Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

[ QUOTE ]
i haven't taken the bus to AC before, but was considering it.

Is it really that bad?

[/ QUOTE ]

Its so much worse then you could ever imagine.

[ QUOTE ]
Should I be worried about carrying my roll on it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not at all. Its not "You're gonna get raped" bad. Its "I have to sit next to smelly, fat, dirty, smelly, fat, dirty, smelly, smelly people" bad.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

I don't think that Amtrak regional fare is a good comparison, since it's a flat fair regardless of source and destination. People who go from NYC to Philly are a bit ripped off, since the same fare takes you from one end of NE corridor to the other.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i haven't taken the bus to AC before, but was considering it.

Is it really that bad?

[/ QUOTE ]

Its so much worse then you could ever imagine.

[ QUOTE ]
Should I be worried about carrying my roll on it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not at all. Its not "You're gonna get raped" bad. Its "I have to sit next to smelly, fat, dirty, smelly, fat, dirty, smelly, smelly people" bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bring a hat, your head will itch for 2 days from whatever creepy crawlies are living in the fabric on the head rests. I learned the hard way.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think that Amtrak regional fare is a good comparison, since it's a flat fair regardless of source and destination. People who go from NYC to Philly are a bit ripped off, since the same fare takes you from one end of NE corridor to the other.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is untrue. For example, the regional that departs New York Penn Station at 11:35 AM this Friday costs $61 to Philly and $98 to Washington DC.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

That is way too expensive. The Academy bus leaving from Port Authority is $32 with $20 back, for a total of $12. Sure, you may have to sit next to rude and obese people, but on some shifts you may have the seat all to yourself.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

[ QUOTE ]
Bring a hat, your head will itch for 2 days from whatever creepy crawlies are living in the fabric on the head rests. I learned the hard way.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow.

You guys must have had some real effed up experiences on that bus.

My wife and I have been doing Academy (and lately Greyhound, since Acedemy has become less reliable) one to two times a month - since 1996.

We like to consider ourself decently dressed and well groomed ... it kind of goes with being professionals employed in New York City.

So out of more than 150 r/t I remember two (2) problem passenger ... one was a middle aged blond German lady, who had a very noisy meltdown (she actually hit the driver with her paper) because the person in front of her leant the seat back all the way back ... the other was admittedly smelly, a very drunk older "gentleman" going back to New York 2 AM in the morning, with puke and urin on his clothes; he probably shouldn't have been admitted to the bus, and we could have waited for the next departure 45 minutes later.

So that's like two incidents out of 11 years of travel.

FWIW, I'll take the AC bus over transatlantic flights (coach) anytime.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

[ QUOTE ]
FWIW, I'll take the AC bus over transatlantic flights (coach) anytime.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you overall, but only because 2 - 2.5 hours on the bus is better than 6 or 7 hours on a plane (plus hours of overhead at the airport).

I took the bus about 20 times overall and I'd say about half were fine. I either had no one sitting next to me, or somebody decent. I'd say 5 sucked because I was beside somebody that either smelled kind of bad, was wearing pretty dirty clothes, or was fat and took over my space.

I'd say I had 5 completely horrible experiences. One involved a 300 pound mentally retarded women who kept putting herself into weird positions on her aisle seat next to me, some of which involved her fat ass significantly in my space. She of course did not respond to any comments or pushing by me. One involved a guy that smelled so bad I wanted to vomit the whole trip, and occassionally started to gag. One involved having to pull the bus over and have the cops show up because a guy went crazy screaming and yelling up and down the aisle. Once involved a 4-5 hour trip wedged into a tiny space next to a fat man because the bus had a flat tire and we had to wait for a change. There's one other pretty bad trip, but I can't remember it. I think I've repressed it.

On top of all of that it was just a giant waste of time for me by the time I got to the PA, waited for a bus, got to AC, got the Jitney and of course did it all in reverse. Driving now gets me there a lot more comfortably in about 35% of the time.

Edit: There was the time I waited 3 hours at the Bus station (from 2:30ish to 5:30ish in the morning) in AC because I stupidly believed the posted schedule. Nobody bothered to tell me that they went to the casinos first and only showed up at the terminal if there was room. Or the time I waited half an hour in the freezing cold at Bally's because the bus driver pulled up then took her sweet ass time opening the door. This pissed off people in line who yelled at her. This scared her so she drove away without picking us up. She came back 20 minutes later and had to have another guy come out and make sure we calmly got on the bus.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

The demand is certainly there in NYC. I lived in Manhattan for four years, and my friends and I used to call a car service to take us to AC ($220 + tip each way) because the bus was *that* bad, and renting a car meant driving in traffic on the way there + falling asleep at the wheel on the way back. I can think of quite a few people I know who will become frequent riders on this train.

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

There certainly will be a few pluses to taking the train, though if the price difference is really over $100 even I would put up with the bus.
<u>Bus</u>
Cramped
Way too much fried chicken/ Burger king/curry goat
Lots of traffic going out of NYC
<u>Train</u>
no traffic
most likely less stinky food
s/b more comfortable
but... seems schedule will be less flexible

Driving FTW

Re: NY-AC Express Train Update from Phila. Inquirer
 

I barely go to ac anymore but I took that bus atleast 50 times from 2003-05
Its mostly filled with the scum of the earth but theyre the same degenerates thats youll be sitting next to playing poker in a casino anyway.

I never felt uncomfortable with several thousand dollars on me ( I don't dress like I have money which may help)