New T-shirt: I rode BoltBus and all I got was this sore neck

Ok, that’s extreme.  I got to my destination safely.  Not on time, but safely.

A quick summary of my first day (roundtrip) of riding BoltBus (Philly to NYC and back):

• My cellphone is dead so I’m clock-less.  This bus is mad late though.  And its quite chilly out this morning.  Gotta have been 30-40 minutes late.  Was thinking the next P2P Circulator bus was going to show up before it. UPDATE!  As I had said, my cell phone was dead.  I just checked voicemail (yes, very late) and I had a voicemail that morning from Boltbus telling me that the bus was running late and what its approximate arrival time would be.  Very nice.
• And it arrives…. brand, shiny, new bus.
• Boarding is easy.  Surprised how little of us who were there actually have tickets printed.  Isn’t that the main advantage of BoltBus’ pricing?
• Leather seats….wherever I saw that wasn’t lying.  And that extra 3 inches of leg room feels huge. Feels like your own private space on the bus.
• Smooth jazz CD playing very loudly….turned off by driver before we got rolling
• Electrical outlets on back of ‘aisle’ seats.  Cool, but nobody is paranoid about EMF health effects?  Guess just me.  I made sure to sit by the window both times.  Don’t know if it was necessaary or if it would’ve helped but hey.
• DVD put in….a movie called “Stardust” – actually engaging….good actors…found myself watching this more than i wanted.
• Why the sore neck?  The seats barely recline.  I mean…. the ’standard position’ feels like a negative incline and the fully reclined position feels almost like sitting up straight.  This coupled with the height/shape of the seat (I guess) provided me with very uncomfortable sleep. Parent company Greyhound is going to keep more of my money it seems.  Commuting 3 days a week, I need the time to sleep on the bus.  This was a problem both going and returning.  We’ll see if MegaBus is any different.
• Drop off location was very convenient.  Pretty much right at an A/C/E entrance (at 34th Street).
• Arrival time – 20 minutes late.
• The ride home was more on time.  Arrival time in Philly, 8:36 (estimated arrival 8:30).  Cloth seats on way home and no music/movie, which was perfectly fine.  
• Both trips, the bus was super new and clean.
• The drivers and staff I encountered were very nice, professional, and friendly.  One of the best parts of the experience.

Overall, I don’t think its for me because I really could not sleep well.  If sleep wasn’t a factor, seems like a great option.

Boltbus is on the move

Back on April 2, I had written that service between Philly and NYC was starting the first week in June or so. Now I’ve heard that it’s been running since April 11.

Guess they decided to get the jump on MegaBus.

I’ve yet to take it, but will soon and will report on my experience. Been having some frustrating experiences with parent company Greyhound anyway on their flagship line. Time for a change. Not too mention my pockets have been waiting for this and MegaBus to start up.

In truth, due to the bus schedules, I may need to wait for MegaBus to get going. Will most likely find myself taking one of them in the morning and the other on the way home.