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A Tale of Two Rides
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
I decide to check out one of Amtrak’s competitors in the Northeast.
Perhaps not surprisingly for someone in my position, I almost always prefer to take the train when given the choice. This past Saturday, however, for a day trip to New York City from Washington, I decided to take a ride with one of the many motorcoach companies that compete with Amtrak along the Northeast Corridor. I had heard good things about these buses and wanted to see for myself how they compared to the trains to which I am accustomed.
The main factor that draws so many riders to motorcoach services—each bus I rode was completely full—is price. The bus fare that I paid, $25 each way, was about half of what the lowest Washington-New York fare would have been on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional—$49 one-way under the current promotion, which would have required booking a ticket at least three weeks in advance. For $50 round-trip, I got a reasonably comfortable nonstop ride up I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike. But there’s a lot I didn’t get.
For one thing, there is no cafe car on a bus. I could have brought my own food, but I couldn’t simply get up and grab a snack if I wanted one. I also missed out on the opportunity to sit and chat with fellow travelers. On the bus, you can only socialize with those sitting next to you, who may or may not be in the mood for conversation. I found the motorcoach privy to be very small and difficult to use while in motion. There was no running water for hand washing (something I take for granted on a train), only hand sanitizer gel.
Though my seat on the bus was fairly comfortable, coach seats on Amtrak are more accommodating than those on most motorcoaches, offering more legroom and greater reclining capability. A train ride is generally less bumpy than a bus trip, depending on the condition of the track, roads and shock absorbers. Additionally, although I enjoyed the change of scenery, the relative monotony of the interstate paled in comparison to all that can be seen from a train window as it travels through the center of cities and towns and across the countryside.
Above all, I missed the conductors and attendants who are there to make a train trip as enjoyable as possible. The driver was the only employee present on the bus, and he or she could only attend to passengers’ needs so much while keeping his or her eyes on the road.
There are several reasons why intercity bus travel is so much cheaper than rail travel, which may be the subject of a future blog post. But the train costs more mainly because it offers a higher-quality experience. Next time you are thinking about taking a motorcoach to save money, remember that the train fare is a truer reflection of the cost of your safe, comfortable transportation than a bargain-basement bus fare. As long as your pocketbook is not your sole concern, you will enjoy a more relaxing and civilized travel experience when you ride the rails.
—Malcolm Kenton
Posted by Malcolm Kenton
Tags: amtrak, bus, experience, intercity, motorcoach, new york, ride, train, travel, washington,©2010 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
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