First time with Bolt and I'm done!! I boarded the 6:30 a.m. bus to New York. The driver wasn't friendly at all. That's fine. I don't need him to talk to me but when I take other buses, usually they at least greet the passengers. Not this guy! The bus itself isn't even that comfy. I had always heard such good things about this bus, but not sure I can say anything good about my experience. It's cheap and they made a brief reststop break (15 minutes) in Delaware. Anyway, the bus is freezing cold and I thought maybe it just takes awhile to warm up. Hours later and not any better. It's literally 20 degrees outside so heat is needed on here! Someone went up to ask the driver about turning up the heat. He ignored her and mumbled something about it's having technical issues. Smh! As I said, I'm DONE! Let me go put my gloves back on before I get frost bite!!! read more

BoltBus - The seats right behind the driver. No outlets here - Transportation Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

DC to NY on 5/31/11 This is an honest review with both good & bad. The Bad: 1) Upon arrival at Union station there were 3 lines to get on the bus. A,B,C none which were marked. A was let on followed by B in an orderly fashion but C was a Free-For-All which sucked if u got there early & had someone in the back just run up ahead of you. 2) Not all seats have outlets OR footrests. You will need these footrests as the leather seats have a slight downward slope to them which was extremely uncomfortable causing you to edge forward. We had neither convenience in our seat row. 3) Nothing was shown on the TV's 4) Bathroom had no light at all. 5) getting luggage off is another Free-For-All 6) There was no rest stop to use a proper restroom or stretch your legs. The Good: 1) Allowed to show confirmation via smartphone. 2) AC was comfortable 3) Bus appeared clean & relatively new. 4) Seats are reclinable and armrests lift although there is zero lumbar support on the Leather Seats 5) Overhead storage wasn't bad. 6) Back of seat has drink holder 7) FREE WiFi if you can get it to work. 8) Price was good for what you get Overall Verdict, worth the $ if you know where to sit & are prepared. My personal experience is why I gave a 3 star. If we had gotten a good seat it might have been four. The zero light in the bathroom & unorganized boarding process would still make it only four stars. Check my pictures I uploaded some of the back of the seats as well as what the NYC drop off point looks like. read more

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Great experience! I take boltbus very often to go to NYC. It's cheap and easy to take. My route is DC (union station) to NYC (33 street). * make an account * when you have an account you can make reservations and your letter will be an A. *A letters go first! Better seats ! * they are lines with different letters, use my tip to always get the letter A. *be on time ! *lines are outside. Enjoy the ride. read more

I was so excited to take bolt bus from NYC to DC since I heard some good reviews. Nothing about my trip was pleasant. The bus driver was so ridiculous when my brother was 1 minute late for the bus she didn't let him on. She had literally just closed the door. She's a witch for real. The bathroom was DISGUSTING. The bus was also freezing cold. The WiFi also did not work. Don't do it! read more

Don't be fooled, Bolt buses are basically Greyhound buses painted black. You will still feel like you are riding The Dog. The one we took from Greenbelt to NYC was nasty-dust, filth, gum, trash. The outlets on the entire left side of the bus were not working and the driver indicated this was a longstanding issue with this particular bus. The driver was cool and things ran on schedule. The bus on the way back from NYC to Union Station was a bit newer and cleaner. Bus was on schedule again and the outlets all seemed to work this time. The Wifi was iffy. It was slow and kept cutting out. The Washington Deluxe is cleaner and nicer and similarly priced. Given a choice, I would pick the Washington Deluxe next time. Tip: Figure out if your pick up location is first or last (as there are usually multiple pick up spots and the bus fills up) and try to get an A boarding position to secure a seat together if you're in a group. read more

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Long story short... decent bus ride for GREAT PRICE! Bus is equipped with bathroom, no faucet, only hand sanitizer...where some might argue it's cleaner. Outlets were blah--one out of two didn't work and the one that did was very flimsy. Some of the lights and fans didn't work either. One semi big concern of mine was the delay in boarding from DC Union Station. But the bus driver made it on time. Pretty smooth ride--- fairly empty which surprised me because the bus is soooo CHEAP! The bus isn't luxury, but it gets the job done well. Also, my boyfriend and I were running early to our scheduled bus departing at 1pm from 11th st and 36th Ave in NYC... and we were able to hop on the 12:30 bus. Nice deal! All in all.. great ride for the price!!! I'll be using Bolt Bus again. read more

