Had my trip canceled hours before my trip with a promise of a full refund Fast forward to today, 2 months after my trip after multiple calls and e-mails to the company and no refund initiated. Made a call today and they are closed indefinitely while "making some changes." They stole my, and by the looks of it, many other peoples money and ran with it. If this company ever tries to make a comeback I would suggest going out of your way to stay away from this fraudulent, unsafe company. read more

Out of business, from all appearances. They apparently stopped all operations after the fatal bus crash (which we had not heard about until recently) but still sold tickets to unsuspecting customers like us. A week before the date of our travel, they sent a cancellation notice promising to refund the charge. They broke that promise, one can only surmise because they don't have the money. We disputed the charge with our credit card company in order to get our money back. Long story short, this company apparently no longer offers any services and should not even be considered by anyone. read more

DO NOT use this company! Cancelled trip less than 24hours before scheduled trip resulting in me having to cancel my trip entirely. They say they sent an email two weeks prior but that is a complete LIE, they are frauds. Also, driver just charged with DUI and manslaughter in accident which resulted in 1 death and 30 injuries last month. This company should be shut down. Would give 0 stars if I could. read more

I could have given a ZERO rating if I could. This vendor is a COMPLETE FRAUD and never take their bus service. I made a booking for two tickets and immediately canceled my transaction for some reason. I was unsure of their refund policy and immediately called to understand how I will be issued the refund. Their call center exec assured me I will be refunded in the original form of payment. I checked the refund policy online and found a discrepancy. I called the customer care exec again to clarify the discrepancy. Their customer exec assured me I will get a full refund within 5-7 business days. A week passes and I see no refund. I call their customer service again and conveyed an altogether different refund policy. I am refunded in the form of store credit which is useless to me as I graduated from Cornell already. I am shocked and I tell them that incorrect information is conveyed to me. I speak to their manager "Charlie" who almost calls me a LIAR and tells me that he will start an investigation to see if I'm telling the truth by listening to all call center recordings they save. I provide a day/time for my calls and I receive a response in 1 week telling they didnt find my recordings. Then, I provided the manager with proof of my call logs from ATT to show the number and times I called. The manager tells me he will investigate further. He comes back again after 1 week to say he couldn't find any recordings and won't issue any refund. Zero accountability, rude and unreliable customer service execs and zero customer service. That is my experience of Bg Red Bullet. I suggest staying away from them as much as possible. read more

Very dangerous! Do not ride! My bus to nyc was not the BRB bus and we were supposed to know to get on the plain white bus that showed up ten minutes after departure. An email beforehand would've been helpful. That bus had no wifi, outlets that didn't work, and a bathroom without toilet paper or wipes, and with a toilet filled to the brim with pee so if there was a turn, you'd get it sloshed on you. The ride back the next day was worse. The actual BRB seats were much tinier with no armrests between seats that i could find, leaving strangers uncomfortably close. If you're over 120 pounds, you basically need the aisle seat to be able to move more than two inches. It definitely should not have been leaving New York at 5. Any other time would have been better. The driver seemed very unfamiliar with the area calling on his speaker phone for side routes to take when he couldn't turn, asking what direction the streets went in, seeming like he was having mental breakdowns saying that he would lose it if he came up to another corner that he couldn't turn at. He was complaining that it was going to be another 18 hour day, which made me wonder if he was driving all those 18 hours, and if he was fit to even be driving us back at that time. He didn't expect it to take 2 hours to get from the stop to the end of Lincoln Tunnel, which made me think he was new to driving in New York and uncomfortable with the traffic. Another bus took out our mirror while we were still in the city and he drove home without having a working mirror. The stop should move to somewhere more convenient facing the right direction to leave the city, and make it either earlier or later to avoid rush-hour traffic. I didn't feel safe hearing his conversations and how he was handling the situation. But we did make it back in record time despite the 2-hour delay (guess he was speeding). Also to note, the drop off spot back in Ithaca is two blocks away from the start so if coordinating ride pickups, it's actually at the Starbucks instead of Urban Outfitters. Update: the bus stop has moved again since downtown Ithaca rearranged its bus stop locations. And you should read this article about experiences similar to, and much worse, than mine. https://cornellsun.com/2018/10/18/in-wake-of-fatal-bus-crash-big-red-bullet-riders-recall-dangerous-behavior-of-companys-drivers/ read more

Big Red Bullet - The bathroom of the bus that actually picked us up - Buses Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Unreliable and unsafe-- avoid! Took the BRB from NYC to Ithaca and the bus pulled over on the side of the highway about 5 minutes outside the city because the "belt exploded." The power went out and the bus was stuck on the side of the road for OVER TWO HOURS. Not to mention a girl died on one of these buses last month. And their customer service is terrible- tried to get in touch via email about this incident and never got a response, but did get a link to a survey asking me about their "quality of customer service." What customer service??? read more

