Boltbus

On Thursday the much-ballyhooed BoltBus started its 12 daily trips between Boston's South Station and New York's Penn Station. Globe reporter Nicole Wong was aboard and posted this report: We are here to see what the ruckus is all about - that is besides the stuff you already know like the promise of at least one seat for a buck and the free Wi-Fi, which we're using right now to blog. So what's it like? For starters, when you arrive, you'd better remember which gate BoltBus leaves from because it isn't listed on the station's monitors.

Stagecoach Group PLC's Megabus, the largest US curbside bus carrier, is trying to get a federal regulator to do what its $1 fares on the East Coast haven't managed to do: Put its top competitor out of business. Megabus has filed at least three challenges with the US Surface Transportation Board since May 2010 contending that BoltBus, operated jointly by Peter Pan Bus Lines Inc. and Greyhound Lines Inc., the largest US bus company, should be restricted or broken up. Greyhound and closely held Peter Pan are exploiting a joint operating arrangement approved by...

Stagecoach Group PLC's Megabus, the largest US curbside bus carrier, is trying to get a federal regulator to do what its $1 fares on the East Coast haven't managed to do: Put its top competitor out of business. Megabus has filed at least three challenges with the US Surface Transportation Board since May 2010 contending that BoltBus, operated jointly by Peter Pan Bus Lines Inc. and Greyhound Lines Inc., the largest US bus company, should be restricted or broken up. Greyhound and closely held Peter Pan are exploiting a joint operating arrangement approved by...

A discount bus line said yesterday that the air conditioning systems on its entire fleet have been inspected, one day after 51 passengers were without air conditioning for at least part of a trip from New York City to Boston on a company bus with windows that did not open. Though some BoltBus passengers who arrived in South Station Thursday told the Globe that the air conditioning did not work during their entire trip, company spokeswoman Maureen Richmond disputed that account yesterday.

Even before he took the bus, Northeastern University student Jimmy Okuszka knew he’d like it better than the train. The last time he made a visit to his family in New Jersey, it was on Amtrak, but when he learned the BoltBus service from Boston had free wireless Internet access, he made the switch. “I kind of got a little bored last time just watching movies [on my laptop] and not being able to go on the Internet,’’ said Okuszka, 18, as he waited in line to board the bus at South Station, on his way to visit a friend at Rutgers University.

Bus battle may force prices lower And then there were four. Discounter Megabus will offer trips between Boston and New York in late May. It will be going head to head with BoltBus which is launching its service in April. Both companies have similar pricing: It begins at $1 for a seat if you reserve in advance and gets more expensive the closer it is to departure. BoltBus will offer Wi-Fi and power outlets; Megabus plans to have Wi-Fi but no power outlets. BoltBus will be shoving off from South Station; Megabus from 700 Atlantic Ave. And both are locked in a Texas Death Cage...

A discount bus line said yesterday that the air conditioning systems on its entire fleet have been inspected, one day after 51 passengers were without air conditioning for at least part of a trip from New York City to Boston on a company bus with windows that did not open. Though some BoltBus passengers who arrived in South Station Thursday told the Globe that the air conditioning did not work during their entire trip, company spokeswoman Maureen Richmond disputed that account yesterday.

With temperatures in the 90s yesterday afternoon, about 50 passengers were trapped on a commercial bus with no air conditioning and windows that did not open during a ride from New York City to Boston, customers said. "It was pretty … bad," said Roger Kuhn, 35, of the South End, after the bus pulled into South Station at about 6:30 p.m. Kuhn and other passengers said that riders on the vehicle operated by BoltBus, a carrier offering tickets for as low as $1, relied on personal water supplies to keep cool and received little information from the...

Megabus, which guarantees at least one $1 seat per bus trip, says it will free up an additional 50,000 $1 seats for travel Sept. 14 to Nov. 19. What does that mean to you? In an e-mail, Amanda Mullin, a company spokeswoman, said, “The added seats will make it so there is upwards of 10 $1 seats per bus.’’ To improve your chances of getting a $1 seat, you need to use the promotional code HOTDEAL when booking your trip online. Megabus currently provides service between Boston, Hartford, and New York City.

Megabus, which offers free wireless Internet access and seats for as low as $1, is rolling out something new along the ultracompetitive Boston-to-New York route: double-decker buses. Starting today, the company plans to switch all its buses on the route to double-deckers - 13 in all. They're not your typical open-air tour buses packed with sightseers. They seat 81 passengers - 25 more than a regular coach - and they're loaded with amenities that include Wi-Fi access, electronic outlets, and TVs. Some of the newer buses traveling to and from Boston will also have a 51-inch-wide...

With temperatures in the 90s yesterday afternoon, about 50 passengers were trapped on a commercial bus with no air conditioning and windows that did not open during a ride from New York City to Boston, customers said. "It was pretty … bad," said Roger Kuhn, 35, of the South End, after the bus pulled into South Station at about 6:30 p.m. Kuhn and other passengers said that riders on the vehicle operated by BoltBus, a carrier offering tickets for as low as $1, relied on personal water supplies to keep cool and received little information from the driver about the cause of the air...

Even before he took the bus, Northeastern University student Jimmy Okuszka knew he’d like it better than the train. The last time he made a visit to his family in New Jersey, it was on Amtrak, but when he learned the BoltBus service from Boston had free wireless Internet access, he made the switch. “I kind of got a little bored last time just watching movies [on my laptop] and not being able to go on the Internet,’’ said Okuszka, 18, as he waited in line to board the bus at South Station, on his way to visit a friend at Rutgers University.

Megabus, which guarantees at least one $1 seat per bus trip, says it will free up an additional 50,000 $1 seats for travel Sept. 14 to Nov. 19. What does that mean to you? In an e-mail, Amanda Mullin, a company spokeswoman, said, “The added seats will make it so there is upwards of 10 $1 seats per bus.’’ To improve your chances of getting a $1 seat, you need to use the promotional code HOTDEAL when booking your trip online. Megabus currently provides service between Boston, Hartford, and New York City.

On Thursday the much-ballyhooed BoltBus started its 12 daily trips between Boston's South Station and New York's Penn Station. Globe reporter Nicole Wong was aboard and posted this report: We are here to see what the ruckus is all about - that is besides the stuff you already know like the promise of at least one seat for a buck and the free Wi-Fi, which we're using right now to blog. So what's it like? For starters, when you arrive, you'd better remember which gate BoltBus leaves from because it isn't listed on the station's monitors.

Bus battle may force prices lower And then there were four. Discounter Megabus will offer trips between Boston and New York in late May. It will be going head to head with BoltBus which is launching its service in April. Both companies have similar pricing: It begins at $1 for a seat if you reserve in advance and gets more expensive the closer it is to departure. BoltBus will offer Wi-Fi and power outlets; Megabus plans to have Wi-Fi but no power outlets. BoltBus will be shoving off from South Station; Megabus from 700 Atlantic Ave. And both are locked in a Texas Death Cage showdown with the...

Hurricane Irene did a number on transportation through the Northeast. Here in Boston Amtrak halted service and between Sunday and Monday about 1,200 flights were canceled at Logan International Airport. So what does that mean for stranded passengers? My pal Katie Johnston took a look to learn the fates of the unfortunates and discovered this: . ..stranded travelers flocked to buses yesterday to get out of Boston. Lines snaked around the terminal in South Station as passengers tried to snag a seat on BoltBus, Peter Pan, Lucky Star, and other bus lines that resumed operations...