Okay, let's break this down, shall we? I had taken Bolt Bus before with no problem, but Tripper Bus leaves from Bethesda and I'm in upper Montgomery County so I thought I'd give it a try. I also had a bunch of bags for a long trip so taking Metro into D.C. on a weekend seemed like a bad idea. My friend drops me off in Bethesda and I get in line with a bunch of other riders. The air is filled with the smell of burning fuel, and JUST after my friend pulls away I see that there is oil or diesel fuel (not sure) pouring down the street from the engine in the back. Nice. I immediately had a bad feeing, as the driver poked around in the engine and argued with someone on his bluetooth. I hung around for awhile but I had a house- and pet-sitting job to report to in New York and I needed to try to stay on schedule. Also, customers and another Tripper employee were smoking cigarettes right next to the river of fuel. Fail. I asked the bus driver if I could get my bag and told him I was heading downtown. I asked him offhand (and very nicely, I might add. I took my pills that morning) if he thought I may be able to get a refund. "I CAN'T DISCUSS THAT WITH YOU," he barks at me. "I DON'T KNOW." He was aggressive for zero reason. Look, I understand his bus is likely to catch on fire at any minute, and it's hot, and I don't know what all else is going on in his life, but it seems like a reasonable question for a passenger on a broken vehicle to ask before she goes and spends more money on another mode of transportation. "You don't know. Okay. That is all you needed to say," I said. That was when he went off. (Pardon the language of my transcription here.) "What the F&$K is your problem? That is some s$!t! You don't tell me what to say! What is your problem?" Sigh. Okay, even if I was the biggest word that rhymes with witch in the world at that point, WHEN did it become okay to scream profanity at a customer? Or anyone for that matter? And then to continue to talk trash about this customer/person to other passengers when she has made her way up the sidewalk, feeling menaced because YOU, Mr. Clyde the driver sir, appear to be FOLLOWING HER, still swearing and yelling, when she turns around? I heard him say, "She's just angry about something. I don't know what the hell her problem is. Blahblahblah." There was another Tripper person working on the sidewalk, holding a clipboard. He told me his name but I won't repeat it here, but I will share that when I told him that the driver swore at me in that fashion he looked at him down the sidewalk and sighed and said, "Oh, why did you do that?" while he blew his cigarette smoke in my face. This was one ridiculous operation and I don't care if every other bus they run transports people to New York on a cloud of unicorn glitter fuel. That kind of behavior is inexcusable to me, and I can be pretty laid back when I feel like it. Just do not ever, ever, EVER say the f-word to me, in reference to me, unless we have an arrangement that allows for that kind of behavior as a big old funny joke, which we did not, CLYDE. I am still disgusted, and I would rather risk never getting my $25 back so I can tell Yelp and everyone about it. I'd call Seven On Your Side if I had the energy. I made it to an Amtrak car and to New York an hour after I was schedule to arrive. My nifty $25 trip turned into $100, including the eaten bus ticket. I'll be on Bolt or Amtrak from now on. It's worth a few extra bucks in Amtrak's case, and a few less to ride on a line that does not employ this man, to my knowledge, and seems to have much more stable vehicles. Still shaking my head. read more

$100 RT for 2 people. Sweet. Also, next time we ride, we'll go for $75 because it's buy 4 tix, get 1 free. People are cool too -- we arrived 2 minutes before the bus left, and asked a nice guy to move (bus was 1/2 empty, last bus on Friday) so my bf and I could sit together. He did (with a smile, if he had said no, we would have sat separately, no problem as well), and off we go. Also, the driver handed out bottles of water. Also, it's right next to Bethesda Metro. Check, check, and check! This bus (unlike some other buses you may have ridden in the past) does not stop. If you really have to go pee, this is a problem (unless you have hand sanitizer and can brave the bathroom, I just crossed my legs) -- but it saves at least 30 minutes on the trip, no joke. The biggest check is that Tripper is super organized on the NY end. Bolt bus is a huge scramble on a narrow sidewalk to board 2 or 3 buses going to different places. Tripper, in contrast, loads up next to Macy's -- this means that there is an awning and shade for hot summer days, and that the sidewalk is 2x as wide. Also, there's a dragon lady in NYC to keep the peace. You line up and get on in the order in which you have lined up. No one gets out of line, OR ELSE. With Bolt, you bolt for the bus and elbow past all those group C people who are standing right next to the door because they can cheat the line. Not with the dragon lady. We're going to be Tripper regulars. read more

I rode Tripper Bus round trip from Bethesda to NYC. Both rides were uneventful, and I guess that's all one can really ask for. We arrived half an hour prior to scheduled pick-up, and the bus was already packed. If you are traveling with someone, definitely arrive early to ensure you get seats together. Pros- -Non-stop ride -On time -Fast ride -Clean -Chargers in seats Cons -Slow Wi-Fi (but hey, it's a bus with Wi-Fi.) Will ride again in the future. read more