BoltBus - Transportation Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Disappointed that the advertised wifi was not working. Absolutely a very confusing boarding experience with no line management whatsoever. The actual bus had a windshield problem allowing annoying air noise into the cabin. Bus driver was courteous and helpful. read more

Not bad. I have been waiting to write this review because I did not want to rate the bolt bus after one single ride. I took multiple trips between DC and NYC. They always stay relatively on schedule. However, on a recent trip when I was scheduled to leave on a Sunday at 10:30am (from NYC), the bus was nowhere to be found other than a Baltimore bus leaving a little after us. They got another bus here by 10:25am and we left a little before 10:40am and arrived at 2:55pm at Union Station. We were scheduled to arrive at 2:45pm. We took a 15 minute bathroom break at Delaware Welcome Center. On another Friday, we left at 6:30pm and were supposed to arrive by 11pm, we arrived at midtown NYC at 11:10pm with a 15 minute rest stop break in Delaware. And we were all put on a Yankee bus with no electric outlet and very tight overhead space. We stopped at 33rd first. I know in a previous trip that I took, we would stop at the downtown Soho location first to let off the passengers. But we didn't this time around and they made the midtown stop first. Note for DC-bound travelers: once you arrive at Union Station, walk towards the main waiting area (for Amtrak people), take the escalator down and turn right to catch your subway ride if you are taking public transportation. For people leaving DC, when you exit from subway at Union Station, walk towards the sign of "amtrak" (not "buses") and take the immediate right when you take the escalator up where it then says buses. Follow the escalator up to the parking lot and you will see signs for bolt bus. I remember there was once or twice where we were all just let on the bus without displaying our tickets. That was a little concerning but fortunately it was still a smooth ride. read more

I LOVE BOLT BUS! The whole process of taking a bus to New York City isn't exactly appealing to me. However, Bolt Bus made it painless and easy! First off, the prices are great. And the cleanliness of the buses is even better. Much nicer than taking creepy Greyhound, which I had to do pretty often in my college days. My bus was packed but that's okay because the noise level was pretty low. I also appreciate not sitting next to any weirdos, although that could have just been luck. :) The driver was somewhat entertaining for the short amount he talked in the beginning of the trip. He gets an extra gold star / double thumbs up / pat on the back for booking it up on 95. He drove nice and fast. Not in a scary fast way like driving with my younger cousin, but more of a "yesss we're gonna get there in no time!" kind of way. The only drawback I had experienced was on the way home, the buses leaving NYC were way backed up. And waiting on the sidewalk in front of the Sbarro was super crowded. Still, this is the best, most cost efficient way of getting to NYC and I can see myself going more often for a weekend trip. Thanks Bolt Bus! read more

I've got a window seat, a footrest, WiFi (spotty but still it's WiFi) and working outlets on a 4hr+ bus ride from DC to NYC so no complaining here. Actually, I could do without the urine smell that is coming from the bathroom. read more

BoltBus - Transportation Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This was my first time using BOLT service with my kids but I really so disappointed, the bus from Washington DC to New York scheduled at 6:30 pm didn't come, they were calling 6 o'clock and 7 o'clock scheduled but skip the 6:30 pm, When I asked them they said the bus didn't come, whatt ??? So they put us on the last waiting list. At last they put us on 7 o'clock scheduled because they still have few seating left and I have to sit separated from my kids. My kids And I were really feel so upset. I never gonna use this service anymore. read more

I've taken boltbus for 5 times now. Only for once the delay at boarding is less than 30mins. AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COST!!! On Oct 11, 2019, the bus scheduled for departure at Washington DC union station at 4:30pm boarded at 5:00pm, went to pickup some other passengers at DuPont Circle. Took 45 mins on a busy Friday to get there. I thought this will be our last stop before NYC. No. The driver told us he's over worked so he has to drive us all back to Union Station for a different driver. The journey took another 45mins. When we finally departed, we are 2 hours late of the original schedule! This, plus the Friday traffic, and long rest stop for the driver to have dinner, make the journey almost 8 hours long in the end. Today, when I arrived at Union Station again at 6:30pm for my 7pm bus, I realized again it is delayed. The 5:30pm people are still waiting! Now it's 7:30pm, the 5:30pm guys have just started boarding, and I am still waiting in a cold rainy day. If I haven't learned my lesson last time, I've definitely learned it today. DO NOT RIDE WITH BOLTBUS! read more

