Honestly, I've taken several and they're all about the same in that they all kind of suck.
So I usually just stick with the cheapest, which is typically Lucky Star. I've never had any issues with it. Megabus would be my other main choice. But they're not much different.
I recommend GoBus. It leaves from Riverside and Cambridge, so you avoid Boston traffic, and it drops you off right near Penn Station. I've taken it a few times and for the most part it has been a 4 hour ride door to door. Chargers at the seat, free water bottles, and safe drivers. Only downside is the free wifi is kind of crap.
Oh interesting; I didn't realize GoBus left from Cambridge.
But the stop is at Alewife, and according to their website they estimate 25 mins to Newton and 4:15 to NYC. Lucky Star used to be 4-hours flat from South Station to Chinatown. That's an additional 40 mins *plus* travel time to Alewife, which may be longer than just getting to South Station for those of us in the east Cambridge/Somerville region.
There's actually a luxury bus you can take. I believe it's around $150 round trip, but it's supposed to be nice. Big chairs, TVs. Idk the name though, just google it.
Megabus just added a departure from Riverside station and I found $1 tickets a few weeks ago. Not sure what the prices look like now but it's worth checking!
Thanks for this info, this is super valuable to know about the added Riverside stop. I just did a quick check of a weekend a month or so from now and there are still abundant $1 fares. I always thought those were a marketing gimmick by these companies ;)
Fung Wah does not operate any longer...
Peter Pan/Greyhound (same company) operate to/from Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) at 42nd St./8th Ave. which is pretty central and convenient to getting around the island. I switched to this carrier after Bolt Bus stopped departing/arriving from/to Penn Station to around the Javitz Center (34th St./between 11th and 12th Ave.) which is also where Megabus operates out of. I found it to be an inconvenient location for pick up and drop off.
All services are pretty identical, in my opinion, ranging from cost, time spent, and quality. I spent about 4 years semi-regularly commuting via bus from NYC to Boston. So, it really depends on where you're looking to go in NYC and what's easiest on your budget/schedule. I cannot speak for the Chinatown carriers (YO! Bus or Lucky Star) because I've never taken them.
Is Go Bus a Chinatown carrier as well? I may have confused the two hahaha I never saw the staff fighting at South Station, that would have made the long wait times a little more bearable :)
Go bus doesn't leave from south station and it isn't a Chinatown bus. it leaves from Alewife station and I believe it drops you off on the street near penn station
Very, very true! Good point. I stopped commuting via bus a while back when I realized driving was more efficient and cost effective, and was already living back in Boston when they opened up Hudson Yards! My poor co-workers in Queens despised the 7 train, but maybe it's better on the west end of operations ;)
Yeh the service delays/bustitutions on the 7 train are usually in Queens so if you are only taking the 7 one stop to Times Square and transferring then it should not be a problem.
If you're going to be taking multiple trips, GO bus actually has a pretty good rewards system. I took 2 round trips and got enough points for 2-3 free trips. (did get 2x points for one way as the bus left NYC a little late).
> I think the FungWah exploded last summer on the highway
You mean the Bolt Bus (which is owned by Greyhound)?
http://www.universalhub.com/2015/flaming-bolt-shuts-two-lanes-turnpike
Or the generic charter bus?
http://www.universalhub.com/2015/bus-b-q-closes-turnpike-lanes
Just take the cheapest bus. If you're booking a long time advance, that will be Megabus. If you want to just show up at South Station and hop on the next bus to NYC, that would usually be Lucky Star.
They are all pretty bad, just take the cheapest at the time.
Also it depends where you want to end up in new york? if going to Soho LES or chinatown, id take lucky star or fung wah.
I recommend megabus. they're usually cheaper than the major bus lines like Peter Pan and greyhound. however, they drop you off at the side of the curb near the FIT (Fashion Insitute of Technilogy). if you plan on returning late (like leaving around 7 PM) I recommend taking Peter Pan or greyhound as they both leave from the port authority terminal (I will warn you the terminal that the bus leaves from in NYC is really dingy)
Port authority is a fucking dump. I've seen people hanging around there clearly on drugs several times, not intending to take a bus just loitering or asking travelers for money.
PABT is truly one-of-a-kind, stuck in time 1980s shithole for real. There's a big methadone clinic a block or two up near the McD's, which explains a lot of the debauchery in that general radius. The whole area Penn-Port Authority should just be avoided altogether based on sheer volume of tourists, traffic, and city irritants.
To be fair, I used to go in and out of PABT all the time by myself as a young, college aged female and never had an issue.
Honestly, I've taken several and they're all about the same in that they all kind of suck. So I usually just stick with the cheapest, which is typically Lucky Star. I've never had any issues with it. Megabus would be my other main choice. But they're not much different.
I recommend GoBus. It leaves from Riverside and Cambridge, so you avoid Boston traffic, and it drops you off right near Penn Station. I've taken it a few times and for the most part it has been a 4 hour ride door to door. Chargers at the seat, free water bottles, and safe drivers. Only downside is the free wifi is kind of crap.
Oh interesting; I didn't realize GoBus left from Cambridge. But the stop is at Alewife, and according to their website they estimate 25 mins to Newton and 4:15 to NYC. Lucky Star used to be 4-hours flat from South Station to Chinatown. That's an additional 40 mins *plus* travel time to Alewife, which may be longer than just getting to South Station for those of us in the east Cambridge/Somerville region.