I've taken Tripper close to 10 times now between Bethesda and New York and have driven the same route about 30 times. I've also taken other bus lines all over the country. In my experience, Tripper has always been great: new buses, comfortable seats, leaves and arrives on time (except for things outside of their control like traffic). It probably has to do with my travel schedule, but I'll usually get the two seat row to myself. I much prefer it to other bus lines. read more

I am hoping that my experience this weekend was a freak incident, never to be repeated by this company. Given that my review 2.5 years ago was fairly positive, my nightmarish time with Tripper bus on Saturday came as quite a shock to me. I finally decided to redeem my free ticket, from booking a few tickets previously. The fares have increased now to $27/person... and you still get a free bottle of water. The trouble started right when I checked in. I had changed the time of my reservation, but the check-in guy kept insisting that my reservation was cancelled. When he finally realized that I had actually purchased a ticket, he asked me if I was willing to go on a later bus. After I refused, he said he would "try his best" to accommodate me on this bus.... well, obviously, since I purchased the right ticket... He was also fairly rude and told me that I should boycott La Madeleine, upon observing that I had purchased breakfast there. The bus was 20 minutes late and took an additional 10 minutes to board. Despite being a half hour behind schedule, the light traffic on Saturday should have evened things out. This is when the misery really started. Not more than 1 hour into the trip, the driver discovers that there are air pressure problems with the door, causing it to swing open while driving. Throughout the trip, we had to pull over AT LEAST 5 times just to fix that door. We also made a stop at a Delaware rest stop for 15 minutes, which I would have appreciated if we were not already so behind schedule. At one point, we pulled over twice in less than 10 minutes just to fix the door. The driver even used duct tape and velcro... if that doesn't make you feel safe, what does, right? Driver was also talking on his cell phone the whole time -- granted using headphones, but still... We arrived to New York City 2 hours late... I can tolerate a little tardiness when bussing into the city, but two whole hours is so unacceptable. read more

Clean bus, including the restrooms. Every seat has a plug so you can charge your phone. WiFi works. Bus was early both ways. It's extremely convenient from my home and has the best price of all the DC-NY buses. Will definitely use in the future. read more

First time rider. Absolutely great trip. Perfect, efficient check-in process. Comfortable seats. Electric outlet. Internet access (admittedly, it's a little spotty/slow but you're on a moving bus for chrissakes!). Great driver (he was notified that the NJT was shut down due to an accident, he detoured at Trenton, lost only about 10 minutes rather than what could've been an hour). OK, the bus started to smell a little "ripe" toward the end but what do you expect? 100 people on a bus for almost 5 hours! (slightly kidding, but you get the idea) Also, before the trip, we bought a coffee, salad, sandwich from Le Madeline (right across from the pick-up spot) and was perfect for the trip. We will ride Tripper again and again and again. Just returned from New York. Great ride ... unbelievable in 4 hours sharp (to Bethesda)! Only complaint is that access to the Internet didn't work. So what. Still a fabulous ride for $25 from New York to Bethesda. Will ride Tripper Bus again. read more

So after 14+ trips, finally had one bus breakdown that happened from Bethesda to NYC while in New Jersey, the first time was just a engine light warning and we stopped at a rest area to troubleshoot and were told a mechanic was coming from Baltimore and were looking at 1-2 hours. Luckily, we managed to convince the driver to keep going and we made it to the next rest area but at that point the bus was actually having issues and it was more than just the engine warning light so we stopped. Afterwards was a little chaotic as part of our group was to be picked up by the next bus, which they just took the people in the front of our bus, the remainder of us were SOL until another bus which would be 1-2 hours. So instead we opted to arrange for cab transportation, luckily a woman with us called tripper bus and organized it with them and the cab company. This was all paid for by tripper bus. The next day they sent us an e-mail giving us credit on our next trip, I imagine some people got refunds but overall I'm still happy with tripper bus. While unfortunate, shit happens and it was a 3 hour delay but eventually got home. There was some room for improvement as far as backup plans cause sending a bus from DC/Baltimore sucks when you're north of Philly. The driver wasn't great at communicating what was going on, but to be perfectly honest he's just a driver, he calls his superiors to get a plan and I can't expect everyone to be like Rick from Walking Dead to tell us what to do. It could have been a lot worse for a Sunday evening. Anyway, still highly recommend tripper bus as a cheap efficient way from Bethesda/NYC. read more

A month ago my wife and I took the Tripper bus toNYC as we have done many times the bus driver was on the phone for FOUR straight hours-we sat right behind him. We tried to report it to no avail-no supervisor,no call back. The past Saturday July 27 my daughter took the 2:30 bus from NYC to Bethesda. According to her and several other passengers the driver was intermittently on the phone, swerving, breaking heavily and making the passengers nervous. She refused to unload the bus-perhaps her morbid obesity had something to do with that-and refused to give me her name. She could barely speak English which is frightening in case of an emergency. We are now planning on switching to Vamoose. It can't get much more dangerous.. read more