I am writing this review while on the Bolt Bus, and it's amazing! Internet...on a bus! And that's not even the best part. I got a roundtrip ticket to New York for $11.50: that's $10 there, $1 back, and a 50 cent administrative charge. The Bolt Bus is run by Greyhound to compete with the Chinatown bus, and it connects New York to DC, Boston, and Philadelphia. Actually being on it, it's pretty far fetched to say it competes with the Chinatown bus, because it's infinitely better and less than half the price. To get the extra amazing deals (like the $1 fares), you probably need to play around with dates, times, and stations. I got the $1 fare by going to the downtown New York stop instead of the uptown. The bus driver is really nice and friendly, and the bus is immaculate and has a bathroom. The seats are made of luxurious pleather, they're wider and have more legroom than the normal Chinatown bus, and they're comfortable enough that I fell into a deep sleep for two hours and didn't hear my phone ring three times. I much prefer this to flying, and I'll be taking more trips to New York now. Now, onto the bonus: They have free high speed internet and a power outlet for every seat. I have trouble reading books when I'm moving, so imagine my delight when I discovered I could plan my trip online while on the bus and look at some lolcats to make the time pass faster. read more

Bolt Bus is pretty good, I have to admit. They are probably responsible for shaking up the cheap bus category. It makes sense though, since Bolt Bus is operated by Greyhound. Greyhound has been hungrily hoping to take over this market since it makes a huge dent in their core business. For making nicer buses, Wi-Fi, and outlets a norm, I am very glad. Even so, part of me is still a little leery of Greyhound. I was not a fan that they took some of their old Greyhound buses and repainted them to become Bolt Buses and I think they helped inspire a lot of bus companies to raise their prices. Another small negative was that my friend was charged twice for her ticket (this was partially her fault since she thought the connection didn't go through and clicked twice) and then was not able to refund it when she could not use the ticket. Ah well~ Pros: - Friendly bus drivers that make jokes - Sometimes you get leather seats - Mostly new buses - Wi-fi & Outlets Cons: - Some buses are old, same price - Iffy customer service read more

Best bargain from DC to NYC and back!! More expensive than Chinatown but.. but SAFER and more RELIABLE. Cheape than Greyhound too. I think prices range from $20-25 each way.. nice seat.. free wifi.. electrical outlets. read more

I just took the Bolt Bus on my DC-NYC trip this weekend and was pretty impressed overall. The process was pretty easy breezy - the driver didn't check for my ID or anything, but just made sure that my ticket was for the stated date and time (I had bought mine online the day before). I also saw several people who purchased their tickets on the spot, paying by cash or credit card. I took the bus from the G and 11th St corner from DC (the only stop in DC) to the Penn Station stop in NYC (right by Sbarro's), and on the way back, took it back from the 6th Ave stop (btw Grand and Canal) in NYC back to DC. Not that these locations are hard to find, but being a visual person, I really appreciate having these buses clearly branded (big red buses with lightning bolts on the side), because I was running late to one of the buses but was able to spot it instantly and run towards it. The drivers on both journeys were super nice and professional, and helped with the luggage and directions once you got off the bus for those who needed it. The trip to NYC took about 4 hours and 30 minutes because of the traffic on the turnpike (rubber necking!!) on a Saturday afternoon, but the trip back was under 4 hours even in the rain. The WiFi worked pretty well for me - I didn't do anything heavy duty, but checked my Gmail, Twittered, stalked some people on Facebook etc. with no problem. The login John S. mentions in his review seems to have been eradicated, as I was able to simply log on. Also, I was watching a bunch of movies on my laptop and was worried about the battery power, and therefore pleasantly surprised by the electrical outlets. I also got a little taste of their new leather seats on the way back from NYC, which was pretty nice. I am also very appreciative of my fellow Bolt Bus passengers on both trips, as they were either a) passed out for the most trip as I was or b) very courteous and speaking in hushed voice when talking on the cell phone. I guess it will all depend on the passengers, but it was nice to have a peaceful ride instead of having people yapping in your ears the whole time. I am also excited about the reward program in which you earn free trips by taking 10 one-way trips. At $15 to 20 each way, I think I just found myself yet another reason to frequent NYC more often than before. read more

