Chooseing Between Bus Companies

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GG-1

Engineer
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Feb 1, 2004
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7,079
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Aloha

I need to by tickets for someone else between LA and LV. BOLT, Greyhound, and Megabus all offer service. Greyhound is most known to me, Bolt is cheapest. All have schedules that work.

Any Recommendations?

Mahalo

Eric.
 
Bolt is run by Greyhound, Mega Bus has the Double Deckers and Greyhound you know, so its a matter of price and the location of the " stations" in LA and Vegas! ( LAs Greyhound Station is pretty crummy! Of course the Ambus (Greyhound) runs from Union Station as you know if a Train ride is part of the trip!)
 
Well, if you ride either Bolt or Greyhound you will ride a D4505, if you ride Megabus you will ride a TD925, and if you ride LuxBus America you will ride a H3-45. I would go for the BoltBus D4505 because it's the exact same as the Greyhound D4505 while cheaper.

Yesterday I did ride a very disappointing Greyhound D4505, #86544, which had a poor suspension and loud Cummins ISX12 engine. Greyhound should not have ordered the D4505 until they got Detroit 13 in it, heck, they should have ordered D4500CL with restrooms, does NOT ride this rough. Maybe it was just the driver, he was a trainee. Dunno.
 
If BoltBus is the cheapest... I would take BoltBus.
I had a chance to ride BoltBus earlier this year (Seattle - Vancouver, BC) and I was very impressed with the service. The buses are new and the drivers are very professional.

BoltBus, Greyhound Express and Megabus really provide the same level of service (no-frills).
As someone mentioned earlier BoltBus is operated by Greyhound so it's the same equipment and drivers with a different coat of paint on the outside.

In LA, BoltBus and Megabus pickup at Union Station while Greyhound Express picks up at the LA Greyhound station.

In Las Vegas, only BoltBus has a stop near the Strip (by the new Ferris wheel). Greyhound Express drops you off at the Greyhound Station in the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas (BoltBus also stops here) while Megabus stops at the RTC South Strip Transfer Terminal. It's pretty easy to catch a RTC SDX or Deuce bus from either stop and take that to your hotel.

The only outlier and all of this is Lux Bus. It's significantly more expensive but it offers more luxurious buses and complementary drinks and snacks on board. Personally I don't think it's worth the extra price although I might consider it if I was traveling with my fiancé.

I would *NOT* book the AmBus. It's simply a codeshare with Greyhound and Amtrak charges about $20 extra when you book it through them.
 
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I did hear from a guy named Christopher Parker that BoltBus is more comfortable and punctual than Megabus. He says the Megabus he rode was worn out, had low headroom, and very poor luggage capacity. Also, he says the driver went "dead on the line".

As for LuxBus, I think its overrated, they don't have extra legroom at all (54-seat H3-45, 48-seat H3-41), but they do have the Torino VIP seats. LuxBus needs more legroom than what they have right now because it's lower than Greyhound or BoltBus, about the same as Megabus (presumably), because Megabus also uses the industry standard legroom. My Greyhound D4505 ride, as loud and rough as it was, still had ample legroom.
 
I think double-deckers are great for urban transport but should not be used on the highways. Most double-deckers have been developed for urban routes, for example, Megabus units have low floors, large headsigns, and transit-style grab bars. My minimal experience with them felt like a transit ride.
 

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