I've used BoltBus to go from DC to NY over a dozen times and the BoltBus customer service response to my request for information about operations and passenger issues related to significant travel delays was unacceptable. Here is the exchange:
MY FIRST EMAIL:
Dear BoltBus Customer Service Team:
Yesterday (Sunday, November 26, 2017) I was on a bus that departed New York City at 5:00 pm that was scheduled to arrive in Washington DC at 9:15 pm. The bus arrived at Union Station at 10:55 pm--almost two hours past the expected arrival time. The cause of the delay was not due to Thanksgiving weekend traffic or a bus malfunction. Rather, it was caused by the driver, who chose to take a poorly-planned alternate route in an attempt to circumvent traffic.
The driver's chosen route took us through rural, sparsely-populated, and unlighted areas of Delaware. At several points, there was limited to no cellular signal on our route, which would have been dangerous had the bus experienced any engine difficulties at that time in the evening.
Shortly after 9:00 pm, I noticed that our bus was still driving through unpopulated farmland and checked Google Maps, only to see that we were currently traveling on Delaware Route 14, a single-lane highway, still 1 hour and 40 minutes away from Union Station. I was concerned about how far behind schedule we were, and how far away we were from a major freeway and the usual route that would have taken us through Baltimore.
Rather than disturb and distract the driver, I called BoltBus customer service at 9:23 pm. After providing confirmation information for my ticket and explaining the situation, I was transferred to another customer service agent. After explaining the situation again, I was told by the agent that they were not aware of the driver's route and could not help me because they were in Texas. They instead told me to send an email to BoltBus customer service, which would have been altogether useless for addressing the immediate issue.
Upon arrival at Union Station, the driver made a bus-wide announcement and admitted that in their hasty attempt to get around traffic, they made the situation worse. Furthermore, they admitted that they had to rely on a passenger to help with navigation, serving as their GPS. At no time during the trip did the driver make an announcement to explain the situation or their choice of taking an alternate route, leaving the rest of the passengers to wonder what was happening. In light of this, I would like answers to the following questions:
- What is the BoltBus policy or standard operating procedure for drivers in the case of significant traffic delays, and how much discretion do drivers have to determine alternate routes?
- What types of supports and safeguards are in place for passengers when they feel unsafe or uncertain during their travel on BoltBus?
BOLTBUS RESPONSE:
"Hi,
Per the operations manager -
Due to heavy traffic on I-95, driver took alternate route down 301 over Bay Bridge.
May have caused 15-20min extra, but would have been sitting in traffic had driver taken normal route.
This was late return on Sunday after Thanksgiving. Everything was delayed.
There was a wrong turn, but front pax opened Waze app and fixed immediately and no cause of delay."
MY FOLLOW-UP:
Hello,
This response does not address either of the questions I requested answers to in my original email. Furthermore, it is entirely inaccurate that there was "no cause of delay" because, in fact, by admitting that the driver took a wrong turn, there was a significant delay. I have taken over two dozen trips with BoltBus over the years, on Thanksgiving weekend during similar times as well, and have never experienced delays of this magnitude. You can see my BoltBus rewards account for validation of these trips.
To confirm your claim that there was no delay, please provide information on the following:
The 4:00 pm BoltBus leaving New York City was delayed because of a malfunction, and instead left NYC closer to 4:45 pm. I opted not to take this bus because it was near capacity. What route did this bus take and what time did this bus arrive at Union Station? If you are going to argue that "everything was delayed" as a result of Thanksgiving traffic, and that the route my bus driver took was comparable in alleviating the traffic delay, the bus that departed New York City at 4:45 should have arrived at Union Station taking approximately the same amount of time as my bus, which was six hours (5:00 pm to 10:55 pm).
I look forward to your response to this inquiry and my previous questions.
BOLTBUS FOLLOW-UP:
"We realize that delays are both frustrating and inconvenient to our passengers. Although we make every effort to meet the arrival and departure times printed in our schedules, we can not guarantee these times. Too many factors are unpredictable, and can lead to unanticipated delays." read more