I've taken both Mega and Bolt bus, and I prefer Bolt Bus in terms of comfort. The leather seats were great, however, not all of the seats were equipped with outlets, which kind of sucked. My tickets were about $20 cheaper than when I booked with Mega Bus, and our driver was much friendlier on the way back than on the way down. I definitely prefer Amtrak (train travel in general) to the bus, but it's a cheap, clean, and so-so alternative. read more

My First Review Well My List Of Complaints Bus Left Half arrived Late Left An Half Hour Late Wasn't A Bolt Bus, it was a Yankee Candle Were no outlets But did have wifi but had parental controls which rendered the wifi useless to me,Netflix & YouTube Were Blocked Scheduled arrival was 12:45am Arrived 1:10Am Have To load & unload your baggage yourself read more

BoltBus - Instead Of A Blot Bus We Traveled On This - Transportation Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I have used their service from Washington, DC to NYC in the past and it was okay. My last trip makes suburbia look like a HELLISH place to live. The bus driver didn't turn on the A/C until 1/3 of the way into our trip after letting a non-English speaking mother with 5 kids take the remaining seats. These kids ranged from 3-15 years of age I assume. The two 5-year old boys were fighting the entire time and interrupting me and the other gentleman. The bus should have a policy on parents sitting with their kids. If airlines try separating kids and parents more terrorists will be found in everyday America. The bathroom door squeezed incessantly as the bus moved.I tried everything including tearing the cover off of my magazine and sticking it in the door then playing bathroom monitor. A hot bus, fighting kids, a squeaky door - I am DONE! It seems this bus service is cheapening its price, but lowering the quality of service to customers who recognize a fair price. I am not sure how I am getting to DC next week, but I am seriously apprehensive about riding this bus again. read more

BoltBus - This door opened and closed constantly like a rattling from a tornado. I was miserable my last trip. - Transportation Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

What better way to travel from DC to New York than on a giant air-conditioned bus with Wifi? The name is BOLT. COOL. *Bus Driver: A very very sweet lady. She proceeded to tell us that there were toiletries in the back and a sweater as well if you were cold. Bless that woman's heart. *The Drive: It wasn't too bad. 3 hrs? *Price: Super affordable. I'm a big fan of slumming it. I think the range was from 15-20 bucks max. *I did my homework and I originally was gonna take a Chinatown bus but I always here about how many accidents that bus has so Bolt was the logical choice. read more

Great deal - round trip to NYC from DC or Greenbelt for around $50. I could've nailed a $1 ticket but wasn't willing to depart at the time it was offered. Pretty great service outta Greenbelt but was hectic at the Sbarro stop...the bus may drop off at the next stop if it's too chaotic. Arrived and departed on time (give or take a few minutes) and the bus stops once for a meal/bathroom break. They don't provide water so plan accordingly. A few other suggestions/tips: ** Book early for best price and seat selection ** Bring hand wipes and/or hand sanitizer for the bathroom. ** Not all seats have outlets ** Lots of leg room if u have longer legs. read more

I had a good experience with Bolt Bus. A few things to remember: + Make sure you get there EARLY because this is one bus company that definitely leaves on time. They will leave you if you are not on time... There was literally a guy banging on the door 2 mins after and the bus driver almost didn't let him in... so get there early! It's better for everyone involved. + Cheap prices - buy them early to get the cheaper ones. or the off times for best pricing. + Standby - nice and easy process. I was able to do standby because I wanted another time than what I paid for. Just beware though because capacity is 50 and the popular times will be full. + Wifi - took a star off because I could never get Wifi to work.... Maybe it was just me. + Enroll in the rewards program. You get "A" which is Priority Seating (worth it if you want window or to sit by yourself) and you get a free roundtrip with enough purchases. Overall, definitely recommend it. I've always use this between DC and NYC and never had an issue. read more

