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Horror story on the chinatown bus from NY-BOS

Horror story on the chinatown bus from NY-BOS

Old Apr 6, 2009, 11:19 am
  #1  
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Horror story on the chinatown bus from NY-BOS

I took the Fung Wah bus from New York to Boston last weekend. It broke down in the left lane of I-95 somewhere near New Haven. So we are stuck in the left lane and can't move. There must have been a several mile backup on the highway. We had to get on another Fung Wah bus that came 90 minutes later, and had people already on board, but fortunately we all fit. The police had to shut down the highway so that we could switch buses, and I think the bus driver got a ticket as buses aren't supposed to be in the left lane. I am never taking the Fung Wah bus again. Took 7 hours total to get from New York to Boston (i think the second bus driver was going 90 mph), and we clapped when the bus pulled into South Station. On my return trip, I took the Bolt Bus.
nd2010 is offline  
Old Apr 6, 2009, 11:23 am
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Just be thankful you got on one of the ones that just broke down rather than one of the ones that caught on fire or crashed....
JennyElf is offline  
Old Jul 7, 2009, 8:36 am
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Geez

I have heard too many of those stories. It seems like Fung Wah is particularly bad for breaking down, or maybe it's just because they are so big and make more trips than the other lines. Either way, they appear to have a pretty bad rap when it comes to bus trouble. Sorry this happened, and hopefully it won't discourage you from riding the Chinatown bus.
wooot is offline  
Old Jul 18, 2009, 5:30 pm
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Welcome to FT (for wooot)!

I also heard similar story but it still seems the cheapest way to communite between New York and Boston. However, unless you are not in a hurry or have some "buffer" for your time, I probably won't take it.
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Old Jul 18, 2009, 11:29 pm
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There's a reason those prices are so cheap. I've taken them several times before, NYC-BOS, LAX-PHX, LAX-SAN, LAX-LAS.

While the price is nice, there is always a concern for breakdowns. It's a risk one takes, and it has to be factored into one's decision to save a few bucks. The drivers really don't get anything like what the Greyhound drivers get, in terms of training or rest time.

Accept the fact there's a higher probability of something going wrong and determine if it's worth it.
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Old Jul 19, 2009, 2:08 am
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Honestly, I enjoyed Megabus last time I took it, although I found the suspension on the double-decker to be quite hard.
Palal is offline  
Old Jul 19, 2009, 11:21 am
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The Chinatown bus is not to be trusted. I don't know why people still take it, when there are so many cheap alternatives.
The_Rockaway_Kid is offline  
Old Jul 19, 2009, 1:56 pm
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Originally Posted by The_Rockaway_Kid
The Chinatown bus is not to be trusted. I don't know why people still take it, when there are so many cheap alternatives.
^^^ Bolt Bus and Mega Bus are great, and usually cheaper or the same price as Chinatown. Taking Chinatown just doesn't make sense.
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Old Jul 19, 2009, 3:12 pm
  #9  
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Originally Posted by The_Rockaway_Kid
The Chinatown bus is not to be trusted. I don't know why people still take it, when there are so many cheap alternatives.
Historical "reputation" in so much as price goes.
GUWonder is offline  

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