They shouldn't be allowed to tout their "free WIFI". Sometimes it's slow and most the time time it's non existent. False advertising. THE END. Knock knock knock Is this thing on? I doubt it. They're not going to read this nor do they care. We'll just keep on riding them until they get nudged out by a competitor (ahem megabus) If you know better, you should do better. read more

We had one good experience and one bad experience. Newark Penn Station has a fatal flaw in the schedule. The bus is scheduled to leave at 7:15. However, it is consistently over an hour late. It is now 8:20 and the bus has still not arrived. All of the regulars told us that this same delay happens every week. Every. Single. Week. This doesn't sound fair to the drivers and is also not fair to passengers. If your bus is always late, change the booking time. Put up a sign that this bus is usually late. There's nothing worse than wastes time, and Bolt Bus dropped the ball big time. read more

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consider purchasing from other bus companies. The BoltBus tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE and they RELEASE your unclaimed tickets 5 MINUTES PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. On their website, they do not explicitly state the policies until you complete the purchase. During the purchasing process, you can find them by clicking 'Terms and Conditions' and under Additional Information there is a link to FAQ page. They say it's the customer's responsibility to read the FAQ page which was under the Additional Information of the Terms and Conditions. The customer service is extremely rude and unhelpful. I believe this is by far the worst customer service experience I ever had. I thought I was talking to parakeets. All they say is it's the company policy, you should have read the FAQ page before making the purchase, and our lawyers at the Greyhound have checked our website. I don't even understand why they would even bring up lawyers when I'm pointing out the fact that their policies were not clearly visible to customers during the transaction process. As I read other people's reviews, some has booked it for $1. It's worth $1. read more

I was really afraid too drive with bolt bus because I wrote all the negative reviews but in the end it was a really nice ride. The bus was on time . The wifi worked out and the seat next to me was open. (Not a native speaker excuse my English) read more

WORST experience I have ever had with any form of transportation. Last bolt bus I took was also 90 minutes late. This time: I have taken bolt bus many times from same location- printed my ticket with the same location listed every single time. I show up, bus tracker says it has left 45 minutes early. Call customer service and they said they are not able to track the bus and do not know where I should go. Bus ended up going to a different location with NO notification to customers or on their website. Spoke with 4 customer service representatives who told me that they could not help me and weren't even able to track my bus. I was stranded and 6 months pregnant with all of my bags. Ended up having to take an expensive train and customer service obviously did not care. read more

Yes, our bus was about 30 minutes late, but the driver was nice, bus was clean, and she drives well. The WiFi didn't work, it was so slow which sucked. Wasn't in a rush to get to DC so the delay wasn't terrible. read more

We have taken a number of the various charter buses that ply between Washington and Znew York City. Megabus, Ourbus, Bolt Bus... our experience on Bolt Bus lands squarely in the middle. The buses have usually been clean, on time, and the electric outlets work. My one serious complaint is that on past trips the Wi-Fi was free and unlimited. This time I learned that Bolt had instituted a registration policy and the 'complementary package' was limited. Additional download capacity was available for additional fees. On a five hour trip this significantly restricts video downloads. It is enough of a pain that I will be looking at competitors first on my next trip! read more