Going DC-NYC. O.K. EXCEPT Slipn' Slide on these leather seats!! Boo! We are slouched like sitting in a hammock. You have to literally PIN yourself in by pushing knee up to seat in front of you. I'm looking around and that's what people are doing. Seriously stupid leather. Looking for a different return bus line from NY back to DC. Missed my bus, they kindly had me wait standby. Guy was nice and helpful. They boarded us for next one after 20 minute way. Load your own luggage, no biggie. Sit down and WOAAAHHHHHH you almost slip out of the chair. Ridiculous! It was clean. Smells fine. Quiet. No entertainment option. No outlets at all seats. Some seats have leg room, some have significantly less. Weird. read more

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My daughter just texted me before her phone ran out of power. She is enroute from NYC to Union station in DC (Bus 1074). There is no power anywhere on the bus, the lights are not working, and they are freezing because there is no heat. The bus driver apologized to everyone and asked that they please contact Bolt with their complaints. The condition of this bus does not give me confidence that it is mechanically sound. My family will not use Bolt again. There are many other competitors to choose from. UPDATE. Here is the reply I received from Bolt after I sent them an email: "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, however the power outlets and wifi are free amenities we don't refund for." Really??? read more

BoltBus - Don't let this info on Bolt website fool you. We had no wifi, plug ins, heat, or lights on our bus from NYC to DC - Transportation Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

A bit of a nightmare experience. I booked an 8:30am bus on a Wednesday, on one of the bolt for a buck deals. I suppose you get what you pay for because this is what happened: -after rushing to Union Station to get there on time, the bus ended up being 10 minutes late. That wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that the bus driver then got out and told us she could not let us on because the bus had no heat, and she couldn't drive us to NYC on a bus with no heat. -we waited around for a bit and finally the bus driver said that her supervisor had advised her to drive everyone over to the BoltBus garage (a little bit outside of DC), where we would then get transferred to another vehicle. So we did this, and lost about 30-45 minutes in the process. Okay. -about 30 minutes later we glide to a stop on the highway because all of the sudden the bus breaks down. So we are sitting by the side of the road, and everyone is really not happy at this point. She calls her supervisor again, who says he will send an empty bus that should arrive in a half hour. Not sure if that bus ever came or not because about 20 minutes later, another BoltBus that had left an hour after ours (the 9:30am bus) stops to pick us up - luckily they had enough space for all of us. Needless to say...it was an ordeal. On the plus side, the driver was very nice, tried to keep us informed, etc. It was clear that none of this was her fault - she was stressed out, and I felt bad for her. All of the customers were relatively easygoing as well so it wasn't a big spectacle and I was impressed by how well everyone was taking the multiple delays. But, bottom line, BoltBus needs to take better care of its vehicles so its employees AND customers both don't have to go through these situations. I don't love the fact that I was put on a bus that just broke down in the middle of the highway!!! A dollar fare is definitely enticing, but not an excuse for all this. read more

Hi An update after 9 years. Well overall technology has come a long way to include wifi but super slow.... and plug is electricity coming standard in most marketable buses. The Seats are comfortable and the bathrooms are clean. They even now have a tracker. Overall the staff is friendly and for about 15 dollars a person it's hard to complain. read more

