First you must decide how you want to travel between Boston and New York City: car, bus, train or plane? Each has its advantages and disadvantages. More...

Several bus companies compete on the Boston-to-New York City route, with promotional fares as low as $1, normal fares from $15 to $32, and luxury-service fares as high as $69—which is still cheaper than most flights or Amtrak Acela express train fares. They include BoltBus, MegaBus, Fung Wah Bus, Lucky Star Bus, World Wide Bus, LimoLiner, and Greyhound Express.

It's best to buy your ticket in advance online, as you'll have a better chance of getting the seat you prefer, at a lower fare. But if you can't, just show up at the bus departure point a 30 to 60 minutes before you want to ride, and you'll probably find a seat available on a convenient departure.

Several companies offer buses departing every hour from about 7 am to 8 pm, plus additional buses at other times.

The trip between Boston and New York City takes about 4-1/2 hours in normal traffic, 15 or 20 minutes less in light traffic, up to 30 minutes more in heavy traffic.

Most buses carry about 50 passengers, and are equipped with onboard toilets. Some buses make a 10-minute rest stop at a restaurant with food, drinks, and toilets.

BoltBus
A joint enterprise of Peter Pan Bus and Greyhound (see below), BoltBus serves Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC. The coaches have flush toilets, free Wifi Internet, and power outlets at your seat for your laptop computer, mobile phone, etc.

Fares range from the promotional $1 to $20. Seats are unreserved, but guaranteed if you buy your ticket online. The farther in advance you buy your ticket, the better your chance of paying a lower fare. Catch the bus in Boston at the South Station Bus Terminal, or in New York City at the Hotel New Yorker, next to its Tick Tock Diner on 34th Street just west of 8th Avenue. You're not far from New York's Penn Station and less than a 7-minute walk (0.4 mile/643 meters) south of the Port Authority Bus Terminal (map).

You board the bus more or less in the order in which you bought your ticket, so early ticket-buyers get their pick of the best seats. Occupy your seat at least 15 minutes before departure, or it may be sold to a Standby passenger.

MegaBus
This international company serves the Boston-New York route with 11 trips daily in each direction. Coaches have free Wifi Internet, and travel between Boston's South Station Bus Terminal and Manhattan. Fares are competitive, with at least one seat on each coach selling for $1, others up to $20.

Departures are from the west side of 9th Ave north of 31st St. Arrivals are at the MTA bus shelter on the west side of 7th Avenue south of 28th Street.

Fung Wah Bus
The original low-fare ($15) bus line between Boston's Chinatown and New York's Chinatown, Fung Wah runs between Boston's South Station Bus Terminal (across the street from Chinatown) and 139 Canal Street next to the Manhattan Bridge in lower Manhattan's Chinatown (map). Buses depart every hour on the hour from 7 am to 10 pm, with some additional buses at rush hours and later at night.

Lucky Star Bus
Similar to Fung Wah, Lucky Star operates between Boston's South Station Bus Terminal (across the street from Chinatown) and New York City's Chinatown (69 Chrystie Street/Hester Street [map], near the Fung Wah bus stop, and one block from the Grand Street station on the IND 6th Avenue/63rd St. subway line.) Buses depart every hour on the hour between 7 am and 8 pm, with a few additional late night and early morning buses on certain days. Fares range from $1 (for tickets bought well in advance) to $25 (for the 2 am departure), but the normal one-way fare is $15.

Greyhound Express
Express service from New England's largest bus company (Peter Pan/Bonanza, in collaboration with Greyhound), with departures every hour on the hour from 7 am to 8 pm, additional departures at busy times, and a few late-night buses.

Comfortable boarding is at Boston's South Station Bus Terminal and New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal. Fares range from $9 to $18 (advance purchase online) to $37 one-way.

World Wide Bus
The difference here is that World Wide Bus coaches serve not Boston proper but the suburbs of Cambridge and Newton. Buses depart Cambridge's Alewife Red Line subway station, stop at Newton's Riverside Green Line station, and arrive near New York City's Pennsylvania Station. More...

LimoLiner
28-seat luxury motorcoach service meant to compete with the airlines, LimoLiner carries business-class passengers ($49 to $89 one-way) between Boston and Manhattan, with a stop in Framingham MA. More...

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