Boston-New York Bus Lines Compete with New Dollar Fares

By Stephanie Rubenstein

CHINATOWN – Due to soaring fuel prices and a higher demand for public transportation, bus lines from Boston to New York have seen a rise in customers, according to Fumei Cheung, vice president of operations for Lucky Star bus company.

“The market for people going to New York has increased, so everyone is busy,” Cheung said of all of the bus companies.

Despite the influx of passengers, she added that there is still a level of competition between the five different bus lines that travel between the two cities.

Within the past few months, both Lucky Star and Bolt Bus, a new company, have been promoting new online ticket rates that start at one dollar, drawing in students and budget-conscious travelers.

“I used to take the Chinatown buses, but they went so fast, they were not as clean and my friends had horrible experiences on them,” said Allison Keiley, 26, who often travels between Boston and New York, where she had lived for the past four years.

Keiley made the switch to Bolt Bus, where she paid $20, compared to Fung Wah Chinatown bus company rate of $15, because of the extra legroom, cleanliness and wireless Internet offered throughout the long ride. Fung Wah declined to comment.

Other customers said that the well-known Chinatown connection between the two metropolitan cities was not an important factor and that price was their main concern for choosing bus lines.

“I’ve taken the Chinatown bus many times,” said Andrew Carothers, 23, from New York City. “It’s changed over time and has recently become more reliable. But, I’ll take whatever will get me [to New York] as cheap as possible.”

Fung Wah customer Michael Assatly, 21, from Stoughton, agreed and said that he did not worry about anything, except for going from “point A to point B at a low cost.”