Whooo! Tripper Bus is the reason I signed up for Yelp! So perfect in every way! At $25 it's a little pricier than Mega Bus but so much nicer and way more convenient if you're in the Bethesda area. Everyone kind of hung out on the benches near Crossfire restaurant until a man pushing a shopping cart full of water bottles rolled by about 20 minutes before departure. He gathered us up and took us about 15 yards down the street where he checked all our confirmations before the bus arrived. He was very friendly and had a pleasing, although unfamiliar, accent of some kind. My guess is Eastern European. I almost asked. Anyway, the ride there was very comfortable and suuuper quick. We made it to New York in exactly four hours! We left on time and made no stops, as this was an "express bus," although I didn't know that before. The temperature was also not kept at absolute zero, a nice change from Mega Bus. The ride back to Bethesda was even better! Starting the trip by being greeted by a dashing young man checking confirmations set it up nicely (contact me!!). It was also no problem that I had switched to an earlier bus and didn't have a new confirmation; they already had a seat saved for me. Our driver, Ronnie, informed us before leaving that he loved us all and wanted to take the best care of us he possibly could so if anything was not to our liking we should tell him. We made one stop for fifteen minutes somewhere in New Jersey and STILL made it to Bethesda in four hours! I know the traffic must have been on our side but it definitely helps that we left extremely punctually. All in all, the customer service at Tripper Bus is top notch, the employees are friendly (and attractive!) and the buses and amenities are in great condition. It was certainly worth the $5 more than Mega Bus for me! read more

No other firm I've reviewed deserves a lower review. Nutshell review: bus broke down in both directions. We got to our bus station at 6am, way earlier than needed on Fri 12/26. The earlier bus came, and they had space for us. While in NJ, the driver stopped at a bus stop and told us of a "voltage problem", and that we might need a new bus. He tried this and that to deal with it. He was very communicative, which we appreciated. He finally corralled us back on but the bus was clearly having problems. We got there about 30 min later. On the way back, the engine or transmission made very loud complaints like it wanted to die. He stopped several times but never told us ANYTHING! To make matters worse, there was some horrible traffic on the NJ Turnpike. 2.5 hrs late! To make matters worse, when people got off the bus, it seemed he didnt do a head-count and told us to make sure our neighbors were present. Our wi-Fi kept dropping and it was packed. I will never ever use this service again and also blame myself for not doing more homework or book Amtrak way in advance. Fool me once, Tripper, shame on you! read more

Check-in is quick, and their partnership with Cosi is a smart play. Some buses offer a case of tiny water bottles to grab on your way in. WiFi may work depending on the bus, but the driver may opt to not share the password. Most of the outlets function, depending on the bus. The Bethesda-NY leg was on time, but traffic set back the arrival of the 6pm bus by a little over an hour for the return leg, which arrived shortly after the 7pm bus agreed to replace its spot in the schedule. When service failure occurs, the on-site rep avoids communicating any updates with the restless passengers. Does its quality still edge out Bolt Bus based on net impact, despite almost double the cost and less applicable rewards system? Yeah, just barely. read more

Great service and great price! Got to location on time and earlier than expected. Received free water and free WiFi. Overall great service, will use bus service for future trips. read more

I rode the bus from Bethesda to NYC for about $50 round trip on the weekend after New Years. Ride there: left for NY about 30 minutes late, overall arrived an hour late, no free water, lots of space (each person got 2 seats) Ride back: left on time, arrived in Bethesda early, received free water yay, all seats taken Overall: decent experience although the free wifi is a little slow. I would use them again in the future since it's so convenient. read more

