The BoltBus: Cheap Rides, Free Wi-Fi, a Little Lonely

We’ve written occasionally about the cult appeal of Chinatown buses, which offer dirt-cheap rides between Chinatowns in a number of Eastern U.S. cities. To compete, Greyhound has launched its own budget option, BoltBus, which features online booking, power outlets and, perhaps coolest of all, free Wi-Fi. So how’s the ride? Daniel Sorid bought a round-trip ticket from New York to Philadelphia for all of $2.50 and found himself the lone passenger on the journey.

He writes for the AP:

Fortunately the driver was good company. We swapped wild bus tales for a while. I finished up a guacamole taco and sent a few e-mails and photos from my cell phone. After a few hours, he dropped me off near Philly’s 30th Street Station, and we said our goodbyes.

It sounds like a great budget option. Of course, the buses had better begin to fill if they’re going to be around for long.

By the way, for any Mac users who’ve had connection problems on a BoltBus, the company’s website notes today that “Wi-Fi access issues for Apple/Mac have been resolved.”

Whew.

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