With all our coverage of otherbuses, you'd think the only advances in the industry were happening between Boston and DC. But we're happy to report on Oxford Tube, a cheap-but-classy way to commute between London and the original college town.
Buses are souped up BoltBus style, with plenty of legroom, power outlets, WiFi and "washrooms." Early morning departures on weekdays include a light breakfast, which is a nice touch, even if the grub isn't award-winning. The bus even prints up a quarterly on-board magazine called iON, which you can browse online, too.
Despite the perks, the Tube isn't too pricey. One-way trips are £13 ($24), and if you're coming back the same day or the next, a round-trip is just £16. If you want to stay longer than that, a round-trip is still a reasonable £20.
The cheap-but-classy coach line BoltBus will now start stopping in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, connecting it to New York seven times a day. Buses will stop at the Cherry Hill Mall, about 20 minutes from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.
Since the route was just announced today, there are still plenty of $1 tickets available. Meanwhile, there's lots of other cheap bus news out there.
There's no doubt that we're fans of all the new buses that have been popping up lately. But instead of using them simply for transportation, why not use them for a vacation? That's the idea behind Adventure Bus, a company that tours great national parks and other scenic sites across the US in tricked out coaches.
The big see-it-all trip is the two-week Best of the National Parks Adventure Tour. You'll start from Salt Lake City and return there upon completing your adventure, hiking, rafting, swimming and climbing your way through the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole and many others. It starts at $1,495 per person and includes most meals and admission to all the parks.
If sitting in a cramped bus isn't your idea of an ideal vacation, no worries here. These rides have been totally redesigned as a lounge on wheels. There are pillows, couches and every night the seating is transformed into "bus beds" so you can catch some shuteye while you cruise on to your next destination.
Hip Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur is suddenly promoting their Hop-On Hop-Off bus service, although this government-sponsored scheme actually launched more than a year ago. The tourist bus works a circuit past 40 major sightseeing spots and shopping malls, and on one RM38 ticket ($12) you can use it for 24 hours, while RM65 ($20) gets you 48 hours.
Sometimes these buses are a good value; sometimes you'd do a lot better just taking cheap public transport around a city. The jury's still out on the KL version, though something caught our eye on the website that we haven't been able to verify yet: They mention having WiFi on board their buses.
If it's free and fast, then we're all for the KL Hop-On Hop-Off, except that we might do more hopping on than off to catch up on all our emails while we see the sights.
Jaunted's own Ellen Wernecke just got back from a bus trip. Don't worry: She's recovering.
You know how they always say not to throw good money after bad? Nowhere can the adage be more keenly felt than at the Greyhound desk at the Port Authority in New York, where I decided to try out the veteran bus service's new "Priority Seating" offer.
For $5, I would get to board my bus to Boston first and stand in a special line and... that's it. So why would I pay for something I could just get if I waited long enough? Because I'm a sucker, and I will probably be a sucker again. Why would paying what amounts to a 20 percent surcharge on my already overpriced bus ticket be a good idea?
Police in Miami busted an alleged "brothel bus" packed with prostitutes who offered undercover officers lap dances and blowjobs. The driver, cops say, had a stash of Viagra on hand for customers who needed a boost, while the bus itself had a strip club set up with a G-string clad staff, a full bar and a curtained off VIP room.
The cops paid a $40 cover charge to board the bus where lap dances allegedly cost $20 and oral sex could be had for $100. Admission to the VIP area cost $125. When one of the officers asked what that fee would get him, he was reportedly told:
Speaking of cheap buses, a Fung Wah coach jumped onto a New York sidewalk this morning, killing a woman who was waiting to board.
Amazingly, this accident might not be the fault of the chronically safety-challenged company: A dump truck coming off the Manhattan Bridge rear-ended the bus as it was idling and propelled it onto the curb and into a bank.
A few other people were injured in the incident but not as many as when a Fung Wah bus flipped over in September 2006. That crash hurt 34 passengers who are probably content to take BoltBus these days.
Megabus is riding high with new double-decker coaches and lots of new passengers thanks to $4-a-gallon gas. But is service on the super cheap bus up to snuff? Sort of!
One recent Megabus rider wasn't looking forward to her trip. Said an Ohio University student:
No one wants to take the bus, but driving and flying are so expensive.
Why wouldn't anyone want to roll Megabus style? Probably because of what another rider experienced:
The scene on 31st Street was TOTAL CHAOS. People lined up on the sidewalk for different destinations. We left about half an hour late, but smooth sailing the rest of the way, and I sat up front with no one next to me. The bus driver had NEVER driven to Boston before, so I had to help him out.