On purchasing the ticket: An attempt was made to purchase tickets on vamoosebus.com. Vamoose.com was typed in. That is not the site for vamoosebus.com. So we googled it. Tripperbus.com is the first site in the list. Another yelper (who shall remain unnamed) clicked it thinking it was Vamoosebus.com. The rest is (shall we say) history. The trip out of Bethesda was smooth & easy. Parking was a breeze. Luggage check ~was~ a bit of a mob scene but that is to be expected. The tripper bus rep passed out bottled water. On board, the wifi worked consistently and was fast! The power outlet was right beside the seat. EVERY seat. The bus arrived in NYC right on time. On the day of our return to DC, Mara G. (oh, I mean the other yelper who shall remain nameless) suddenly exclaimed "we need bus tickets back to DC!" At that time, I was having a short stack at a non-wifi bakery/cafe/thing, so I actually called the tripper bus telephone number. After an excruciatingly long hold, I was able to find out the bus departure times with seats still available. But I was not able to purchase a ticket because their "system was down". Mara G. and I had to haul it back to the lodging we'd just checked out of, to see if we could score a few minutes in business center. Fortunately, because our luggage was stowed with them at the time as well, they handed over an access key card without batting an eye. We logged in, purchased tickets for the 5:30 pm bus, and went on with our day. When we arrived at the NE corner of 34th & 7th, in front of Macy Sport as directed, we were standing in the sun, the newspaper stand man knew that was where the bus usually stopped. Mara G. stood in line while I went around the corner after sandwiches. When I returned {sound of crickets chirping} or {theme from the x-files}... The entire line was GONE. No line. No luggage. No Mara G. And suddenly, the newspaper stand man knew nothing. After a quick phone call and text to my unnamed yelper traveling partner Mara G. I discovered the line (people, luggage, and all) had been moved to the SE corner of 34th & 7th in front of Foot Action. Whew! And so we stood waiting. And waiting. And waiting. There was a man holding a tripper bus sign who had on a yarmulke and the little Shirley temple sideburns dangling down. He looked like the Vamoose bus rep I'd seen before! Hey wait a minute! Is Vamoose bus really tripper bus? What is the deal here?! Anyway, we were waiting and waiting. About 4 or 5 fire engines and other rescue vehicles blared down 7th. Great. Our bus is probably caught up in some back up. Indeed it was. It arrived to pick us up at about 6:00 pm. Again, water was doled out and the luggage check ~was~ a bit of a mob scene but that is to be expected. Finally aboard, the trip back to Bethesda was a breeze, including the 15 minute stop somewhere in Delaware. I'd take tripper bus again. It's A--OK. read more

Catching me on a bus I don't think so! Well the Tripper bus was very good! Even for me ! LOL! Larry the bus driver was very nice guy. Pick us up on time give us a bottle water and got us to Nyc safe and on time Arrive. He told us a little about a Baltimore and Philly . Funny guy and We tip him Thanks On the return we want to leave on a earlier bus . I very nice lady was checking us in for stand by, but at the last minute she need one seat for a customer. She was just very nice. Turn out it was the owner! We told he ris was ok and went to starbucks for a coffee is was a very nice day in nyc! Janis or bus driver on the way back was very professional. Maybe a little too professional, not as friendly as Larry or the owner . She did tell she it was Sunday afternoon and we mite hit traffic , so mite be late. Anyway we arrive early read more

Very unhappy with the way they do business. We got to the Penn station stop on time and waited for the bus only to see a blue best trails bus at the stop. We figured our bus was late so we waited (we could see the tripper bus down the street anyways). When the tripper bus came and we tried to get on we were told that this bus was going to Massachusetts and that the blue best trails bus that just left was our tripper bus to DC!!! What!?!? The tripper bus in front of us was even labeled "NY to Bethesda"! Not once did any of the drivers come out to announce where the bus was going. Plus, no one that was working wore any sort of uniform. At a crowed stop like the Penn stop,it was way to difficult to figure out who to even talk to. In the end a whole group of travelers were forced to change their travel plans, not just us. Now we are waiting for the next bus but not guaranteed that there will be space. We tried calling tripper bus but couldn't get through. Tried to file a complaint at the bbb.org and found out they are NOT accredited and have a 'F' rating. Should have totally listened to my friend and gone with Vamoose or Washington delux. read more

My first experience with Tripper bus was last weekend. We lined up at 12pm for our 12:30pm at the Bethesda stop. A very polite gentleman checked us in. But 12:30 goes by, no bus. The bus shows up 20 mins late, not a good first experience. We finally left at 1pm. The trip to NY was good, took 4 hours and 15 mins, with a 15 min rest stop. Return bus left NY exactly on schedule, and the driver completed the trip to Bethesda in an incredible 3 hours and 35 minutes nonstop. We reached an hour ahead of schedule. Wifi is super slow, almost unusable. read more

Had a very good experience this weekend, both ways. On Sat morning to NYC the bus was only about half full so I had my own seat. Smooth and easy ride. Wi-Fi was ok. Bathroom was clean. Left in the pouring rain and hit traffic in a few places (one requiring us to get off 95 to avoid a crash) and got there in about 4:40. I am impressed with the way the drivers use Waze or whichever navigation to find faster routes. Can't be that easy... 50 passengers, traffic, weather... not a job I'd like to do so I appreciate their efforts. Coming back to DC Sunday the bus was full but luckily I was next to a small (and very nice) person! The driver got us out of the pouring rain in NYC to Bethesda in 3:39... a man on a mission! Anyway, easy trip overall and I do recommend Tripper if you're heading from DC to NYC. read more