I've used BoltBus to go from DC to NY over a dozen times and the BoltBus customer service response to my request for information about operations and passenger issues related to significant travel delays was unacceptable. Here is the exchange: MY FIRST EMAIL: Dear BoltBus Customer Service Team: Yesterday (Sunday, November 26, 2017) I was on a bus that departed New York City at 5:00 pm that was scheduled to arrive in Washington DC at 9:15 pm. The bus arrived at Union Station at 10:55 pm--almost two hours past the expected arrival time. The cause of the delay was not due to Thanksgiving weekend traffic or a bus malfunction. Rather, it was caused by the driver, who chose to take a poorly-planned alternate route in an attempt to circumvent traffic. The driver's chosen route took us through rural, sparsely-populated, and unlighted areas of Delaware. At several points, there was limited to no cellular signal on our route, which would have been dangerous had the bus experienced any engine difficulties at that time in the evening. Shortly after 9:00 pm, I noticed that our bus was still driving through unpopulated farmland and checked Google Maps, only to see that we were currently traveling on Delaware Route 14, a single-lane highway, still 1 hour and 40 minutes away from Union Station. I was concerned about how far behind schedule we were, and how far away we were from a major freeway and the usual route that would have taken us through Baltimore. Rather than disturb and distract the driver, I called BoltBus customer service at 9:23 pm. After providing confirmation information for my ticket and explaining the situation, I was transferred to another customer service agent. After explaining the situation again, I was told by the agent that they were not aware of the driver's route and could not help me because they were in Texas. They instead told me to send an email to BoltBus customer service, which would have been altogether useless for addressing the immediate issue. Upon arrival at Union Station, the driver made a bus-wide announcement and admitted that in their hasty attempt to get around traffic, they made the situation worse. Furthermore, they admitted that they had to rely on a passenger to help with navigation, serving as their GPS. At no time during the trip did the driver make an announcement to explain the situation or their choice of taking an alternate route, leaving the rest of the passengers to wonder what was happening. In light of this, I would like answers to the following questions: - What is the BoltBus policy or standard operating procedure for drivers in the case of significant traffic delays, and how much discretion do drivers have to determine alternate routes? - What types of supports and safeguards are in place for passengers when they feel unsafe or uncertain during their travel on BoltBus? BOLTBUS RESPONSE: "Hi, Per the operations manager - Due to heavy traffic on I-95, driver took alternate route down 301 over Bay Bridge. May have caused 15-20min extra, but would have been sitting in traffic had driver taken normal route. This was late return on Sunday after Thanksgiving. Everything was delayed. There was a wrong turn, but front pax opened Waze app and fixed immediately and no cause of delay." MY FOLLOW-UP: Hello, This response does not address either of the questions I requested answers to in my original email. Furthermore, it is entirely inaccurate that there was "no cause of delay" because, in fact, by admitting that the driver took a wrong turn, there was a significant delay. I have taken over two dozen trips with BoltBus over the years, on Thanksgiving weekend during similar times as well, and have never experienced delays of this magnitude. You can see my BoltBus rewards account for validation of these trips. To confirm your claim that there was no delay, please provide information on the following: The 4:00 pm BoltBus leaving New York City was delayed because of a malfunction, and instead left NYC closer to 4:45 pm. I opted not to take this bus because it was near capacity. What route did this bus take and what time did this bus arrive at Union Station? If you are going to argue that "everything was delayed" as a result of Thanksgiving traffic, and that the route my bus driver took was comparable in alleviating the traffic delay, the bus that departed New York City at 4:45 should have arrived at Union Station taking approximately the same amount of time as my bus, which was six hours (5:00 pm to 10:55 pm). I look forward to your response to this inquiry and my previous questions. BOLTBUS FOLLOW-UP: "We realize that delays are both frustrating and inconvenient to our passengers. Although we make every effort to meet the arrival and departure times printed in our schedules, we can not guarantee these times. Too many factors are unpredictable, and can lead to unanticipated delays." read more

I agree that their service has gone down a lift le bit with the exception of one driver, Kelvin who is so sweet and gives great service always. On my racent rip to DC and back to NYC the busses left about 10-15 minutes late for no good reason. On the trip to DC the driver was taking a very long smoke break before boarding (I think they should start boarding at least 15 minutes before departure time.) On the trip back to NYC the driver was chatting or flirting with the gate agent. This is really my biggest annoyance with Bolt. And there wasn't bad traffic at all in either direction. read more

