Washington Deluxe should show Megabus how it's done

Ah, New York City.  So many things to see, and so many ways to get there.  There are probably thousands of planes, trains, and buses that I can choose from to ferry my butt up there from DC.

But planes are expensive, often delayed, and require getting somewhat naked in order to get there.  Nope.

Trains are comfortable and not usually subject to delays, but they're still expensive.  Nope.

Buses are cheap.  So am I.  We have a winner.

And that's how Chris and I found ourselves suffering through a ridiculous ride on Megabus this past December.  We swore that was our first and last trip with Megabus.  I did not forget this declaration as I made plans to go to New York last weekend to hang out with a friend.  After checking rates and schedules with some other, generally less crappy bus companies, I settled on Washington Deluxe.

Let's just say that Megabus could learn a thing or 20 from Washington Deluxe about how to run their operation.  Buses were on time.  Employees were not only competent and informative, but (gasp!) friendly.  Electrical outlets actually worked.  Wi-fi actually worked.  People with reservations actually got seats.  I could understand the driver when he spoke.  I kind of wanted to hug him.

There were some other definite pluses to taking Washington Deluxe:

• They went directly from DC to Manhattan and vice versa.  They did not pass Go. They did not collect $200.  They did not pick up people in other cities (or stop in another city just to leave people stranded because they can't figure out how a reservation system is supposed to work).  
• The buses are normal, garden variety sized buses that hold about 50 people.  No double deckers.  Fewer people meant less chaos and confusion and faster loading and unloading.  This was fabulous.
• Some of their scheduled trips also offer a drop-off and pick-up in Brooklyn.  Since I was staying in Brooklyn, this was also pretty darn fabulous.

The only minor negative was some cramped leg room on the bus up to New York.  But I'm tall, and that's just something that happens in some group seating situations.  I allowed my limbs to spill out into the aisle.  Problem kind of solved.

I have to admit, it was a relief to realize that not all bus companies run a sh*t show like Megabus.  I mean, if I'm only paying $50 for a ride to and from New York, I'm not going to be that picky.  I can barely fill up my gas tank for that amount of money.  I don't expect to be served club soda and peanuts or sit in a cushy nap-inducing seat.  But if you're going to run a business of any sort, you have to do right by people.  And I'm happy to report that Washington Deluxe does just that.

How we react to different types of travel

I've traveled in foreign countries in rickshaws, blistering hot trains with no air conditioning and hard seats, rickety buses that should be rotting in a junkyard, and even by camel (sort of).  I took all of these in stride, and even enjoyed them.  Well, except for the camel.

Transportation of champions

So why is it that I can spend hours on a slow-moving train beyond drenched in a puddle of my own sweat and not mind it when I'm far from home, but put me in a nice car with leather seats, butt warmers, climate control, and absolute authority over what blasts from the speakers to go to work every day, and I erupt in fits of rage?  Why do we hate our every day travel that can often be far more comfortable than the travel we engage in elsewhere for kicks and giggles?

I know that in some other countries, the lack of some comforts I'm used to while traveling is simply normal.  I can deal with it when I'm there.  But if I hit traffic in my car or I end up in a metro train car that is freezing cold, I'm livid.  My expectations are higher.  Sure, I'll share a tiny ferry boat that I waited 45 minutes for with a basket full of geese.  That's awesome.  But cut me off in downtown DC so that I get stuck at a red light?  I will curse your existence until I reach my destination, and then I'll probably just keep cursing you.

I'm sure I'm not alone here.  How many people hate their daily commute?  Plenty.  That's how we got all this road rage.  But how many people also simply chose to enjoy their journey when they're traveling freely and of their own choice?  Well, if your travel plans get royally screwed up, yeah, you're going to hate that.  But just the normal process of getting around your destination of choice?  How bad does it normally seem?  Probably not bad at all.  It's an experience!

Now one could argue that part of this difference may be due to the method of transport - namely driving to work every day versus using different forms of public transportation when traveling.  I won't count that out.  But I do know that I can get beyond disgusted when I take the bus or the metro around DC, and I've also done some driving while traveling where I've had a blast.

I've been thinking of these differences a good bit recently, and I'd like to try to start remembering my traveling mindset on my daily commute.  I usually drive to work, and I'd like to remind myself of all the advantages and opportunities that this commute gives me.  I have a comfortable, reliable car that has butt warmers.  God, I love those butt warmers. But best of all, my daily drive affords me some amazing sights every single day - the U.S. Capitol building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Pentagon, and the Air Force Memorial.  I also drive over the Potomac River, and if I'm stuck in traffic on the bridge, I can take a moment to enjoy some pretty gorgeous views.

