Trains, Planes, and Buses...-Public Transportation at its Best and Worst

As someone who travels home frequently from New York to Baltimore for weddings, holidays, engagement parties, and sporting events, I have extensive experience with different modes of public transportation. I want to first start out by stating that public transportation is generally crap. Between the lack of communication and intangible forces that can affect buses (traffic or a blown tire), a train system with prices that far exceed anything that abides by the laws of human decency, and air travel that continues to feel like torture, there are really no decent options. You can travel by water but from what I can tell by Royal Caribbean it’s not much better. Plus, I tend to get sea sick quickly. I have taken three different types of buses, the train, and flown. While this article revolves around my travels between NYC and Baltimore, this should serve as a general basis when considering your travel options.

Now, individuals have their own reasons to take a specific mode of transportation which I believe falls under one of the three C’s (costs, convenience, comfort), so I started off ranking each option based just specifically on these categories. I then followed it up with my personal opinion as each category and form of transportation is not weighted. 

Convenience

1.       Amtrak
2.       Bolt bus
3.       Mega Bus
4.       Chinatown Bus
5.       Flights

Costs

1.       Chinatown bus
2.       Megabus
3.       Boltbus
4.       Amtrak
5.       Flights

Comfort

1.       Amtrak
2.       Boltbus
3.       Flights
4.       Megabus
5.       Chinatown bus

 Overview

1. BoltBus

The Boltbus is without a doubt the best option. It's one of the most cost-effective and while the Amtrak is more comfortable and convenient, the additional $100 it costs to travel each way is not worth the additional 30 minutes to 1 hour it takes to travel. The leather seats are comfortable and certainly provide more room than airplanes and the other bus options. While the Mega and the Greyhound are cheaper, the difference in cost does not compare to the comfortability and punctuality of the Bolt. They also seem to be more organized than the other bus options as the staff are more communicative and you get called by letter group, similar to flights.

2. The Megabus

It's another cheap option and slightly less expensive than the Bolt, but it has never arrived on-time and I have taken it at least 20 times. It’s a crapshoot. While all the buses have the propensity to arrive late due to traffic, especially during the summer, it is guaranteed Mega will be late. It’s even worst than Chinatown bus with delays and as uncomfortable as a yuppie in SpaHa. I mean, they seem to have added way too many seats which creates an atmosphere too intimate for strangers. The seats themselves are probably taken from old, rundown planes. While it is fun to sit on the upper deck and look down on the world, it’s not usually easy to get a window seat up there. Possibly the worst aspect is the chaos that takes place while waiting for the thing. Hundreds of people waiting for different buses with no direction whatsoever. It’s like being in the Thunderdome.

3. The Amtrak

It’s the most convenient as it has the best track record of being punctual, you can wait indoors (you’ll really appreciate this if it’s pissing out), and you can show up essentially right at departure time. Sure, knowing when you'll get in for the most part provides peace of mind but the Amtrak is not immune to delays or cancellations, as I have experienced 30 minute to 1 hour delays and even a two-day cancellation during Snowmaggedan 2 years ago. You also don’t need to arrive hours early to ensure you make it through the zombified, uneducated security guards mishandling the lines due to negligence. It’s rather comfortable but it’s difficult for someone who travels fairly frequently to justify spending $300 round trip to travel 6 hours total, or $50 every hour. By the way, around the holidays it can cost up to $300 one way. I thought by now that the competition from the buses and flights would decrease the cost, but apparently my business teacher was wrong. Amtrak has led me to reevaluate everything I learned in school. 

4. The Greyhound

 I will say that I have not ridden the Chinatown bus in some time, but that’s due to the fact that I'm still affected by PTSD that resulted from one of my trips. As far as I could tell there were no rules, similar to  the basement in Paddy’s Pub. When I arrived everyone was milling around, the seats were uncomfortable, they oversold many tickets, and the bus smelled of urine and dirty feet. Don’t take the Chinatown bus under any circumstances. EVEN IF THERE'S A FIRE

5. Flying

Flying to Baltimore is my least favorite of all modes. While it’s slightly cheaper than the Amtrak and certainly more comfortable than the Chinatown and Megabus, it’s not convenient. Flying is the quickest form of travel and is obviously preferred for longer distances, but arriving 1 to 2 hours before the flight, landing, and then driving home from the airport makes it essentially the same duration as taking the train or bus. Even worse than gambling on plans for a direct flight running smoothly is taking a connecting flight, which is like playing Russian Roulette where, instead of dying, you miss your flight, ruining your plans, adding unnecessary stress. You only need look at the FAA furloughing air traffic controllers, to understand that air travel is fucked. I mean, I get the government cutbacks, but you would think that they'd coordinate this shit a little better instead of flights averaging 80 minute delays since Sunday. With flying the way it is nowadays, I would rather stay grounded.

- Kyle