Cheaper than Flying
Last weekend I used the service offered by California Shuttle Bus to travel to and from Los Angeles (moblog entries one, two, and three). I paid $45 for each 6-hour ride during the Labor Day long weekend, for a total of $90, which was very good considering that the cheapest plane tickets at the time of booking was around $200. I booked the bus tickets directly through the company’s web site just like I would normally for airline tickets. The site provided me prices based on dates, and no human interactions was ever required.
The Pickup
On Saturday I waited at Bay Fair pickup point, which was the last stop before leaving for LA. The bus was supposed to arrive at 1pm, but it was late by 30 minutes. Once it arrived and I boarded, it was easy to find a row of seats all to myself as there weren’t that many passengers. The company owner, who traveled with the bus up to Bay Fair, briefed us about tipping, driver changes, and bus changes.
Driver and Bus Changes
Driver and bus changes? That wouldn’t jibe well with my plan to sleep all the way until we reach LA! Ah, but it was a smart strategy on the part of the bus company, if a little confusing for first time bus riders like myself. The first driver would drive the bus from Bay Area to a rest stop in the middle, meet up with the bus going from LA, swap drivers, and drive the other bus back to Bay Area. We would tip the first driver, go for the stretch break, and come back to the same bus operated by the second driver. The advantage of this was that no driver needs to be away from home overnight. The disadvantage was that the second driver, not getting any tips for the second leg of the trip, did not exactly provide the model service.
Okay, so the driver swap was straight forward, could it be the same for the bus swap? Unfortunately that part confused me a bit. See, once the bus reached LA, a smaller bus would come and pick up passengers going to drop-off points in downtown LA. Or was it Santa Monica? I wasn’t sure, the briefing was over before I knew it, and it mentioned LA regions instead of actual stops we used to book the tickets. I was left guessing whether my stop, Union Station, was near downtown LA or Santa Monica.
I wish the bus transfer information could be clearly stated in the company’s web site, perhaps in their FAQ section. It would nice to say things like “those going to Union Station drop-off point, please remain on the same bus.”
The Ride
Both buses I took for my round trip was clean and tidy. They were not the newest and luxurious models, but they were mechanically smooth enough for the job. Each bus supposedly had a restroom, but I could not elaborate on the condition as I never had the need to use it.
Each trip took about 6 hours, with about 30 minutes for break(s). Bring stuff to keep yourselves entertained. I realized that an issue of Road and Track contained more content than Popular Photography - Road and Track kept me occupied all the way to LA, while I finished Popular Photography a quarter of the way into the trip back to Bay Area.
The Dreaded LA Bus Transfer
Once we reached the first stop in LA, a smaller bus came to pick up passengers going to {somewhere, either Hollywood or downtown LA}. I made sure to ask one of the drivers which one I should take, but even afterwards I was uneasy as I wasn’t 100% sure I had asked the question clearly or completely understood the answer. I got it right, but the gentleman sitting behind me did not, despite his explicit query to the driver.
Tip: if you are going to Union Station, remain on the big bus. That is, stay on the bus that took you from Bay Area to LA; do not board the smaller transfer bus.
Tip: always ask the driver which transfer bus to take, unless you are absolutely, 100 percent sure.
Reaching Union Station
I reached Union Station, my LA stop, at around 7:30pm, 30 minutes later than the claimed 7pm time, but then we left Bay Area 30 minutes late as well.
Return to Bay Area
The return trip to Bay Area was almost the same as the trip to LA. Bus transfers did not apply, but the bus was full on that day they call Labor Day. Needless to say, I didn’t have the whole row to myself and didn’t get as much sleep as I had hoped. The bus left Union Station shortly after 12pm and arrived at Bay Fair at 7:30pm.
Likes and Dislikes
What I liked:
- Clean bus.
- Cheaper prices.
- Convenient pickup points in Bay Area and LA.
- Nonstop with only 1 or 2 rest stops.
- Not crowded, except on holidays.
- No airline custom checkpoints.
- Probably safer than Grey Hound.
What I disliked:
- The bus transfer which was not mentioned in the company web site.
- Long travel hours, but hey, it’s a bus.