See Carol M's review because I was one of the other stranded people. Completely unacceptable. I believe they saw only 7 of us or so booked the trip and deemed it not worth their time to actually do the trip and instead, deal with a few angry people. The manager "Charlie" said the bus came at 12:45 and left promptly at 1pm. I had taken the BRB several times and know where it picks up. Basically they were calling the 7 of us blind because we didn't see the bus. I had to call their customer service 5 times over 2 hours and waited another 30 minutes or so for the manager to call me. Awful customer service. I'm demanding a full refund and reimbursement for the $90 Cornell campus to campus bus I had to scramble to purchase and wait until til 7pm for. Avoid this service at all cost. read more

Worst service ever. The trip took 8h instead of 4.5h. The bus that arrived wasn't a BRB but an third-party company (no wifi, no power outlets as presented) and was 15 min late (no big deal). Then the bus took route 13 to go to Cortland (30miles up north) and broke down. We had to wait 1.5h a backup bus and finally catch the highway to NYC. We arrived through the east (Bronx). A passenger had to give direction to the driver who was completely lost. Then she engaged in a highway on Manhattan and we got stuck in traffic because... the bus couldn't go through a tunnel (bus to high). This is when some people and I decided it was enough. We grabbed our belongings and walked on the side of the highway, climbed a fence to get in the city. Never again. read more

Apparently no longer providing service and does not inform you that your planned transportation has been canceled. I booked a ticket in the first week of November. I contacted them yesterday afternoon as I had not received a updated confirmation (other than the time of booking when they took my money) Someone answers the phone, but tries to sound like an automated message advising you to check their website. So very disappointed that my family Christmas weekend in NYC, planned for weeks, is now potentially canceled. Thanks for giving me NO NOTICE to work on an alternative transport. read more

Terrible bus company, they cancelled my trip one day before the day of travel. I then rescheduled to the morning trip at 7AM, and they delayed the pick up by 1 hour to 8AM , and gave notice of that delay at 6:30,. read more

The bus was a complete no show and a group of us had to walk to port authority and book another bus. When someone finally contacted us the next day he offered nothing but excuses and I had to argue to get a refund. Reading some of the other reviews from two years ago, we weren't the first ones to get stranded somewhere. Don't take this bus if you value your time. read more

Waited for an hour for the bus, which never showed. Called the contact number multiple times but they had no idea where the bus was. 24 hours later I finally received an update: they blamed me for not knowing that the bus was going to stop at a new location. In fact they told me "I know the proper information was e mailed to you yesterday afternoon". 48 hours after that they acknowledged that I had not received that email, but did not apologize for the mix up. Last time I took it, the driver was 45 min late and driving erratically. Turns out later that night, returning, he fell asleep at the wheel. Last summer my trip was cancelled and I had to scramble to find a ride back on a Sunday evening. Do not take if you want to get to your destination. read more

I've ridden the Bullet several times both to and from Ithaca and never had any issues. Bus was a few minutes late leaving the city on my last trip out, but that's because getting into the Lincoln tunnel at 5pm on any weeknight is a hellish task. The driver was helpful with bags and drove safely through a bad rainstorm. Bus was spotless and the chargers were functional. Can't speak to the Wi-Fi because I didn't use it. Will definitely use them again! read more

Made a reservation online a week ahead of time. Ride going was quiet and comfortable. The return trip the next day was a different story. The driver was obnoxious. He talked to someone the whole time and our seats were halfway back and we could hear every word he said. He also dropped us off on Seneca St. instead of Green St. He insisted our tickets said the drop off was Seneca. Probably will stick to C2C or try Ithaca Platinum next time. read more

The bus was on time and very clean. It wasn't crowded, which is nice, but reflects the season. I smelled no bad smells, and the driver was very courteous. I would gladly use this service again. read more

Ithaca to NYC roundtrip--everything was great. Left right on time each way. Bus spotless. Outlets in front of every seat and decent wifi (no streaming but otherwise it's fine). Driver helpful. There were street closures in NYC around Bryant Park so the departure moved two blocks--I received both an email and a phone call two hours before departure letting me know. I know BRB had a bad reputation last year but it seems to be back and doing everything right. read more