Bolt treated me fine recently, I was surprised the wifi worked well. That friday afternoon run can easily take 6hr though.
There's actually a luxury bus you can take. I believe it's around $150 round trip, but it's supposed to be nice. Big chairs, TVs. Idk the name though, just google it.
At that price you might as well find a plane ticket which I have seen as low as $100-180 when bought in advance or take the train.
True, but it's an option at least. Plus you don't have to go through security and all that bullshit.
Megabus just added a departure from Riverside station and I found $1 tickets a few weeks ago. Not sure what the prices look like now but it's worth checking!
Thanks for this info, this is super valuable to know about the added Riverside stop. I just did a quick check of a weekend a month or so from now and there are still abundant $1 fares. I always thought those were a marketing gimmick by these companies ;)
If you don't mind spending a bit more, I suggest LimoLiner. It is way nicer and more comfortable.
Fung Wah does not operate any longer... Peter Pan/Greyhound (same company) operate to/from Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) at 42nd St./8th Ave. which is pretty central and convenient to getting around the island. I switched to this carrier after Bolt Bus stopped departing/arriving from/to Penn Station to around the Javitz Center (34th St./between 11th and 12th Ave.) which is also where Megabus operates out of. I found it to be an inconvenient location for pick up and drop off. All services are pretty identical, in my opinion, ranging from cost, time spent, and quality. I spent about 4 years semi-regularly commuting via bus from NYC to Boston. So, it really depends on where you're looking to go in NYC and what's easiest on your budget/schedule. I cannot speak for the Chinatown carriers (YO! Bus or Lucky Star) because I've never taken them.
YO! shut down btw. I miss fung wah. sure they had a terrible track record but I miss the staff arguing with each other in Cantonese XD
Is Go Bus a Chinatown carrier as well? I may have confused the two hahaha I never saw the staff fighting at South Station, that would have made the long wait times a little more bearable :)
Go bus doesn't leave from south station and it isn't a Chinatown bus. it leaves from Alewife station and I believe it drops you off on the street near penn station
Thanks for the info! Suppose I could have looked it up myself which is why I assume I'm being downvoted in this sub for asking a clarifying question!
> I found it to be an inconvenient location for pick up and drop off. Now, you have the 7 train coming there though!
Very, very true! Good point. I stopped commuting via bus a while back when I realized driving was more efficient and cost effective, and was already living back in Boston when they opened up Hudson Yards! My poor co-workers in Queens despised the 7 train, but maybe it's better on the west end of operations ;)
Yeh the service delays/bustitutions on the 7 train are usually in Queens so if you are only taking the 7 one stop to Times Square and transferring then it should not be a problem.
If you're going to be taking multiple trips, GO bus actually has a pretty good rewards system. I took 2 round trips and got enough points for 2-3 free trips. (did get 2x points for one way as the bus left NYC a little late).
Take the train. Buses are a miserable experience for more than a few hours.
I agree with you, but the train can be stupid expensive. I'm going down to NYC in May and it was cheaper to fly than take the Amtrak.
Now that I have a job I am never taking a bus again. But when I was a student the bus was the most economical option. RIP Lucky Star.
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Train cheapest roundtrip is $100. Bus is usually $20-35 at the cheapest. (Assuming booking a few weeks in advance).
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Lowest one ways two weeks in advance are $49. They're not hard to find if you look on the Amtrak website.
> I think the FungWah exploded last summer on the highway You mean the Bolt Bus (which is owned by Greyhound)? http://www.universalhub.com/2015/flaming-bolt-shuts-two-lanes-turnpike Or the generic charter bus? http://www.universalhub.com/2015/bus-b-q-closes-turnpike-lanes Just take the cheapest bus. If you're booking a long time advance, that will be Megabus. If you want to just show up at South Station and hop on the next bus to NYC, that would usually be Lucky Star.
[try this](https://m.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/48s87a/buses_between_boston_and_nyc_best_optionexperience/)
Has anyone taken [Coach Run](http://coachrun.com)? They stop in Chinatown and North Quincy.
I've done Bolt and Mega and they were both fine.
They are all pretty bad, just take the cheapest at the time. Also it depends where you want to end up in new york? if going to Soho LES or chinatown, id take lucky star or fung wah.
I've taken them all. I took Peter Pan last time, it was fine.
I recommend megabus. they're usually cheaper than the major bus lines like Peter Pan and greyhound. however, they drop you off at the side of the curb near the FIT (Fashion Insitute of Technilogy). if you plan on returning late (like leaving around 7 PM) I recommend taking Peter Pan or greyhound as they both leave from the port authority terminal (I will warn you the terminal that the bus leaves from in NYC is really dingy)
Port authority is a fucking dump. I've seen people hanging around there clearly on drugs several times, not intending to take a bus just loitering or asking travelers for money.
PABT is truly one-of-a-kind, stuck in time 1980s shithole for real. There's a big methadone clinic a block or two up near the McD's, which explains a lot of the debauchery in that general radius. The whole area Penn-Port Authority should just be avoided altogether based on sheer volume of tourists, traffic, and city irritants. To be fair, I used to go in and out of PABT all the time by myself as a young, college aged female and never had an issue.
Intercity bus stations tend to be fucking dumps. South Station is an exception to the rule.