Results tagged “chinatownbus”

Earlier this month, we told you about a new discount bus service that planned to start offering non-stop service from D.C. to Wilmington, Philadelphia and Boston. Originally, TransportAzumah planned to launch all of its new D.C. lines by today, but an ominous message has since appeared on the company's web site reporting that all trips from D.C. have been canceled until further notice. That's bad news for folks who had been hoping to take advantage of the new service for the holiday weekend.

New York businessman Joel Azumah wrote to DCist today to let us know that his discount bus line, modestly dubbed TransportAzumah, will be launching several new routes servicing D.C. this month. Refreshingly, these routes will not be servicing New York. Instead, Azumah plans to offer non-stop bus service from D.C. to Wilmington, Philadelphia and Boston.

Megabus and BoltBus are seemingly now the biggest players in the saturated and ever growing D.C.-NYC coach bus market. People may argue about which is better in terms of service, but when it comes to leaving early in the morning, Megabus is hands down the top choice. They’re the only carrier that offers pre-dawn options to New York, leaving from D.C. at 5:15 and 6:15 a.m. Just don’t try to show up for an early morning bus without a reservation.

The low cost bus business has certainly boomed over the last couple of years. While the Peter Pan/Greyhound and various Chinatown bus lines have been offering cheapo rides from D.C. to New York City and Philadelphia for a long time, they now compete with a long list of newcomers, many of whom offer extras like free wireless internet or leather seats. Megabus, the Greyhound-operated BoltBus, Vamoose, and DC2NY are just some of the companies hoping to lure you to inexpensive East Coast travel. And now a D.C.-based team of developers has launched a new site, BusJunction.com, that allows you to search all of their schedules at once.

Before 2 p.m. on Monday, I stood at Todays Bus’s New York stop at 3 Pike Street in New York City's Chinatown, waiting to return to Washington. But my bus was nowhere to be seen. At 2, Eastern Travel came and went. New Century sat around the corner filling up. Hawkers for both stood by slinging tickets. BoltBus and Megabus, which I wish I had booked instead, were miles uptown and probably sold out anyway. And after nearly an hour and not even a representative for my carrier in sight, I put my return ticket in my wallet, pulled out another $20, and grabbed the next New Century coach back to D.C.

Back in December we reported that BoltBus and Megabus had moved their stop from 11th Street NW just above G Street to around the corner on G Street NW between 9th and 10th, right next to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. The move sparked a little bit of controversy, as it wasn't clear whether the location was any better in terms of interrupting traffic, and some customers were reportedly uncomfortable with its proximity to the soup kitchen across the street. Well Penn Quarter Living reports that after Megabus relocated a third time, to 9th Street NW just above H Street along the side of the old convention center site, as of today BoltBus will follow them there. BoltBus's web site confirms the move to 9th and H Streets at the old convention center parking lot.

Penn Quarter Living reminds us that as of Monday, popular discount bus lines BoltBus and MegaBus moved their shared stop two blocks from its previous location, from 11th Street NW just above G Street to around the corner on G Street NW between 9th and 10th. With the rush to get out of town for Christmas in full swing today, do note the change if you're riding one of these two bus lines up I-95. You'll recall that back in June, DDOT attempted to relocate all commercial bus lines to a single location at L'Enfant Plaza, but later backed off the plan due to public outcry. Do you think this new G Street location makes a better bus stop than 11th Street? Neither DC2NY nor any of the Chinatown lines have moved their stops.

We know you love being able to grab a cheap bus to New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and other destinations along the east cost. Entrepreneurs know it too, which is why we've kept track of an explosion in new intercity bus options recently, including BoltBus, Megabus, and DC2NY, along with the traditional Chinatown buses. But with so many more buses picking up and dropping off in several areas of downtown, the District Department of Transportation has taken notice of safety and congestion concerns, and is now planning to force all such buses to load in a single “intercity bus zone” in Southwest.

Sometimes we note that there aren't many portraits in the DCist pool, but today we find ourselves overwhelmed by some fantastic people-centric shots taken over the weekend. The grainy black and white gives even more depth to this image of a tough guy waiting for the Chinatown bus, by Flickr user digital_don (check out his photostream for his other great street portraits). EXIF. Some close runners up included hashing Wonder Woman, block party balloon...

YouTube user northeastcentral edited together this little music video ode to the Chinatown bus to Sufjan Stevens' song "Chicago," writing:

There's a new entrant into the crowded East coast cheap bus service market. DC2NY, which launches officially on July 26th, has begun advertising their services by handing out cards and fliers around Chinatown. The new bus line will travel only from D.C. to New York (no stops in Baltimore or Philadelphia), picking up from two stops in D.C. -- one in Dupont Circle and the other at 14th and Eye NW near McPherson Square --...

Georgetown is all about traditions. And with two-hundred and seventeen years under its belt, it makes sense. The Blue and Grey. The Tombs. The lore of the 75 Exorcist stairs. But few Hoyas know about their annual ImprovFest. Hardly any realize that Georgetown has an improv troupe at all, though that's probably because it doesn’t hold many shows per year and the university, also traditionally, ignores the discipline of staged comedy.

D.C.: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Wait, isn’t that New York? Regardless, 14th Street boutique Pop recently expanded to open a second location in hipster haven Williamsburg, Brooklyn (308 Grand St.).

The Wall Street Journal examined today the heated competition between Chinese-owned bus companies and Greyhound buses between major U.S. cities. The stiff competition with newcomers has put Greyhound in a tight spot and forced them to cut prices between D.C., New York, and Boston. In Boston the companies have even won a spot in that city's South Station bus terminal, although their buses aren't yet listed on the television screens.