BoltBus Prevost 0807 in NYC.jpg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

BoltBus was an
intercity bus An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public tr ...
common carrier and a division of
Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...
that operated from March 2008 until July 2021 in the
northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
and western United States and British Columbia, Canada. As least one ticket on every bus was randomly sold for $1, excluding "handling charges". The $1 fare was the basis for its slogan "Bolt for a Buck". In the northeast, BoltBus provided service between New York City and South Station Bus Terminal in Boston, Union Station in Washington, D.C., Penn Station, in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
, the Greenbelt Metro station in Greenbelt, Maryland, Penn Station in
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
,
30th Street Station 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
in Philadelphia, and the
Cherry Hill Mall The Cherry Hill Mall, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), was originally known as Cherry Hill Shopping Center, commonly reported as the first indoor, climate-controlled shopping center east of the Mississippi River in the ...
in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census.
. On the west coast, BoltBus service was offered in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada. Service was available between International District/Chinatown station in Seattle and Portland, Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, Bellingham, Albany, and
Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...
. The BoltBus branding incorporated a thunderbolt logo similar to the one used by the
British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, fo ...
, but the company claimed that the resemblance was purely coincidental. When ticketed, passengers were assigned to a boarding group (S, A, B & C). Passengers who purchased their tickets earlier or were members of the company's loyalty program or had special needs got an earlier boarding group assignment.


History

In March 2008, facing competition from Chinatown bus lines in the northeast, Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines partnered to launch BoltBus as a lower-cost brand. The first route was between New York City and Washington, D.C., launched on March 27, 2008, followed by a route between New York City and Philadelphia launched on April 10, 2008, and between New York City and Boston launched on April 24, 2008. That year, the company was named one of America's hottest brands by '' Ad Age''. Stops in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
and Greenbelt, Maryland were added in 2009. A stop in Newark, New Jersey was added on March 24, 2011. BoltBus expanded to the Pacific Northwest on May 17, 2012, offering service between Seattle and
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. Unlike the service in the northeast, Greyhound operated its BoltBus service on the west coast without a partner bus carrier. Service in the Pacific Northwest was expanded to Vancouver and Bellingham on May 31, 2012 and to Albany and
Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...
on October 3, 2013. BoltBus expanded into California on October 31, 2013, offering service between Los Angeles and San Jose and Oakland. A stop at Transbay Terminal in San Francisco was added to the route on December 12, 2013. A second route between Union Station in Los Angeles and San Diego was added on November 14, 2013. On December 12, 2013, a route was added between Los Angeles Union Station and Las Vegas, with a stop in Barstow. In 2015, it added a pickup in Hollywood, Los Angeles for routes to/from
Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
. In October 2016, the company launched a new onboard entertainment system. Effective September 27, 2017, after a lengthy legal skirmish, Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines ended their partnership and Greyhound became the sole owner of BoltBus. On October 19, 2017, BoltBus service was extended to Fresno, California, with routes to Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. In March 2019, BoltBus added stops in Tacoma, Washington and Everett, Washington. It also added a stop in Wilmington, Delaware. On July 1, 2021, BoltBus discontinued its operations. In September 2021, FlixMobility acquired Greyhound.


Fleet

BoltBus routes used Prevost X3-45 and MCI D4505 coaches. All motorcoaches were equipped with wireless internet access and seats that had armrests, footrests, seat belts, cup holders. Most seats had a pair of 120-volt power outlets. The motorcoaches used on BoltBus had 5 fewer seats than the industry standard, giving passengers additional legroom and eliminating the middle seat from the last row.


References


Further reading

* Bowen, Alison
"Boltbus, Megabus and Fung-Wah: Curbside buses more dangerous: Buses that pick up passengers off the street are more dangerous than those that use a terminal, a new report found"
''
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
'' newspaper, New York City, October 31, 2011


External links

{{FirstGroup 2008 introductions Bus transportation in New Jersey Bus transportation in Oregon Bus transportation in Washington (state) Greyhound Lines Intercity bus companies of the United States Products and services discontinued in 2021