Bolt Bus - Bus Service for $1

With money still being right and gas prices still being high, people are looking for cheaper travel options especially as summer approaches. Taking a bus can often be cheaper than driving, especially if only one or two people are traveling and you add in tolls and parking fees. Megabus (www.megabus.com) is a popular, inexpensive choice, but Bolt Bus (www.boltbus.com) is another good option.

Bolt Bus services Baltimore, Boston, Greenbelt MD, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. The Baltimore station is Marc Penn Station. In Boston, it is South Station. Bolt uses the Metrorail Intermodal Station in Greenbelt, MD. Stops in New York are at 33^rd and 7^th, 34^th and 8^th, and 6^th between Grand & Watts. In Philadelphia, Bolt stops at the Cherry Hill Mall and on 30^th between Market & Chestnut. Bolt uses Union Station and a stop at 10^th and H St. NW in Washington, D.C.

Tickets can be bought for as little as $1 but are usually around $10 to $20. For example, a ticket from New York City to Washington, D.C. costs $15.00. Greyhound costs more than twice as much at $35.00. The same trip on Amtrak would run you $74.00.

You can purchase a ticket online or by phone. If you need to rebook your fare, it will only cost you $3. When you purchase your ticket, you will be given a confirmation number that you will need to bring with you and be assigned a boarding group. This is nice because people do not fight to get on the bus first to get the seat they want. You are allowed to sit in any free seat once your group boards. Passengers are allowed one large piece of luggage and two carry-ons.

I have used Bolt Bus on two separate occasions and found it to be a pleasant experience both times. They arrived and departed on time at both locations. The buses are comfortable and advertise extra leg room. At 5'8" I fit very comfortably with plenty of room to spare. The buses also have free wi-fi and power outlets so you can bring your laptop along for some work or entertainment on during your trip. They also promise to reserve a seat for each ticket purchased, which, I know from a bad experience, is certainly not the case with Greyhound. Bolt Bus is a convenient, enjoyable, inexpensive way to travel between some of the major cities of the northeast.