*Edit to original review: I called Tripper for a refund, and they gladly gave me my money back for the trip. Happily, I didn't wait that long to speak to an actual human. + half a point, so I'm upping them to 2 stars on 9/8. However, it'll still be Amtrak for the next few ny trips for me... * I tried TripperBus out recently - and will never ride them again. In their defense, the ride to NYC Friday night was comfortable and the driver was very nice and more importantly, I felt safe with him at the wheel. Sadly, it only takes one bad apple to ruin a barrel. On the return trip Sunday afternoon, the full bus I was on had a tire blow out about 30 minutes away from Bethesday. We were on 495 and the driver KEPT ON GOING. He wanted to "see how far he could go", in his own words. At the risk of passenger safety (my own words and also a fact). We continued on in the right lane, with many passengers not hiding their panic. When we finally did exit to Connecticut Avenue, not only did the idiot driver claim that we had "made it" (we were still a solid 10 minutes from stopping) but he went on to say he had been "praying we would make it". Really? Wait, there's more. Many of my fellow passengers actually clapped for this bozo. He could have pulled over at any moment during the highway drive and actively CHOSE not to. He is not a hero, people. He is an idiot. He should be fired. Ok, so maybe this is more about the driver than the bus company - perhaps these bus companies need to ensure their drivers understand the full weight and impression of their job as drivers. It clearly made me think twice about ever taking Tripper, or even any other bus, for a LONG time. Amtrak for now, please. I will also say that Tripper offered me a free ticket on a future bus (that I will not be taking) but no refund. This was disappointing, too. This review, summarized in three words: DON'T RIDE TRIPPERBUS! read more

I used to be a loyal vamoose bus rider. After riding tripper bus and vamoose bus dozens ( i mean dozens) of times from bethesda to NY and back, I have made the switch and decided to make a yelp account simply because I feel like people should know how great a deal the tripper bus service is. Its a much better deal than vamoose, and here is why: - Price: for a next day ticket, tripper bus is 25, vamoose is 30. - Comfort: although this sometimes varies, the buses are often much nicer on tripper bus. they have very plush seats and have those extended v-shaped headrests that allow you to rest your head to the side and fall asleep. the nicer buses also have more leg room (being a tall person, i find this so crucial to an enjoyable ride). Lastly, tripper bus is not as popular as vamoose, so fairly often the buses are not even at half capacity, which makes for a quieter more comfortable ride (this is especially the case if you are leaving from bethesda, not so much the case leaving from new york). Vamoose is always crowded, no matter what time you take the bus and which direction you are heading. there isnt as much leg room on vamoose either. -Amenities: Free Wifi. Free water bottles. Outlets to charge your stuff at every seat. Some tripper buses also lend out laptop benches for your lap. vamoose has none of these. -Service: The drivers and organizers are SO friendly! really nice hardworking people. The drivers are amazingly friendly, funny, and some are pretty talkative. they like to keep you informed about any traffic issues, ETA, detailed directions to drop-off and pickup locations if you decide to use them again. I haven't seen that level of service at vamoose. From my experience, vamoose workers are not friendly or informative (although I can't speak for every vamoose worker). - Reservations: tripper bus allows you to change reservation times immediately in case you need to take a bus that is two hours later, for instance. This can be done very conveniently online. Vamoose, you can only change your reservation up till midnight the previous night, over the phone. -Before your trip: With tripper bus, you don't have to get to the bus stop very early to insure you have a seat. With vamoose bus, you have to come at least a half hour early to insure your seat, EVEN if you have a reservation, they often overbook. There are some cons with tripper though, they do not have as many departure times as vamoose. But this in itself is often not a true con. Although tripper bus has less departure times, its not as popular a bus service, so they have plenty of available seats for the times they do have. with vamoose, they have more times, but its much harder to get a seat for any of those times. SUMMARY: tripperbus is nicer on almost every level than vamoose, AND its cheaper! who doesn't love a bargain? read more

my hubby and i took this bus from new york city to bethesda, and i have to say this was the absolute cheapest form of transportation i've ever taken from nyc to the dc area. for $7.50 a piece (i am so not kidding), we got: 1. non-stop service from midtown manhattan to downtown bethesda 2. comfortable, reclining seats on a greyhound-like bus 3. air conditioning (much needed since it was a warm day in both nyc & dc) 4. overhead compartment space 5. free baggage storage under the bus 6. free wifi inside the bus 7. 2 outlets in our row 8. bathroom in the back 9. electronic ticketing (just show your confirmation/receipt on your phone to the ticket collector and you're good to go) note that the bus left a few minutes late out of manhattan, but we still arrived in bethesda about 25 minutes early, which was great. i attribute this to great traffic conditions during non-rush hour (10.35am-2.35pm). on the downside, the bathroom definitely had a stench (i guess this is expected on these type of buses) and since we sat near the back (a few rows in front of the bathroom), some of the bathroom stench could be smelled from our seats. it was light, but definitely noticeable, and the worst part of our 4 hour journey. thank goodness we arrived early!! we also experienced spotty wifi service, it was coming in and out regardless of whether we were going through a tunnel or cruising along the highway. but overall, a smooth ride, and an excellent bang for your buck! read more