This review is specifically for the Bolt Bus service in Newark, Penn Station. Bolt is a joint venture between Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus lines, but is better than either for the routes it services. In Newark, NJ the Greyhound Station is also the Bolt Bus station, it is a tiny room to the left of the main entrance of Newark Penn Station (if facing the building). It is such an inexpensive service that I am willing to overlook the complete lack of organization around their process. I highly recommend that you sign up for an account online first and always purchase your tickets online, by becoming a member you will always have first pick in terms of entering the bus (as a member, the tickets will be listed as Group A, if available, which means you will board the bus first). Since there is no organization, everyone will crowd the door of the bus as if it is the last bus out of Newark before the Apocalypse so you will need to be aggressive and position yourself near the front or be ready to fight your way through the Group C ticket holders. Getting on first is important, you want to find the seats that have electric plugs that work, and even more important, seats NOT near the bathroom in the back. So what's up with Bolt from Newark? Not as crowded as New York (you might even be lucky enough to have the seat open next to you for your entire trip to DC). Unfortunately, NO Newark/DC BOLT service on Tuesdays or Wednesdays in either direction. The earlier you buy, the cheaper it will be, and you might luck out and get a $1 ticket. The buses are newer (for the most part) than the Greyhound and Peter Pan buses and are express (4 hours versus 5 or 6 hours one way on Greyhound). It is also much cheaper than Greyhound/Peter Pan. Typically, there are very few (sometimes none) counter service agents to help you so that is another reason to buy your ticket on line and bring a print out with you (although some bus drivers will accept viewing your ticket receipt on your smart phone as confirmation). The seats on the bus are basic and a little on the hard side. There are no tray tables at all and in some instances you might be an old bus that has no electric plugs at all so be prepared with a book just in case. They advertise free WiFi, but it is sporadic at best (at least to/from Newark/DC) so my radio and internet kept cutting in and out, but broken up internet is better than no internet, so I'll take it. The overhead bins are tiny so you will be putting your bag under the bus (even my back pack wouldn't fit in the overhead. Get there early (30 minutes or more), get yourself something to eat in Penn Station (or bring it from home) go outside about 15 minutes before the buses scheduled arrival time and play the "you're not getting ahead of me in line" game until the bus comes in. Listen closely for which group they letting on the bus and be ready to get on quickly (A loads first).,,,,,,,,,,,. The waiting room is dismal and depressing, but your are paying a discount price so I will give it a pass. If you can't afford to fly or to use Amtrak this is better than hoofing it to NYC to catch the bus. Last bus of the evening is around 6:00 PM and they seem to run about 4 buses a day to Newark (except, of course, on Tuesday and Wednesday). Ok in a pinch. read more

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I purchased a ticket to board the bus leaving from Baltimore to Newark, NJ, yesterday and it was a horrible experience ! First, the bus was extremely late. Second, I made the mistake of paying the driver to board. She went back onto the bus to see if there were any seats left, and after 5 minutes of waiting; she came back to me with a chuckle and said, that there was one more seat. I paid the $25.00 and boarded. I finally found the seat; which happened to be next to a 250+ pound woman; who took up her seat and 90% of mine; btw I'm a petite woman; so imagine if I was an average size. I was so miserable for almost 4 hours; having to sit next to this house of a woman. This woman took up so much of my seat; I was hanging in the aisle and thigh got bruised from the handle that adjusts the seat ! I feel that if someone's behind takes up 2 seats; they should pay for 2 seats !!!! read more

I will never again take Bolt Bus. After receiving an email and text message this morning alerting me that my 4:15 bus is running 30 minutes behind schedule, I arrived for what I assumed would be my 4:45 bus- the delayed 4:15.. A 4:45 bus never arrived, but the 5:15 bus arrived, only accepting people with tickets for the 5:15 bus, leaving the 4:15 bus people stranded! Many of us got on our phones to call bolt bus to only get put on hold or given excuses! Finally a 5:45 bus arrived. The driver had a few extra seats after the 5:45 ticket holders boarded. Fortunately I was one of the passengers that managed to board, but others will still left behind, stranded! Basically, Bolt Bus skipped the 4:15 bus entirely, leaving us all as standbys, waiting and hoping we could board the next bus. Not to mention, it was 32 degrees outside and we were all freezing. NEVER AGAIN! read more

Bolt Bus - Public Transportation Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Booked a departure from Newark to Washington on a Sunday Afternoon. finding the pickup in Newark was not a problem. Once I got there, they had everyone wait in line outside the bus, even though it was lightly raining (and cold). There was no canopy over where people were waiting, even though other parts of the building did have an awning. Boarding took about 5 minutes. A boltbus employee was there to load people's bags onto the underneath luggage compartment, but he was not actually helping people and they did it theirselves. No announcements were made by the driver under we actually got underway. The guy scanning tickets did not say anything. Seat on the bus was a plasticky-leather material, decently comfortable. I was in the front seat so there was no charging plug, so i had to share with the person sitting behind me. Reading light worked ok. There were large black stickers on teh windows of the bus showing the bolt bus logo, so I couldn't see anything outside (except a blur) despite being in a window seat. Watching the scenery is my favorite part of travel so I was very disappointed. Bus was full so I couldn't change seats. Departure was on time, reached baltimore 10 minutes late, and arrived at Washington 15 minutes late, not too bad. There was a 15-minute stop at a rest area in Delaware, that in my opinion, was not needed. Bathroom was on the bus, and the break was only about 1 hour into the trip. It seemed to add unnecessarily to the length of the trip. read more

