupont Circle right by the metro entrance on Q street. I’ve dropped them down to 4 stars because the wifi pretty much doesn’t work, but overall I’m happy with the service and price of Washington Deluxe.

I have no idea why this bus company is rated pretty poorly… I’ve tried best bus, megabus, bolt bus, greyhound/​peterpan and vamoose. Neither of them come close to the value/​money with Deluxe. They are always on time, courteous, the buses are always clean, air-​conditioned properly, wifi on board (that actually works, unlike the others…) and power outlets (that actually generate electricity, and are not useless pieces of plastic like in the others’ buses).
Do yourself a big favor — if you are traveling between DC/​NYC, go only with them.

BE REALLY CAREFUL!!!
When tickets say departure at 2, you HAVE to BE THERE AT 1:30!!!
Why don’t they just say departure at 1:30???
The ticket scanner was VERY VERY VERY RUDE!
Kept saying you were late but DIDNT EVEN TELL YOU THE DETAILS.
Ridiculous.
The customer service was VERY VERY VERY RUDE with the Worst attitude I’ve seen in my life.
Never buy tickets from them. DONT EVEN TRY.

Do not book with them because they will not let you cancel your ticket and will hold the money indefinitely. I booked a round trip from DC to NYC and in the confirmation email was clearly stated that if I wish to cancel, I can call or do it on line. I needed to cancel the one-​way leg to NYC. The company actually does NOT cancel the ticket and issue a refund, but holds the money and requires to use the seat for another time. Asked to speak with a manager, and after at least 5 minutes waiting was told that he/​she will call me back, because is not available. Deceitful policies do not play well in a field with so many transportation choices. And the manager «absence» sounds very unprofessional.

I’ve had two great round-​trip experiences with Washington Deluxe up to NYC from Dupont and back. Every time the bus leaves right on time, the bus is clean, and passengers tend to be young professionals who are considerate and keep to themselves. Most of the time the outlets work although don’t expect the WiFi to be helpful/​work.
The ride up to NYC almost always takes at least a little longer than advertised, but it’s still a quick trip and the ride back down to DC has typically flown by. I highly recommend Washington Deluxe over any of the other companies that operate out of Union Station and if you work around the Farragut/​Dupont area it’s even more convenient to catch the bus from Dupont.
Oh, and did I mention the pricing? It’s really good. WD is a great bargain that you don’t have to make any compromises for.

Bus traveling is a pleasure for many but I’m one such person who despises this form of transportation. But, after taking up the services of Washington Deluxe my opinion changed. It was completely outfitted and pimped out. I actually had fun on this ride. In the plus category were the wi-​fi, punctuality, and attitude of the drivers. Minuses there were no big screen tvs on board and no cocktail servers.

Recently took this for a return trip from DC to NYC and back. Both times the buses left on time. We hit some traffic halfway, so each trip took right around 5 hours — kinda long, but not the bus’s fault! Wifi was iffy, esp for videos. Restroom was clean. The bus we got on the return trip was significantly nicer and more comfortable than the one we got on our way to nyc, so that was a little strange — i expected a nicer bus on both routes, not one. The bus on the way made a 10 – 15 min stop in delaware, which was welcome after being stuck in a traffic jam for almost 45+ minutes — but the return trip did not despite a similar jam. So again, a bit inconsistent. They should really make that clear upfront when you book, so you can plan accordingly in terms of food and drinks. Overall it was ok — not great, but not bad.

Questionable customer service. I called to cancel a reservation and refund for credit. When I asked the representative questions he didn’t know the answer to, he would just simply answer, «Sorry, I don’t know» with no effort at all of trying to find the answer.
He finally told me that he sent the confirmation email to my inbox, but I had a bad feeling about it so I waited for it. After a few minutes of staring at an empty inbox, he realized he forgot to enter my email address in the system. Thankfully I hadn’t hung up by then.
Then, after more waiting for this nonexistent email and listening to his string of exasperated sighs on the other line, he asks for my phone number and declares, «I’m going to call you back later. Ok? (No room to reply) Ok. Bye.»
Still waiting for that call back