So far so good! Online ticketing worked well. Line-up was orderly in Bethesda. Water handed out to all passengers. Hmmm.... never got that on Greyhound, Bolt or Megabus. Parking garage handled smoothly by Kelly G. Smooth departure from Bethesda, no unauthorized layovers enroute to NY. I am a fan! Departing from NY was a little Rocky! (See review by Kelly G.) Recommendation: avoid NY rush hour, it is 2X worse than DC.Will opt for the 3 pm or 7 pm bus next time and try to skip the crowd. I will use Tripper Bus again. Blah blah blah... Kelly G. drove... read more

OK, if money were no object, I'd have taken Amtrak. But I'm retired, don't have a big income, and $27 each way from Bethesda to NYC looks like a pretty good deal, compared to what Amtrak charges. The trip up to NYC was supposed to take 3 hrs and 50 minutes, but actually took about 6 hours -- but that was the fault of a traffic jam on the NJ side of the Lincoln Tunnel. Can't much blame the bus company. The trip down to Bethesda somewhat made up for it. Scheduled for 4 1/2 hours, actually took 3 3/4. Shows what can be done if traffic is light. It's a bus, of course. Seats are narrower than a train would have, and you can't get up and walk about. But this would have been the case on any bus, even Greyhound, and considering the fare, I can't really complain. The nice thing is, you can reserve in advance and they e-mail you a response that serves as a ticket -- though this means you need a printer (although, some people with smart phones simply showed the e-mail on their screen to the guy checking tickets!) You don't need to know whether there'll be space on the bus; you find out which buses have space available when you reserve. read more

The bus was fine.... price was fair, bus was clean, it left on time, ticketing was easy, they were polite and the bus driver was incredibly professional. Should be a 5-star review, hands down. So why only two stars? They intentionally lie about how long it will take to get NYC. At the top of their schedule, it says "4 hours" for all trips, with the usual traffic and weather disclaimer. Yes, I realize that UNEXPECTED traffic or weather conditions can change the time, but it is their job to estimate accurate times it takes for each trip. For example, if their 1 pm Friday bus averages 6 hours to NYC, then change your written schedule. It's not the same for every trip. I'm fairly certain they keep detailed records of this anyway... otherwise they wouldn't be able to schedule buses and bus drivers. I think at least a few of us would target the trips that take less time. I certainly would have sprung for Amtrak had I known the average Friday afternoon trip is substantially more than 4 hours. Money is tight, but vacation days even more so. Once they are honest about their timetables, it will be 5 stars no problem. read more

I book two round trip tickets from BETHESDA to NY and NY to BETHESDA (elite). For trip from NY to Bethesda. I BOOKED TWO tickets for ELITE BUS with EXTRA MONEY, however, we got on a bus that WAS NOT ELITE, claiming that the bus was broken. For trip from Bethesda to NY. Worst Customer Service ever. Bus left ahead of scheduled departure time, so we missed it. IT IS REALLY RIDICULOUS. After I called customer service, they keep saying "There's nothing I can do." read more

FREE WIFI. what more could you ask for?! outlets to charge while you're on the interweb writing a yelp review for Tripper. It's been some months since I used this service and I am pretty sure I was satisfied. They left on time and we got there a little behind schedule, but I am sure that was due to traffic. I don't like that you buy the ticket first (with CC) and I wish they are more departure times, but its a relatively new business...I'll cut em some slack. If the Tripper mgmt is reading this, definitely get more busses, more departure times on weekends (would be beneficial). read more

I'm a frequent traveler to NYC and Tripper is the only bus I take. Clean, friendly, safe, and convenient. They have two stops: Bethesda and Arlington. Both are right next to the subway, so I always hop on the subway straight from work and it's an easy ride. Some drivers will stop at the rest station in Delaware so you can grab a bite. You'll also get a free water bottle most of the time. Staff is so friendly. There's not much you could ask for. Bonus loyalty points for Tripper lovers: Buy 5 tickets and get 1 for free. read more

I've used Tripper Bus for several years now. It's convenient for folks traveling from Bethesda and Arlington to the city, and vice versa. There's always a dispatcher who checks in riders, helps with boarding, and hands out water. He can help with some issues (i.e. bus delays), which is better than Bolt Bus. The buses are always clean. The wireless may not always work, so don't count on it. And even if you get on, it's not the fastest service. You should plan on bringing food, because the bus doesn't always make a stop. On the Guenther branded buses, the AC outlets are between and below the seats - you have to reach down and feel for it. I had one bad experience where the bus didn't show up. I wrote Tripper Bus and they issue me a complimentary ticket for another trip. The Edgemoor Ln address in this listing is outdated. Pickup is now at Wisconsin Ave & Elm Street. We found it easier to park there, and it's near several places for food and adjacent to a building plaza with benches. read more