Do not use this company. I showed up 20 minutes before the 1pm bus at the corner of 40th and 6th avenue. After repeated calls to the office and emails, after waiting with 4 other brave and hearty souls, I gave up at 2:30 (I waited a full 90 minutes!) and made my way to the Campus 2 Campus bus. I received a call from "Charlie" saying the bus driver picked up passengers at 1. I said that can't be, because 5 of us were waiting at 1, and we called many times. The two people who answered the phone said they had no way to get in touch with the driver. No way to get in touch with the driver? Really? This is perhaps the worst bus company in the world. I have read similar postings, so I if you choose it, know that you have been warned. I will be posting again if I do not receive a full refund. read more

Do not take this bus!! Waited for over 90 minutes in the cold. I don't know if the bus ever showed because we decided to leave! So ridiculous! Also called the office 3 times and each time they said they don't know what's going on because they don't have access to the bus/bus driver. Extremely vague and unhelpful. It would've been nice to have someone call saying that there'd be a delay or something, but overall terrible experience. read more

Took the BRB to NYC for Thanksgiving. The trip there was fine. The bus is basically just a standard bus--nothing premium about the experience, but cleaner than shortline. The trip back was awful. BRB left two dozen passengers standing in the freezing cold at Bryant Park for TWO AND A HALF hours. It took multiple calls to their office to find out that the line actually goes to an answering service after hours. The woman answering had no idea who we were, what the bus schedule was, where our driver was, or how to contact BRB. Finally we received an e-mail from BRB saying they would send another driver. He got there an hour later, let the people waiting outside at the bus stop board, and left. I'm glad I was waiting, because he spent no more than five minutes boarding. We left at least half of the reserved passengers behind. Our trip back to Ithaca was terrifying--brakes slamming, rapid acceleration, inattention to other drivers. The fact that this company is impossible to contact when their buses are on the road is a serious safety hazard. Shelling out for C2C is the only way to go if you must take a bus to the city. read more

I have been taking Cornell's Campus-to-Campus (C2C) bus between Ithaca and NYC for several years, but the continually rising fares make me more reluctant to use their service. Enter Big Red Bullet (BRB), the budget answer to the C2C bus. It offers similar service: nonstop travel between Ithaca, NY and NYC; USB chargers by each seat; and free WiFi. Unlike the C2C bus, they do not provide snacks or drinks. You are permitted to eat on the bus, so feel free to bring your own. My husband and I took the Big Red Bullet back from NYC Jan 20th, and found it to be a reasonable alternative to the C2C bus, but still lacking in some areas. First, the USB chargers at my and my husband's seats were not working. The person across the aisle from me also was having trouble getting a charge. The BRB bus is much more cramped than the C2C bus, with little space between rows. I used the restroom midway through the trip, and even though I only saw a handful of people use it before me, there were no paper towels, and the hand sanitizer was empty. I hardly think we used it all on half a bus trip! It seemed to me the restroom hadn't been checked and restocked before departing. I also would have liked a little more in the way of an announcement at the beginning of the trip - the driver did introduce himself and provided an estimate of our arrival time, but not much else. A reminder of the rules would have been good - a woman in the row ahead of me was on a lengthy cell phone call for part of the trip, a violation of bus etiquette. Overall, the BRB provided a clean, comfortable ride to Ithaca in just over 4 hours and seems like a decent alternative to the C2C bus. read more

I truly hate to leave a review like this about a fledging business. However, the bottom line is that these buses simply aren't safe, and I hope the owner addresses these issues. I am a native ithacan living in nyc for the past 8 years, and have long taken the campus to campus bus back to see my parents several times per year. I was excited about brb because it's substantially less expensive. I took this bus on April 27 and May 1, 2016. The driver on the first trip to Ithaca was terrible. Every minute or so he was slamming on the brakes, which was both uncomfortable and disconcerting. When I opened the bathroom door the bus was jerking back and forth so fast the door slammed into my forehead, through no fault of my own, leaving a bruise. Both trips the drivers went too fast for a bus. And on both trips, walking down the aisles, I and others fell into seated people's laps because the bus was rocking back and forth so severely holding the handles was not enough to keep one standing. Additionally, the buses appear to be old and flimsy, although I don't know enough about vehicles to be sure. You save money by taking this instead of campus to campus, but I'd rather be alive and a little poorer. The upside is that the trip was quite fast and other than the poor driving and possibly unsafe vehicle the seats are comfortable enough and it's clean and quiet. read more

Not as nice as C2C, but for the reduced price tag it is great value. Drivers are nice and timely, and they have friendly, helpful customer service. Have ridden it 4 times now and have arrived in NY in roughly 4 hours. read more

