Cheap bus travel between Ithaca and NYC
Aug 2, 2014, 11:07 am
#16
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Another option to consider -- though not as cheap as a trip with the cheapest Megabus fares -- is Greyhound's Internet fare between NYC and Ithaca. Looks like a fare of ~$32 one way is offered. And Greyhound's 2:45 PM departure from NYC's Port Authority Bus Terminal to Ithaca's State Street Terminal takes about 20 minutes less time than the typical Short Line trip. But, unlike Short Line, Greyhound does not offer any stops on the Cornell campus.
Nov 17, 2018, 8:26 pm
#17
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Just wanted to update this old thread to point out that Megabus is now selling tickets between Ithaca and Manhattan; one no longer needs to buy a separate Short Line ticket between Ithaca and Binghamton. (I did start a separate thread about the new service.)
i recently purchased a Megabus roundtrip for February travel between Ithaca and Manhattan for $4.50: $1 each way, plus a $2.50 booking fee.
Megabus no longer extends its booking window every day at Midnight; instead, Megabus now extends the booking window periodically. Megabus users will receive an email announcing the extension of the booking window. Your best chance of securing cheap Megabus tickets -- especially on the Ithaca-Manhattan route -- is to book promptly once the booking window opens (assuming that you can plan that far in advance).
i recently purchased a Megabus roundtrip for February travel between Ithaca and Manhattan for $4.50: $1 each way, plus a $2.50 booking fee.
Megabus no longer extends its booking window every day at Midnight; instead, Megabus now extends the booking window periodically. Megabus users will receive an email announcing the extension of the booking window. Your best chance of securing cheap Megabus tickets -- especially on the Ithaca-Manhattan route -- is to book promptly once the booking window opens (assuming that you can plan that far in advance).
Jan 3, 2019, 9:39 am
#18
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A further update is that if you're traveling at times around the beginning or end of the semester or at Cornell vacation periods, there are additional options. IIRC this started with the student union essentially organizing the selling of tickets for buses they chartered (arriving and departing from campus) but I believed it morphed into a small business operated by some (former by now?) students and I don't know whether it's still done on some sort of a charter basis. I've seen ads for it, probably in the "student" newspaper, and posters/notices on campus. I hope they're still in business.
Jan 3, 2019, 12:12 pm
#19
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A further update is that if you're traveling at times around the beginning or end of the semester or at Cornell vacation periods, there are additional options. IIRC this started with the student union essentially organizing the selling of tickets for buses they chartered (arriving and departing from campus) but I believed it morphed into a small business operated by some (former by now?) students and I don't know whether it's still done on some sort of a charter basis. I've seen ads for it, probably in the "student" newspaper, and posters/notices on campus. I hope they're still in business.
The newest entrants on the Ithaca-Manhattan route are: Big Red Bullet (which recently had a crash that killed a Cornell alumna who was a passenger), and OurBus. I believe that Big Red Bullet was founded by a Cornell Business School alumnus.
Jan 3, 2019, 9:58 pm
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A further update is that if you're traveling at times around the beginning or end of the semester or at Cornell vacation periods, there are additional options. IIRC this started with the student union essentially organizing the selling of tickets for buses they chartered (arriving and departing from campus) but I believed it morphed into a small business operated by some (former by now?) students and I don't know whether it's still done on some sort of a charter basis. I've seen ads for it, probably in the "student" newspaper, and posters/notices on campus. I hope they're still in business.
(The Student Agencies company still seems to be doing well based on their website; they certainly were doing well around 5+ years ago when I was there!)
Nov 12, 2019, 11:27 am
#21
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Fall, 2019, update
The Big Red Bullet service is no more.
OurBus continues to offer service from Downtown Ithaca to Manhattan and to a number of other Northeast cities.
When OurBus fares for Ithaca-Manhattan or Manhattan-Ithaca are high, it can be worthwhile to price the trip as two separate tickets on the same bus, i.e., Ithaca-Binghamton and Binghamton-Manhattan (or vice versa). Sometimes, combining two tickets will yield a lower total price than buying a single ticket on the same bus.
OurBus continues to offer service from Downtown Ithaca to Manhattan and to a number of other Northeast cities.
When OurBus fares for Ithaca-Manhattan or Manhattan-Ithaca are high, it can be worthwhile to price the trip as two separate tickets on the same bus, i.e., Ithaca-Binghamton and Binghamton-Manhattan (or vice versa). Sometimes, combining two tickets will yield a lower total price than buying a single ticket on the same bus.