I've used Tripper Bus for years and overall, it's pretty good. A few things to consider both positive and negative: Pro: - picks up in Bethesda which is very convenient for me - when the driver doesn't stop and there's no traffic, you can get from Bethesda to NYC (and vice versa) in 3 hours and 50 minutes - free bottle of water (except when they run out ) - pretty reasonable pricing of $27 each way and a free trip after your 6th ride Cons: - I wound up standing outside in the cold and wind for 40 minutes last week because the bus was late heading from Rosslyn to Bethesda - I've taken multiple trips where the wifi didn't work which was frustrating - to give them credit, though, the last 2 trips I took the wifi worked fine. - sometimes the driver stops (which I don't like) but you never know until you are on the bus what the whim of the driver is going to be. I wish it was consistent policy that the bus doesn't stop unless there is an emergency/driver is about to pee his pants. When the bus stops for 30 minutes, it negates a big benefit of being on a bus (i.e. getting to your destination quicker because you don't have to stop for bathroom/food breaks). - They used to have a promotion of $1 fares for the first person to purchase each trip it looks like they got rid of this. However, I tried to get this fare many times by clicking on the reserve button at the stroke of midnight on multiple dates and was never able to get the fare - so either it was a scam or some robo-computers were set up to scoop all the cheap fares. I'm glad they're being more honest now in their pricing...HOWEVER: - In their FAQ they list their regular fare as $27, but they don't mention that sometimes during peak hours they jack the price up to $35, and I've even seen it go over $40 during holiday times. It's fine to do that, but I wish they would be more up front about their pricing on the main website and not pull a bait and switch once you go to reserve a particular trip. That was a super-long way of saying that for $27, this is a good deal to get you between Bethesda and NYC, but like anything that is cheap, there are going to be a few drawbacks, too. read more

I've used Tripper about 3 times to go to and from NYC, it's nothing special The buses are clean Drivers are kind and nice The seats are comfortable WI-FI doesn't work They give you water bottles prior to boarding Arrive on time to their destinations Bathrooms are clean Prices are good read more

I had just returned from a a trip backpacking in Ecuador and arrived to the location around 10:10 AM happy to see the line of people. I had taken a roundtrip from NYC instead of DC to save on money so when it came to taking the bus back to Maryland I did not want to save on cash. I wanted to make sure I avoided unreliable often very cheap bus companies from which I read horrible Yelp reviews of. I decided to pay a little extra (30$ vs the 21 from Eastern) for Tripper expecting common competency. As I waited in line and heard people speaking I was shocked to hear mumbles that the bus was overbooked. As it came to be my turn to get on it was confirmed by the driver after I had already placed my luggage in the compartment that the bus was indeed overbooked. I was forced to walk to a completely different city block in the New York Cold to board a Washington Deluxe Bus. Even on the Washington Deluxe bus I was again scared that me and the others who came from the initial tripper bus would again be turned down to an overbooked bus. The incompetence on behalf of Tripperbus to simply provide seats to all of the people who purchased tissues in advance was shocking. I was profoundly disappointed in Tripperbus but myself because I had specifically decided to pay up the extra 9$ using Tripperbus and expected a common level of competency which they failed to provide. read more

I love taking the bus to NY because I can just read, go on the internet, or catch up on some writing, which makes the time fly by. On this last trip I once again found that the person overseeing the ticket-taking and getting-on-the-bus procedure on Elm St in Bethesda was very pleasant and professional. By way of example, when I arrived I was overtired and started to lose my cool when I was told that my reservation had been cancelled. The Tripper representative never lost his calm composure. He just looked further down the list and found my correct reservation number and everything was fine. I like that passengers receive a free bottle of water as they are boarding the bus. We arrived on time, almost to the minute. On the other hand, I found that the space between the seat rows was too narrow to allow me to have my 13" MacBook Pro open to even a full 90 degrees. This made it very difficult for me to type on my laptop. I am only 5'8" and I imagine that a taller person would have found working on a computer to be even more difficult and uncomfortable than I did had. I don't remember this being a problem in the past, but whether or not it was, it is a problem now. read more

Great experience, I was not originally enthusiastic about a bus ride to NY as generally take train or fly but this experience made me a huge fan! Friendly, timely seamless ride and immaculate. Easy to work and then dropped off right at Penn Station, so convenient. Ultimately a time saver! read more