After years of hearing from my sons and others about taking the bus to New York, I finally took the plunge because I had to be on Long Island this Saturday and I could not persuade anyone else in the family to drive along. I have always taken Amtrak for this trip, but now that they use airline pricing the cost would have been over $200 round trip -- so, the bus. Even that fare was high: $60 in all roundtrip. The tolls and gasoline for one way would have been that much had I driven. For one adult traveling, this is the way to go It was adequate, no better. The seats were OK, not as nice as Amtrak or long-distance busses U have ridden abroad. I joined the "club" understanding that this would give me early boarding privileges and thus a better chance for a comfortable seat with enough leg room. Leg room was just enough (note I am well over six feet tall, so I am demanding on this). Ride was quiet and smooth, driver was courteous. The bus was an hour late, of course we faced Friday traffic, although route taken included some back roads through the back streets of Jersey City that I did not quite understand (avoiding the usual Holland tunnel backup?). Main complaint was the wi-fi, which although advertised was in and out the entire trip, almost useless for continuous work correspondence. But for that, I would have given four stars. read more

BoltBus used to be my favorite line but they seem to have given up on quality and maintenance. Many of the recent comments I see on Yelp mirror the experience that my visiting relatives are having right now, as I'm writing these lines (they called me from the bus): the 8:30 am bus showed up 30 min late at Union Station, which would be ok if you didn't have to wait with your 7 and 11 year old daughters in a 32 degree parking garage. Hoping to warm up in the bus? No luck, this bus has no functioning heater!!! Thinking of charging your device? Think again: this bus has no working electrical plug! Good bye BoltBus, I'll never see you again. Update: they agreed to reimburse the trip read more

I've ridden BoltBus 12 round trips from DC to NY. It's usually uneventful and everything runs perfectly. However, you do pay a premium to have a clean bus with power outlets, foot rests, etc. So it was very upsetting to have two trips back to back where the AC was not working at all in the back of the bus while it was 100 degrees outside. On the second trip, the power outlets were not working for our row. There is really no way to contact customer service for BoltBus. I sent in my survey about what happened and there was no follow-up. Be advised that the new pickup in NY at 6th Ave between Grand and Watts has absolutely no official sign or anything to tell you where to hang out, form a line, or organize in anyway whatsoever. It's essentially a guessing game for first-timers. Hint, it is right in front of 100 6th Ave. Why they don't say this address blows my mind. read more

NYC to DC trip Pros: $17 one way, bus left within 5 minutes of schedule, aisle seat with a view across from the bus driver, wifi mostly worked, clean bus, bathroom (didn't use it) friendly driver and mostly quiet ride. Cons: pickup in NYC is in no-man's land next to the Jacob Javits Center- had to take a cross town bus from my subway stop, no outlet near my seat. Neutral: We stopped for 15 minutes at a rest stop in Delaware- real bathrooms and fast food options if you didn't have time to pick up lunch in NYC, i.e. Starbucks, etc. Tip: Sign up for their frequent rider program and get VIP boarding access. Bring your beverage/sandwich from home or pick it up near 34th street subway. Leave extra time to get there from subway. read more

Very bad! We had a trip from boston to new haven , and the bus was full so my fiancee and I had no place on the bus. The bus driver told us we can wait for the next bus that was coming in 20mins, we called the company and they said there is no bus coming and did not provide us with an alternative. they were not helpful. we had to buy each a 60$ train the next morning to go back to work. In the end, after a one hour phone call, they refunded us a 20$ ticket and gave us 2 tickets. Wont use it anymore.! read more

Chose bolt bus for a trip from DC to NYC; after searching several reviews of other bus lines I arrived at the conclusion that bolt had the nicer busses, was the most timely and at a good comparable price! It WAS timely.. but a greyhound bus pulled up with a piece of paper taped to the windshield labeling it a BoltBus Half the seats were ripped up and the one we sat in wasn't completely bolted to the floor so we spent the 4 hour trip rocking with every stop and go! Bus driver was friendly, again, timing was good, but I was just disappointed having selected this line for the quality and hoping for a comfortable ride with my mom visiting only to land on a greyhound bus after all. Could have saved $10 a person if I wanted to ride on a greyhound. read more

Worst bus experience ever. The driving had his AC on the maximum, while the rest of us were dying of heat. It's was 94 degrees outside, and the driving didn't even turn on the fan, let alone the AC in the bus. While he was very comfortable in the driver's seat. That was the second time I experienced this with Bolt Bus, but the first time it wasn't nearly as hot and humid. This was a disaster. Never taking them again. read more