Bus was over an hour late. I called them when they were 30 min late and they say that the bus was having mechanical problems and it was projected to be 15 min late. Now still standing in the cold waiting. It would be common courtesy to call or email their customer if they know that the bus broke down. Now I'm even worried whether t will be okay for me to ride it to Ithaca. Seriously BRB u need to step up your game and I'd want my money back. The only bright side out of this whole issue was the lady on the phone who was promptly picked up the phone to hear my complaint. read more

The bus is punctual and fast and this is why I take it. However, the smell of disinfectant is so strong is nauseating and lingers on my clothing for days even after washing. It is very unpleasant. read more

I am giving the BRB 2 stars because seats are always available, because nobody wants to take it. It's good in an emergency. - the bus smells like 60 air fresheners soaked in bleach - you will get a headache from the smell - seats are cramped and without trays - you cannot stream video - wifi is spotty - only some outlets work read more

Never again. The other Yelp reviews speak for themselves. But I'll add my own BRB horror story: I booked a trip for the first time and, within five minutes of booking, read all of the horrifying reviews on Yelp and realized my mistake. I requested a refund, and expected that any reasonable company would comply. I mean, what kind of crooks wouldn't issue a refund when the request is placed within mere minutes of a transaction? These kinds of crooks. BRB found a way to cheat me out of $55 within minutes of my encountering the bus company. The take away is that, long before BRB fails to show up, leaves you stranded on the side of the road, suffers a breakdown in the middle of a highway, or keeps you en route for 4 hours longer than estimated, they'll probably screw with you at checkout. Buyer beware. Fortunately, a representative reached out via email to smooth things over. After I clarified that this was an unusual case--I submitted a request for a refund within five minutes of hitting Submit--he clarified that "You are not the first person who has performed this same function and changed their mind". Take a moment to let that sink in. I'm not the first person they've cheated! I responded that this was cold comfort. Their response? "If you are a professional then you would understand how a company must follow a policy as to prevent favoritism and possible discrimination issues. If a policy is broken for one person and not another the chances of a lawsuit increase. Also do you know the facts about the breakdown on the side of the highway and how the two left before the replacement vehicle arrived with 20 minutes?" ...that's right. They're so incompetent that they think they could be sued for discrimination for issuing what would constitute a run-of-the-mill refund at any other bus company. AND they're defending at least one negative Yelp review by clarifying that when their bus broke down, if the passengers had just waited ANOTHER 20 minutes, a replacement vehicle would have arrived. Deplorable. There are several other options for Ithaca to NYC. Pick one of them. Trust me. read more

The driver was kind but I can not recommend this bus to anyone because of the extreme chemical smell on the bus. I am not a person who is sensitive to fragrances or chemicals however this chemical odor was so powerful that I really felt the air was unhealthy for breathing. It was so strong it seemed as if it was a plug in fragrance, and I was sitting toward the back of the bus. I wanted to speak to the driver about it but I became very nauseous and didn't trust that I wouldn't get sick walking to the front. I contemplated asking him to let me out even though we were in the middle of nowhere because it was that bad. But again, I couldn't make my way forward. On the trip back I asked the driver to unplug the chemical before I could get back on the bus and he assured me it would not be as bad because they spray the bus in the morning and it was late in the day. (It was not a plug in) Even so, I could smell the chemical even before I stepped onto the bus. I spoke with the driver and he apologized and agreed to run the air conditioner to try and clear it out. The return ride was better but still smelled very strong. Both trips I folded my scarf and used it as a filter in front of my face, but even so the smell was overwhelming. When my husband came to pick me up, he could smell the chemical odor that was on me when I was still a few feet away from him. It clung to my scarf for an entire week. I have no idea what they use but the bus smells toxic and is extremely unpleasant at best. I feel badly for the driver who must breathe that in continuously, as well as for the passengers. If you must ride the Big Red Bullet please bring a face mask or air filter. Four hours of breathing in this chemical can not be healthy. Otherwise, driver and price were good. read more

Again we were stood up by this company.. while we stood in the rain today waiting for the bus after we made a phone call we found out our bus was canceled last week and our account refunded. This did not happen. Last year we were 2 hours late leaving when they couldn't find the bus driver. Thanks to some helpful people with TCAT and the Green Street Pharmacy we were able to arrange alternative transportation with Shortline. read more

Drivers are a little unsafe, slamming the breaks pretty hard and nearly getting into altercations with other drivers on the road. However, they drive fast and get you there fast. Also the smell of air freshener or disinfectant or whatever it is is nauseating. However, if you use the bathroom (which is disturbingly warm and smells like the disinfectant x100) you will suddenly think the rest of the bus is refreshing and has no scent. It's also a lie that there is water and snacks on the bus, I don't understand why they would advertise that. I don't need water and snacks and didn't choose your bus for that reason alone, but I was annoyed that it was falsely advertised. However, it is an express bus that makes no other stops, and the seats recline quite a bit. read more