I had a pleasant experience with Bolt Bus. I traveled from NJ to Boston. It was a 5-hour journey with a 15-min stop in CT that was extremely appreciated. Seats were clean and the bus was not over or under heated. Thanks! read more

I LIKE BOLT BUS. You people are NEVER satisfied. If absolutely EVERYTHING was PERFECT you'd STILL find a reason to complain. You expect miracles & Godspeed & for the bus drivers to fix EVERYTHING & you WANT EVERYTHING without looking at REALITY. Shytt happens. DEAL WITH IT. If you want PERFECT SERVICE take a gotdamn first class FLIGHT next time. Fcuking crybabies. read more

Had the worst experience with this bus service tonight. My daughter goes to college in Philly and we booked the ticket out of Newark Penn Station. We have used this service several times during the last year. We arrived 15 minutes prior to departure. Sat in the car directly across from where the buses pick up and watched for a BoltBus. No bolt bus ever showed up and we finally got fed up and called an hour after the bus was supposed to leave. We were told the bus had come to the station picked up passengers and had left. Other people were left standing on the sidewalk waiting for this bus to Philadelphia with no idea where the bus was. Finally called customer service and they told us that the bus was switched to a Greyhound bus. No one was ever alerted to the fact that they were not looking for a BoltBus but were looking for a Greyhound bus. After calling customer service and being switched to another department I was told they would call Philadelphia and find out if the bus was actually in route to Philadelphia and we had actually missed it. The customer service representative said she was waiting for a callback from the office and would let us know where the bus was. At this point it was already 830 at night and we were forced to drive down to Philadelphia which is a two hour ride for us and back home in the same evening. We never did hear back from BoltBus as to where the bus was but we were told that we would not receive any refund and would not be allowed to rebook using this ticket. On their app they have a tracker for their buses. Do not I repeat do not rely on these trackers. The tracker tonight stated the bus had not arrived. We were later told by the customer service representative that the tracker only works if it's A BoltBus but it will not work if they switch to a Greyhound bus. What is the purpose of a tracker if it doesn't actually track their buses? Why not just take it off the app and be truthful with the passengers that they don't really track their buses? My question to bolt bus is if you have everybody's email address when tickets are booked why don't you let your passengers that they will not be getting on a bolt bus but they will be getting on a Greyhound bus. If anyone knows Newark Penn station I don't think any parent would want to leave their 19-year-old daughter standing on the curb waiting for a bus in the evening in Newark New Jersey. Please beware of this company as they are out for themselves and do not care about their passengers or their well being. Boltbus deserves a zero star rating for tonight's service read more

Most unpleasant bus ride of my life. No air conditioning on a 4 hour bus ride from Baltimore to Newark with no stops. I managed to survive the ride on a small bottle of water, but I'm surprised no one passed out from heat exhaustion. I will never take this bus again. Stay away! read more

Horrible customer service. Monica on the higher end side, states that "she feels no remorse because she doesn't ride the bus, she has a car" . All i wanted was credit for another ticket, we tried to make the change an hour prior and they said No. On Terms & Conditions it states that you can call 30 minutes prior. Unprofessional business. Not recommended to deal with these people. read more

I took BoltBus from NYC to Boston and back the next day. The bus broke down BOTH WAYS. During the first trip, before the breakdown, the heat was stuck on. It was a warm day and it was probably close to 100 degrees on the bus. These busses are poorly maintained and are not dependable. They did refund my fare, but I split a very expensive uber from Hartford to Boston with other stranded passengers. Next time I'll take the train. read more