Had to make a quick run up to NYC on Fri morning. Bolt & Best Bus were sold out. MegaBus & Greyhound had seats, but I’ve heard nightmares about them both. I looked at a few reviews on Washington Deluxe and made the decision to book with them. I got to Union Station around 8:45 expecting to just get a walk-​up fare. I looked at the Wash Deluxe bookings on my phone and a 9:30 was free, so I paid for it and my return trip online. I got in the line and soon after a gentleman came over to confirm passengers. Being I had just booked, my name wasn’t on the roster. However I showed him my email confirmation # on my phone, he jotted something on the sheet, made a quick joke and said all was cool.
The trip up was good. The power outlets worked with no issue, however I couldn’t get the WiFi whatsoever. No big deal. I didn’t expect it to work anyway, but having working power was a much bigger plus. The ride was bumpy at times, but nothing bad to report. Well, we left Union Station about 30 mins late, but I wasn’t bothered. Bus made a rest stop in Delaware that I didn’t anticipate, but it was only for about 15 mins.
The trip back to DC was even smoother. The driver left at 1 minute past the scheduled time. That’s on-​time to me. Both the power outlets and the WiFi worked the entire ride back, although the WiFi signal got janky at times. It was cool to at least have it working more than 50% of the trip. The only real issue was this one idiot on the bus who felt the need to talk to his boo and his momma. I mean, the dummy was so loud that I could almost hear his every word through his headphones. There was no reason a human being needs to talk at that level. He was just being a jerk. As much as I wanted to extend the right hand of fellowship upside the head of this clown, I remained calm. Folks are crazy these days. I got kids. Can’t end up in jail over some loud mouthed fool.
That’s it. Washington Deluxe definitely met all my expectations. I will use them again for bus trips to NYC in the future.

No more, the bathrooms were dirty, the staff very rude, the driver very dangerous … I went the first time and I wanted to give the company another opportunity because the location is good … Washington — nyc but not, the second time It was worse … the service is very bad, I do not recommend it …

I took the the Washington Deluxe on a business trip from DC to NY after I had to cancel my Amtrak ticket after the Philly tragedy. I had the option to fly but decided against it since I just wanted to be in the city without the hassle and not deal with all the back and forth. I’ve rode in other double decker buses to NY and wasn’t a fan. Being on the top always made me feel a little queasy and I could feel each.and.every.bump. So when I saw that this was not a double decker bus I booked my ticket and was on my way. Departing from Union Station our driver was a little late but he made great time along the way despite traffic. The weird thing is that he didn’t really help us with our luggage as each passenger kind of just put their luggage in storage area haphazardly. The drop off location near Time Square in NYC is excellent! The driver going from NY to DC was much better as he carefully arranged our luggage into the storage area and even helped us get our luggage upon our arrival in DC. The bathroom on the bus was okay, all things considered, and had toilet paper and hand sanitizer. It didn’t smell too much but I defintely wouldn’t want to sit near the back. The wifi was spotty as I’ve been used to on most buses, but my outlet was working so I was able to charge up with ease. I would defnitely take this bus again (if I needed to take a bus :).

My trip started out really bad!!! We got their at exactly 8.14AM and the bus was already backing out to leave. Mind you our bus was scheduled to depart at 8.15AM on 4÷4÷15 to NYC. The ticket scanner waived to the bus driver to come back which he did. As he exited the bus he looked pissed and angry and said «everyone on the bus is mad at you for holding us up» I look at my watch and didn’t say anything knowing that I wasn’t at fault because I was on time. The grumpy fat bus driver proceeded to load our luggage and we were off. The ride was bumpy and harsh. The driver often honked and braked really hard which was completely unnecessary. You get what you pay for I get it… But this was outrageous. The driver needs some anger management classes.
All in all the bathroom was clean which is good and the bus driver did stop once at a rest stop in Delaware giving us 15 minutes to use the bathroom and buy food.
Would I travel with them again? Probably not… I will rather pay $ 10-​$ 15 more and choose someone that is professional.

*** DONT READ THE OTHER NEGATIVE REVIEWS! Wash Deluxe has the best value! It gets you from point A to B– that’s all that matters!!***
Well now I don’t think my review will say much since I’ve never taken a bus interstate so take it for what it’s worth… Plus I never have too much expectations for anything.
I took a ride on WD from DC to NY and well, it did the job… I arrived to NY!!!
The pluses: super economical — for $ 23 pp, you get to go to NY from DC — what a great value, it’s cheaper than any of its competitors, we arrived early (20 minutes early than expected), the driver was friendly and drove like a pro, clean bus, overhead bins, they provided garbage bags for every aisle, and there was a bathroom (which I did not use, neither did I peek in to. I assume it was like a porta potty/​– I don’t use those either/​/​I just hold my pee until my kidney explodes because I’d rather die than use a porta potty).
The minuses: they were advertising electric plugs and wifi… Neither worked. Oh well! It’s 4 hours, it’s your fault for not charging your items ahead of time and not having data on your device. Live with it and stop mooching off whatever you think you can get for free.
Have a safe trip!!!

