*** Let me start off by saying Tripper Bus DOES NOT deserve 1 star. It does not even deserve zero stars. It deserves to be stripped of any stars it has. And yes, I still feel this way 24 hours after my extremely horrific experience with them, giving myself time to cool down before writing my review. ***
Now for what happened... On Sunday, June 29, 2014, I boarded the 5:00 PM Tripper Bus leaving NYC heading to Bethesda, MD / Arlington, VA. About 20 miles outside of Newark, NJ, the Tripper Bus broke down on the side of the turnpike. The bus driver pulled over onto the shoulder, and exited the bus. At this time, no communication had been made to us, the passengers, in any capacity. We all sat on the bus, wondering what was going on. The bus driver continued to get on and off the bus for 30 minutes, tinkering with stuff outside the bus, then coming on the bus to attempt to start the vehicle. The only assumption we could all make was that the bus battery died, and he was trying to figure out how to start it.
One frustrated passenger, a mother traveling with her daughter on the bus, got up saying she was not about to die on the side of the NJ Turnpike, and asked the bus driver what was going on he had not even said 1 word to us at that point. He informed her (and only her) that the bus had indeed broken down, and that was it. Luckily for the rest of us, this passenger then took it upon herself to share this news with everyone else. The driver did not share this information himself.
Once we realized we would be stranded, we began disembarking the bus, as the air-conditioning was not working and it was very hot and humid aboard the bus. The bus driver did not tell us to sit in a specific area or even give instructions for safety. Some people sat behind the bus, on the highway, some in front of the bus. Some stood in front staring into oncoming traffic, risking life and limb. The bus driver did not attempt to even gather everyone or to tell people to walk in the path between the bus and shoulder guard rail, as some people were still walking around the bus on the outside of the vehicle in highway traffic.
When the original frustrated passenger contacted Tripper Bus, she was at first told all of their buses had been chartered out and they were unsure what was going to happen. Finally, after continued calls into Tripper Bus, we were told a replacement bus would be coming and that was that. They shared no other information with us, and this information again did not come from the driver, but another fellow passenger.
Finally, a replacement bus came, and it was only at this point that we were informed while we had a ride home, we would not be able to get our luggage off of the original bus to take with us. Apparently when a bus breaks down, the luggage bay locks up as it only opens when the bus is running. NOBODY was okay with this. I personally had medication in my luggage that I did not need while I was on the bus but would need later in the evening, and I called Tripper Bus informing them of this. The lady who answered the phone was snippy and rude, acting as though I was inconveniencing her by calling and she rushed me off the phone. I've never experienced anyone so rude, cold, or brash in my life. As I ended the call, my jaw was on the highway gravel, astonished at how someone could be so indifferent given the situation we as passengers were in.
Several of us passengers got together and attempted anything we could to get the luggage bay open, working with the original bus driver and the new bus driver. As we were doing this, the original bus driver told us to write down our names and information as there was no way we could get our bags and they would somehow get our bags to us. We were the ones who had to remind him that traveling by bus is NOT the same as traveling via airplane. Nobody had tagged luggage and there was no legitimate way for them to get the right bags back to the right people. Lucky for us, the new driver contacted a company to come open the bay, and they eventually got our bags off the old bus and onto the new bus.
It was during this ordeal that the original bus driver let us know Tripper Bus executives had decided to no longer speak with him and would only be communicating with the driver of the new bus.
Today, instead of refunding our fare for the bus trip, Tripper Bus executives have decided to issue a voucher for a future purchase for them. This experience of sitting on the NJ Turnpike was more than enough for 1 lifetime and I have no interest in ever purchasing a trip from them again, and have contacted them repeatedly asking for a full refund. All these attempts at contacting Tripper Bus have been ignored, both yesterday and today. I hope anyone considering using them reads my review and heeds my warning--if you value your life, DO NOT USE TRIPPER BUS. I REPEAT, DO NOT USE TRIPPER BUS. NOT NOW. NOT EVER. read more