Worst bus experience ever. Im not one to go out of my way and write reviews but this was truly the most awful experience and I wish no one such a miserable time. Its currently May 15th and I'm taking a bus from Washington DC to New York. My bus confirmation number is C11-1043135-18. Right as we we're leaving the parking lot from pickup, the driver backed into something and damaged the bus. Not the worst thing in the world, he says he will drive us to a BoltBus/Grey repair shop where it will only take 15 minutes to repair. After waiting for 15 minutes he has us switch buses. Still, not that bad... 30 minutes into the bus ride, things start heating up. People ask him what's going on, he says give it a little, ac will turn on. It never does... It's 92 degrees, hot air is blowing, there no water provided on the bus, all seats are leather so that's no help. After enough complaints, the bus driver opened the buses emergency hatches on the roof. This did little to nothing... After 3 hours of sitting in the dying heat, just our luck, it then started to rain, but of course it only took about 10 minutes until the bus driver closed the emergency hatches and passengers were already wet from the water pouring in from above. Oh well, we're all already drenched in sweat from the overwhelming heat and lack of cool air... I can't take it anymore, I feel like I'm about to pass out, I ask the bus driver to make an emergency stop to get water and cool off. He says no!? Now 4 hours later we're stuck in traffic entering New York, no water, drenched from sweat and rain, and about to pass out from dehydration and overheating. LASTLY! And coincidentally, a friend of mine is taking a Bolt Bus from New York to Boston same day and their Bolt Bus is having difficulties as well. STAY AWAY from Bolt Bus, no finical return or anything will make me take Bolt Bus again. 0 stars, just plain miserable and torture at this point!!! read more

This was a good ride. We started a little late and got in a little late. Ride was smooth, some functioning sockets would've been amazing! The lady next to me made us all antsy and this is the norm for a 3.25min bus ride from Newark to Murderland read more

I was traveling from DC to Newark the bus was about 20 minutes late the bus driver wanted to take a break at a rest stop for a coffee besides so we arrived 1 hour late to destination but besides that the bus was clean the driver was a safe I may take the bus again read more

This is literally my first review of anything. DO NOT TAKE A BUS OUT OF PENN STATION IN NEWARK. IT WILL BE DELAYED. The bus before mine was delayed 3 hours. My bus is continuously being delayed. They also lie and tell you the bus will be here soon or "it just got off the highway". Then an hour later tell you the bus broke down. I had to buy a $200 train ticket because I couldn't risk it being delayed further. You get what you pay for on those busses. The train is expensive but it'll save you a headache, and you'll probably be forced to buy a train ticket anyway.. because most likely your bus will never make it. read more

You board the buses outside Penn Station on the street (which is not at all communicated to customers and left me-a first time coach bus customer-to go inside myself to ask where to board). There were two lines for two different bus destinations, DC and Boston, which were also not properly labeled on buses, and it was a very chaotic boarding process. One bus had just arrived at the station and another one was already there (which we had lined up in front of). We were told that the bus that had just arrived was our bus, so our group trickled over to stand in front of that one, however, we were then told that THAT employee was wrong and we were to board the bus that we had originally lined up in front of. After that, the bus driver of the bus that had recently arrived had to come out and call us over because it turned out we were supposed to take that one. By this point, our line had dissolved into a group of annoyed people surrounding this one employee who was painstakingly slow at scanning tickets. Honestly, the A-B-C boarding groups made no difference, and waiting for people to check their tickets for their boarding letters was just a waste of time. Other than that, the bus drivers are decently nice, and the seats pretty comfortable. However this experience really turned me off from wanting to ride to Newark's station again. read more

I booked the ticket 2 weeks ago from NJ to DC. The bus left at 11:45. I came to station at 11:00, waited for 45', and the bus driver did not let me in because the bus was full. So they sold ticket for me, and I did not have any seat on the bus... There was just only one Bolt Bus agent at this station, and no manager who I can complain. This agent told I have to wait for next bus at 2:45, it means I have to wait here 3 hours for next bus. I called to customer service of Bolt Bus, and they said They will let me take next bus. That's suck!!! This was the first time to take Bolt Bus, and it will be so the last time... Never take it again.. read more