Bus arrived and departed on time. That’s about it. Thank god it was also mostly empty.
Power outlets didn’t work. Reading lights didn’t even work for half the trip. Worst part is that there was no desire to figure out what’s wrong by the driver. Driver didn’t make a rest stop but I don’t know if that’s part of the deal.
No water either, or paper towels in the bathroom. Really wish I had read the reviews instead of being blinded by the marketing. Hope they’ll refund my return so I can go via a bus with any semblance of customer service.

After discussing my poor June experience with Betty of Washington Deluxe, I accepted and used a comp in July. My experience was much better in July.
Saturday Feb. 14, 2015 amid predictions of snow and wind, I took the 5:30 pm back to DC. Fortunately the very competent Ray was driving our bus. Ray kept us informed of the difficult conditions, drove slowly and safely and and got us home, less than hour late.
The bus was little more than a year old; the wi-​fi and heat worked fine, seats were comfortable.
Especially since Wash Deluxe picks up in Manhattan at W. 36^th St. [just West of 7^th Ave] and makes a Dupont Circle stop convenient for me, I shall definitely take Washington Deluxe again.

Took the 145 from ny to dc. Bus: old bus (said the driver) no Wi-​Fi, no plugs, worn front shocks so the front of the bus was constantly bobbing up and down.
Driver: Larry. Didn’t know the route, asked passengers to give directions. We thought this was a joke until he asked a girl in the front row to read printed directions to him. Also ate full meals during the drive. Not a candy bar or something like that, full freaking meals that require hands. Oh, he wore headphones, that didn’t seem legal.
At one point he was swerving so much that traffic was afraid to pass on the left so a vehicle put on its hazards and passed the bus on the right shoulder.
we’re just happy to be alive, terrible experience.
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Update:
Washington Deluxe contacted us after this post and acknowledged an issue with a third party vendor that provided the bus and driver for the trip. Apparently they tried to use a new business for the service and it didn’t go well so they’re going to correct the issue.
We should also mention the trip to NY from DC was great. The bus had Wi-​Fi and plugs and the driver was an expert. So it sounds like they’re going to keep using the good contractors and not so much for the bad ones. We’re updating the rating a star for taking responsibility and I’ll try the service again in the future. If the service is better we’ll definitely re-​rate and review.
–Scott and Cindya

My boyfriend and I have a long-​distance relationship. He lives in VA, I live in NY, which means we make trips to see each other all the time. We always purchase our bus tickets from
and usually take other bus companies because they’re cheaper. On this particular trip, we missed my bus to go back home due to traffic and Washington Deluxe was the next closest bus, so we purchased a ticket from them. The first thing I noticed when I go on the bus was that it was slightly nicer than the other busses I’ve taken. One thing that upset me though is that they claim to have «free wifi & power outlets», but that’s just a lie. They have no outlets, and although they have «free wifi», it literally doesn’t work. You can’t open a single app or webpage with it.
Another problem with this bus is the fact that my bus driver is kind of crazy. I understand that they’re not all like that, but to hire someone like this man is kind of crazy. He has bad road rage and due to his poor judgement and ability to pay attention, he starts yelling and flailing his hands about at other drivers (that have not done anything wrong). He enjoys slamming on the breaks when there is absolutely no reason to along with jerking the steering wheel back as forth to make the bus swerve (once again, for no reason). He also rode the rumble strips as well.
When we stopped at a rest area, he stated we had 15 minutes. We all got off and did what we had to do, only to come back to a locked bus in which we had to stand outside in the head and wait for him to come back and open the door for us. When it was about 10 minutes in, he went to the door of the bus and yelled out (in a very angry manner to passengers of the bus sitting at a table outside while they waited for the rest of the group to come back), «What are you doing sitting at a table??? You’re supposed to be on the bus! I said 15 minutes!!» to which they came back on and we waited the remaining 5 minutes for the rest of the people. Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I treat paying customers.
And the last and final straw to wrap this whole mess up is the fact that I was supposed to reach NYC from DC at 6:30pm. It is now 7:13pm and we still have a good 15 minutes to go. My bus is an hour late, making me miss the second bus I was supposed to catch. I can understand being a little late due to traffic or whatever, but an hour is inexcusable. I would highly, highly recommend never taking this bus company.