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An Apex bus rests below the Manhattan Bridge in NYC. In less than two hours, a Chinatown bus can get you from Philadelphia to 88 East Broadway for only $20 roundtrip.

Chinatown buses provide inexpensive travel option to NYC

By: Alysson Cwyk

Posted: 5/16/08

Philadelphia is filled with cultural hotspots, ranging from concert venues and sports stadiums to numerous galleries, independent movie theatres and everything in between. One could probably find an event to fit their entertainment and leisure likings all seven days of the week. But sometimes, it's nice to get away from what you know and experience another metropolitan entertainment mecca: our close neighbor 100 miles to the north, New York City.

I was given the opportunity to attend a sold-out Tegan & Sara concert May 12 at Terminal 5 in Midtown Manhattan. Ever since the sisterly Canadian duo released their latest album "The Con" last summer, their concerts have been selling out at every venue. And Terminal 5 was no exception. Within two hours after the tickets were released to the public, there were none available and the show was completely sold out. Great, I had highly coveted tickets, no car, and very little spending money. How was I going to make it to New York City?

I had a few options: Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, biking and the most thrilling/dangerous-hitchhiking. An Amtrak ticket would cost me well over $70 round-trip at the cheapest, a price that I cannot afford as a college student living on a budget. New Jersey Transit would require me to transfer trains, waiting at train stations for long periods, and basically spending my whole day traveling. My body would probably not even make it halfway to the Big Apple via my bicycle. And, the last option is a little too extreme for me. I don't think I could ever hitchhike, even for Tegan and Sara Quin. After reviewing my options, I realized that I had forgotten the most sensible, least time-consuming, affordable form of transportation: a Chinatown bus!

Starting in the late 1990s, buses based out of Chinatown districts of East Coast cities began appearing. Most bus lines carried a customer base of made up of predominantly Asian immigrants to and from cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. all for inexpensive prices.

In Philadelphia, there are two bus lines available for your convenience: Apex and New Century. Both lines travel to New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The Apex station can be found at the corner of 11th & Cherry streets, while New Century is just a block away at 11th & Filbert streets. Both are directly next to the Philadelphia Convention Center.

Apex and New Century bus lines both cost the same price for a round trip ticket to New York, $20, a price that I was more than willing to pay to get me to New York to see the Tegan & Sara concert. Apex leaves every hour, while New Century departs every 30 minutes, with both lines running from 7 a.m. until 11p.m. The travel time is approximately two hours, which is generally quicker than traveling via the SEPTA and transferring to a New Jersey Transit train.

I had made my decision on my mode of travel to New York City-I was definitely going to take a Chinatown bus. How could I pass up a quick and cheap form of transportation?

I chose to take New Century, mainly because it was the closest to my apartment and the weather was horrible on Monday. Around noon, I paid my $20 for a round-trip ticket and hopped onto a 60-person coach bus. The lights were dim and all types of people were scattered throughout the vehicle. Business people in suits, large families, elderly couples, and college students all graced the noon New Century bus to New York City. I was excited to take a break from Philadelphia, experience a new concert venue and travel.

I had heard terrifying stories of Chinatown bus trips to New York, but they didn't scare me away. Really, my traveling experience was quite the opposite of what I was warned about. Here are some of the myths versus realities that I had experienced:

Myth: The Chinatown bus always crashes and it takes forever to get to your destination.

Reality: I have found no reports online of an Apex or New Century bus ever crashing. The bus driver probably drives over the speed limit, and I feel as though we were (safely) driving 80 miles per hour on the New Jersey Turnpike, when we should have been going 60.

Myth: The Chinatown bus is filthy and smells gross.

Reality: This is true, if you sit in the back row of seats next to the bathroom. Otherwise, the bus was relatively clean and did not smell. Trash bags were attached to every seat and people seemed to respect others by actually throwing away their garbage.

Myth: The Chinatown bus dumps you off in the middle of nowhere, not really New York City.

Reality: Both Apex and New Century drop off their passengers at the corner of East Broadway and Forsyth streets, in the heart of Chinatown. NYU's campus is walking distance away, and the nearest subway is two short blocks from the bus stop, so one has access to all points in the city.

I highly recommend taking a Chinatown bus to explore a new city. It is fun, culturally exhilarating, inexpensive, and you are not wasting your time sitting for hours. Take a day trip to New York. Save some money by traveling via Chinatown bus. You'll have extra money to spend in the end!