I've taken the Tripper Bus before and didn't really exactly have a huge problem the first time. Though, the first time I went was in the dead of January and I do remember being freezing beyond comprehension on the bus. This time the journey going to Maryland wasn't awful. They forgot to provide us with water bottles. Big negative sign in this kind of heat. Additionally, the bus driver DID NOT STOP A SINGLE TIME. Which would be alright if he was making good speed and we were going to make it there in like 4 hours or 3.5 hours. But we know that's impossible. So me and my friend hadn't eaten since the prior day and stupidly didn't pick anything up other than a Special K pastry crisp. Which is only 100 calories and between 2 people 50 for the next 8 hours. We got to the point when delayed in traffic near Baltimore that we were talking about all the things we wanted to eat and it went something like this: "I want a hamburger with cheese and bacon." "I want a Japadog" "I want cheese smothered in cheese." "I want a Japadog." "I want Takoyaki balls covered in cheese." "I want a Japadog." *Tries to gnaw on the leather section of the chair.* At this point the lady in front of us literally threw a package of Keebler peanut butter crackers snack pack at us and insisted that we eat it: "No, really I HAVE TONS OF FOOD UP HERE." Steph P. laughs for five minutes straight and we finally pull into Bethesda. The trip back was a whole different story. They provided us with water. Cool. Not cool. It was warm. But alright, I'll take it. There was no power in the charger for cell phones/electronics. Not cool because my buddy's phone that she plays with constantly was dying. And yeah, they advertise a charger for your phone in the $27 bus tickets. Our bus driver "Coach Avery" greeted us with how to say his name right and that we weren't allowed to poop on his bus. If we needed to take a shit he told us to come up to him and ask and he'll pull over. I kid you not. He also talked to himself. Steph P. missed most of it because she was sleeping. But I found out about his cruise, what he was going to eat for dinner later that night and overheard pretty much every shitty song he liked to jam and slam the breaks to for about 7 hours. He LOVES his break pedal. He also loves his gas pedal and honks for cars to get out of the way in a 'I will maul you over if you don't get out of my way' kind of fashion. Aggressive driving. Okay. . . you didn't get us to New York any faster. Anyway, I'm still on the fence with this. MegaBus is the same price and probably better but I only take this out of convenience because my friend lives in the suburbs and I'd have to pay extra for the stupid subway that tried to eat my debit card. read more

The BEST part about the Tripper Bus is that you can call to change your ticket with 12 hours notice. If you need to cancel, you can just get a credit for the trip and use it for a future one. There have been a few times I have needed to change my ticket and this has saved me money. Many of the other companies I have used do not have this option (Bolt, DC2NY, Megabus). This is not a 5-star rating though because it would be more convenient if you could make the change on the website. It looks like you can, but then a pop-up tells you to call the customer service number. Tripper - you should work on that! Since I now live in Bethesda, it is nice to skip the traffic and know that I do not have to get back on the metro or take an expensive cab (that would cost about the same as the bus fare) to get back home. You also get a water bottle on the trip which is always nice. On my last trip up to NY we had a 15 minute stop, which I was not happy with. We had already left 20 minutes late because a few extra people wanted to get on the bus and the worker in Bethesda had to deal with that. However, on the 4 other trips I have taken, we never stopped at a rest stop, and we arrived on time (or early!). Also, the outlets did not work on one of my buses going up to NY but they did work on all of the others. Otherwise, Tripper Bus is reliable, affordable, clean, and I felt like I safely got to NY and back. Thanks for leaving right out of Bethesda! read more

I wish I had known about this bus service sooner! It's so convenient - since I live in Bethesda it was way easier to catch this bus than to metro to union station and then catch an amtrak or a megabus/boltbus to go to NYC. Both of my buses were on time. I like how they offer a bottle of water too. I had an outlet to charge my phone both ways and the wifi wasn't that bad. I will definitely ride Tripper again for sure! read more

I take Tripper Bus quite a lot from NY to DC and back. Had the best trip yesterday that made it to DC in less than 4 hours. The driver Larry was AWESOME! I only want to be on buses that he drives. My only quirk about Tripper Bus is that sometimes all of their buses don't have internet or outlets working/installed. I think they sholud really fix this and make sure all the equipment is working because I'd probably take another line that had outlets so I can work while traveling. Again Larry was the best driver ever....you're lucky if you get him!! read more

I have taken Tripper buses several times and have always had good experiences. On December 26 I took the 4:00 Tripper from NYC to Bethesda. Our driver was great. We went alternate routes to avoid holiday traffic back ups, were able to take a 15 minute break at a rest stop and still arrived in Bethesda at a reasonable time (about 5 hours) which was great considering the traffic. Thanks Tripper or a safe ride. read more

We had a frightening experience on our return Tripper Bus from New York to Bethesda. Just after getting on the NJ Turnpike out of NYC, the driver started yawning, rolling his shoulders, standing up while he drove the bus, and rubbing his head and neck. I was near the front, so I could see all this going on. Several times he started heading out of our lane and jerked the wheel back to the center just in time. When he turned to look at the side rear view mirror, I could see his eyes were nearly shut. After about 30 minutes hoping he would wake up, I complained quite loudly to him and this apparently woke him up. I told him he should pull into a service area on the Turnpike and take a break but he refused. I don't have any complaints about the buses, the service, the price, or anything else. The driver on our trip was very friendly as we were all loading up, but was clearly having extreme problems staying awake behind the wheel. There's no excuse for any driver putting all the people on a bus, and in vehicles around us, in danger, and no excuse for a bus line to put a driver on the road who has not had enough rest. My guess is this does not happen on most trips (our driver to NYC was great), but I only needed to experience it once to make me question whether Tripper Bus is worth the risk. read more