Riding a bus in America: Not as bad as you think

When I lived in USA many years ago and had never been outside of it, the notion of traveling long distances via bus was simply something most people didn’t do. On a recent trip back to visit family, due to poor planning on my part and forgetting how the pricing of flights work, I was financially forced into taking a bus on a long journey.

Now I was a bit worried because the only buses I had ever been on in the USA were buses that were taking me to school. Those weren’t bad but you were only on them for 20 minutes or so and well, you got to hang out with your friends. As an adult, and presumably with other adults, I thought I was going to be in for a bad ride.

I was forced into this choice because all the trains going south were sold out, and the few remaining flights, which just a few days prior had been a bit over $100 were now close to $500 and there was no way I was going to pay that much for a 1 hour flight. Therefore, I booked my bus ticket for $40 and headed to Chinatown to find this random bus station. I was not very hopeful about the rest of my journey when I got to the “bus station” because it wasn’t a bus station, just a shop with really dirty bathrooms and a counter at the front where no one ever smiles.

Chinatown isn't bad, just a bit scary in the evenings on a Sunday when everything is closed and you don't know exactly where you are going

The bus turned up on time and I was relieved to see that it was a proper bus and the seats looked comfortable. I thought things were gonna be ok. Then I met the person I was sharing the seat with. This woman was easily twice my size and I am not small (I am 6 foot, about 190 lbs).. She was friendly, but was nearly as big as both the seats. I could barely fit in. I thought this was going to be a bad day but fortunately the bus was far from sold out so phew, I was able to move back a few rows.

bonus points for knowing what film this is from

The bus moved quickly (as soon as we were out of NYC – no one moves quickly there) and we didn’t have to stop to pick up any new passengers. It was a straight shot. Overall I would say that I was impressed with the overall experience. They could have been nicer at the sales counter and keep the place cleaner overall, but I suppose when I am paying $40 for something that was previously going to cost me near $500, I shouldn’t complain too much.

Overall I would say that if I was faced with a situation where I needed to take a bus again, I would not hesitate, I would just have to keep my fingers crossed that I don’t end up on a full bus sitting with a giant.

Little bit of a pro tip here: If you are mainly concerned about price you need to skip the big bus lines like Greyhound and Trailways, as they do offer slightly better service but at about a 50% increase in price. The random chinatown buses, while not terribly friendly, get you to the same place for less money.