I'd really like to make this mindset stick.  I'll try it today.  I'll probably measure it by how many people I curse from the confines of my car.  But if I can take a moment to enjoy the great sights I pass every day and remember that I am neither on a camel's hump nor sharing my ride with a flock of geese, I'll consider that a good start.

MegaBus: No.

I hate driving.  I love public transportation.  Even with delays, crowds, awesome smells like urine or dead fish, and downright crazy people all around, I still prefer it to driving.  If I’m on a bus or a train, at least I can read or nap while the person next to me trims their fingernails and farts.  I don’t have to worry about dodging crappy drivers or getting filled with road rage.  When I drive, my middle finger and my horn get used more than anything else in the car.  

When Chris and I were looking at our options to get to NYC right after Christmas, he suggested driving.  I probably overreacted a bit with my answer of “DEAR GOD NO.”  But I really didn’t want to deal with traffic, exorbitant tolls, figuring out where the hell one parks a car in Manhattan, and not being able to nap at will. So I researched the cheapest option - taking a bus.

There are a lot of bus companies running between DC and NYC these days.  My first stop on the internet was this handy review of the various companies by the Washington Post.  I finally settled on MegaBus.  They weren’t quite the cheapest of the bunch, but they had the most convenient schedule, and their pickup/drop-off point in DC was just one mile from my pad.  Win!

Or so I thought.  The trip to NYC was perfectly fine.  We were delayed a bit getting to NYC thanks to the clogged glory of the Lincoln Tunnel, but all else worked as it should have.  We had seats.  It was warm.  Electrical outlets were plentiful. There was wifi that kind of worked. We didn’t wreck. I was perfectly happy spending $28 on this leg of the trip.

If you look up “epic fail” in a dictionary, you will read a recap of our return trip.  To start with, the pickup location happened to be in what has to be the only place in Manhattan that feels like the middle of nowhere.  When we arrived, we were greeted by a long line of already confused people waiting for the bus.  So we joined the line and the confusion.

Also, this was outside.  In New York City.  In December.  After midnight.  It was COLD.

About 5 minutes after our bus was supposed to depart (it was nowhere to be seen), a MegaBus employee appeared to tell us that the bus would probably be there in about 30 minutes.  Fabulous.  Another half hour standing in the cold with no place warm to duck into. 

Half an hour came and went.  As the crowd got colder, they grew angrier.  Said employee appeared again to say it would be about another 20 minutes.  I swear, the temperature dropped another 10 degrees once he said that.  

The bus finally showed, and 2 MegaBus employees tried to herd everyone for our scheduled departure together.  They haphazardly checked our reservations.  Two buses actually arrived together, and there was much confusion as to which bus was which.  Anger from the crowd reared its ugly head, and shouting commenced.  I couldn’t tell exactly what all the shouting was all about, but I really didn’t care.  I just wanted to be herded onto a warm bus - I really didn’t care which one.

We were herded onto Bus #2 and settled into seats on the upper level, only to discover that none of the outlets worked.  Chris’s phone was dead, and mine was close to it.  We had been counting on those to recharge our phones on the ride back.  So much for that.

Just outside the city, the bus stopped at a gas station for some unexplained reason.  It certainly wasn’t to get gas.  The driver got out, and 15-20 minutes later, he came back and resumed the trip.

At about 4am, we finally made it to the scheduled stop in Philadelphia. .  I was fast asleep and was awoken by more yelling.  As it turned out, there were people in Philly that had reservations for this bus, but somehow, there weren’t any seats for them - the bus was full.  They had been waiting outside in the cold, too, since the bus was running over an hour late.  Now they were being told that they couldn’t board despite having confirmed reservations.  They were livid.  I never could tell how exactly the situation was handled, but we left 45 minutes later without them.  God only knows where they were able to go at 4am to warm up and figure out how on earth to get to their destination.  I felt awful for them.  I was also pissed that we were delayed another 45 minutes.

We arrived to DC much later than scheduled with still-dead phones and lingering thoughts as to what those poor people in Philly ended up doing with themselves at 4am.   Our friend from lunch in NYC later told us that his bus driver (yes, he took MegaBus, too) stopped in Baltimore, declared that his shift was over, and just left the bus full of customers sitting there.  

I’m still pretty incredulous that MegaBus claims that a reservation = a guaranteed seat, and that they would somehow put up with behavior such as a driver leaving an entire bus of people stranded.  The other stuff - the delays, the confusion, and the non-functioning outlets - that stuff sucks, but it happens.  Shoot, even when airlines bump you off of a flight, they’ll give you free flight and meal vouchers and an apology as you saunter off to the airport bar that’s nice and warm and protected from the elements.  

I wrote a letter to MegaBus detailing all of this, and I also asked for a refund.  I have yet to receive a non-automated response.  Next time, I’m using Bolt Bus.  Or Greyhound.  Or I’ll just hitchhike.