Expensive and waayyy overrated. We tried Bolt to NYC based on an WaPo article. Bolt was the most expensive option, but we figured it would be worth it. Big mistake. The condition of the buses is an embarrassment. The interior is beat up with bits of trash every. The seats are stiff and worn out. Leg room is tight. Virtually every arm rest is broken. The AC in the back of the bus did not work. The power plugs were sealed off because the did not work. We've travelled in much better buses in developing countries! read more

BoltBus - Torn seat. And many other issues on the Bolt Bus. - Transportation Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I would strongly suggest looking into a different bus company. This was fine, we got where we needed to go but I have never been on a hotter bus. It was unbelievably hot. I asked the bus driver about it, and he said there was nothing that could be done. I haven't tried any of the other service, but since you have options, I would not do this one in the summer months. FWIW - I also had issues with the WiFi and not all of the plugs seemed to work. But I sort of expected that... I also want to point out the customer service we got about this! I emailed BoltBus to let them know and got a canned reply back. My boyfriend took to Twitter to complain and he got his ticket refunded. Apparently not all complaints are treated equally! So pro tip - if you take Bolt Bus and have an issue, but sure to be loud and make it public if you would like any attention paid to your issues! read more

Great bus service, they leave right on time and arrive on time which from DC to NYC is about 3:50-4 hours. They make one small pit stop at a rest station near Delaware where you can use an "actual" bathroom or buy a small breakfast/lunch for 15 mins. If you happen to miss that bus, no problem they tell you to call their headquarters where they will proceed to put you on the next bus that stops at thAt station which should be about 30 mins. Great prices too read more

So my sister took the bus from Union station to Delaware tonight. Not only was her bus late it dropped her off in the middle of Delaware. Y'all gotta tighten up. She is ANEMIC and had to pay a $45 Uber to get to her destination. read more

My husband and I booked a trip to New York from Greenbelt station on Wednesday 12/21@9:45am. When I boarded the bus I checked the bathroom and found it to be absolutely disgusting. There was urine all over the entire toilet area. Not just on the toilet seat, but a half inch of urine standing on the toilet area. I had to request toilet paper from the driver and a something to clean the area. I was offered toilet paper and two small wet wipes to clean. I did as best I could , but the floor remained saturated in urine as well. We were jokingly told there was WiFi on the bus, and if it was not available he could send a complaint to the main office. Needless to say, there was NO Wifi. The ride otherwise was uneventful. Our ride back home was 12/23 @ 6:45 pm, again from NYC to Greenbelt. This time I did not even bother with the bathroom, my husband informed me there was no toilet paper. The bus was late and the boarding procedure was a disaster. Shoving and yelling the whole time. The driver had no public address system onboard so he could not completely be heard. Again, no Wifi was available. Half way through we stopped at Delaware House Travel Plaza. We were told "Come back at 8:26", unfortunately because of the lack of microphone and PA system many in the back of the bus heard "8:36". As soon as he said it he disembarked the bus he was gone. We went in, used the very nice and clean restroom there, and then returned to the bus. The driver got back on the bus and proceeded to back out. There were three empty seats. Luckily, I spoke up and let the driver know we were missing people. He ignored me and continued to reverse. I yelled again and others joined me and he proceeded to drive out of the plaza. Not until someone got up and ran to the front of the bus did the driver finally stop. The three other people had ran up to the bus then boarded. I can't imagine what they would have done if we wouldn't have stopped. Their bags and belongings were still on the bus. They repeated again, why were you leaving so early? It's not 8:36!!!! He said "I told you 8:26", and we all raised our voices saying in the back everyone heard a different time. Some 36, some 26. The point to all of this is I'm appalled that a driver would continue to drive knowing full well that his paid passengers were not on the bus and make no attempt to retrieve them. If the PA system on the bus worked properly, and the driver would have stayed and reminded passengers getting off the bus "eight TWENTY SIX" rather than just saying it once as he's jogging off the bus, then this would not have happened. The seats on both buses were horribly uncomfortable and everything was dirty needing to be cleaned. Seat armrests and we scungy and felt like they had not been cleaned in a year. We will not be riding BoltBus again and will definitely tell others to avoid them as well. read more