The bus arrived on time and was spotless. The driver was very friendly and helpful, and we made it to Ithaca in just over 4 hours. The seats were also more comfortable than OurBus. read more

I had an easy trip with my wife from NYC to Ithaca. Bus left on time, clean, as comfy as can be expected for such a long ride. Our trip back to NYC from Ithaca was a different experience. We were informed that we were not on the list (the bus has you reserve specific seats when you book). I showed the bus driver the confirmation, which verified that we did have seats. I saw the device he was using and there were 2 other people who were listed as sitting in our seats. When we asked the driver what would happen, he said "oh there is another bus, you must be on that". We didn't see any bus, and when we asked him again he said to call the customer service number. When we called the number, the woman would not say if there was in fact another bus. She was very evasive and vague with her responses--sounded like she was coached not to commit to that kind of thing over the phone. She kept asking if we wanted to leave a message, basically confirming she couldn't/wouldn't be doing anything. Then the bus driver comes up to us and says "you're good, there are seats for you". Luckily a kind rider moved so my wife and I could sit together. My theory is that when we booked, we were on the beginning of an additional bus that never filled (I remember when I picked our seats the entire bus was open as far as seating). It was very stressful and we were lucky to get on the bus. Seems like they have a lot of customer service issues when it comes to scheduling and such. read more

Very disappointing experience. After getting a flat tire and waiting for over an hour without any information from our bus driver, we were finally told it would be 90 minutes before roadside service could get there (I ended up getting a ride to Ithaca). THEN, when I contacted BRB about getting a refund, they told me that the experience was handled in a manner "acceptable industry standards." I understand that flat tires happen. But I'm incredulous that they felt this experience was acceptable and didn't feel the need to provide us with a credit or refund. Too bad... I'll be using C2C from now on. read more

This has been a pretty bad experience. 25 minutes before departure they sent out an email that there would be no wifi or internet available. Then the bus showed up 15 minutes late, and it wasn't the BRB. According to the bus driver her company was taking over the BRB contracts for "awhile". Bus headed to Cortland??? And then proceeded to break down. One and a half hours later a new bus arrives to take us onward. It is now almost 3pm and we are still 45 minutes at least from the city. If you need to get to NYC fast, don't take the BRB. read more

Big Red Bullet cancelled my trip only 4 hours before we were supposed to depart. This was 1 month ago. They said they'd refund my credit card but when I was reviewing my statement last week, I noticed they hadn't refunded me. I emailed a manager but received no response. Today I called in and they issued my refund. Skeazy & dishonest. I'm certainly never going to buy tickets from them again. read more

The bus was advertised as a comfortable red bus having electric plugs and wifi and other comforts. Instead, I rode on a bus that was worse than a Grayhound -- no plugs, no wifi, small seats. I complained and got $20 back but it is clear to me that even after more than a year in business they have not figured things out. Pay the price and ride the Cornell bus in comfort and be productive! read more

The buses are punctual and clean. Lights didn't work and the WiFi doesn't work for youtube. Besides that, you get what you expect. The driver gets you to your destination. 55 on weekday and 65 on weekend. I like BRB over the other bus services. read more

Horrible experience. They asked us to arrive at the bus stop 15 minutes early, but the bus came an hour and a half late! Although a relatively cheaper option compared to other travel services, I can safely say they are not worth saving the 20 dollars. No wifi or outlets for charging, contrary to what is posted on their website. I sincerely hope they improve their service in the future, but it's really too bad that I won't be around to find out. read more

A great alternative to C2C and Shortline. I've been using BRB since it set up and have taken it about 20 times. There were definitely teething problems setting up but they now seem ironed out. The bus has always been punctual and got to Ithaca in record time. The stop in NYC (Bryant Park) and Ithaca (downtown) are super convenient for me. Internet can be spotty (or overused--I don't know) but outlets generally work on every bus (which wasn't the way at the start). Two things I would change: you check in by seat number not surname. This catches people off guard every time when the driver asks their seat number to check in (especially if there's a big line waiting to get on). Surely that's an easy fix? Second, while the buses are very clean, the smell of disinfectant is absolutely overpowering and lingers on all material after leaving the bus. I hate going into work after riding the bus because of it. One more suggestion: a stop near collegetown. Bottom line: you want a cheap(er) reliable bus that will get you from NYC to Ithaca and back with convenient stops and faster than the competitors, with outlets and Internet that generally work, BRB is for you. read more