General
How do I buy a ticket?
There are two simple and convenient ways to purchase your BoltBus tickets in advance—online and over the phone. Advance purchase of tickets not only guarantees you the lowest possible price, but a confirmed reservation, as well. While we recommend that you buy in advance, we also sell higher-priced walk-up fares on a space-available basis.
- Buy tickets online - You can purchase tickets online at www.boltbus.com until two hours before departure (for example: we would stop selling the 3pm schedule at 1pm). After purchase you will receive an email confirmation that also serves as your boarding pass. We don’t oversell our schedules so this boarding pass will guarantee you a seat on your ticketed schedule.
- Buy tickets over the phone — A simple call to 1-877-BOLTBUS (1-877-265-8287) also allows you to speak directly with an operator and book advance purchase fares. A $3 fee plus the normal $0.50 cents processing fee will be assessed at that time. After purchase you will receive a confirmation number that will serve as your boarding pass. Like online purchases, a confirmation number guarantees you a seat on your ticketed schedule.
- Walkup fares - We will first board and seat the reserved passengers and if we have seats remaining we will offer walkup fares. Walkup fares will be sold on first come first served basis only if seats are available. The price of our walkup fares will be available on our web site and will typically be 30% higher than our highest advance purchase fare. We will accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Diners Club credit cards issued in the U.S. We can also accept debit cards but cannot accept money orders or travelers checks as a form of payment.
What happens if I need to change a trip I’ve already booked? Can I rebook my fare?
Rebooking Services are Available by Phone: Passengers are allowed to rebook up to 24 hours from the original planned departure. However, rebooking incurs a $3 fee per passenger plus any fare differential. For example: if you have a $1 ticket and want a $20 ticket, you’ll be charged the difference of $19. Please note: it is possible your newly rebooked fare costs less than the original fare. Should this happen we apologize in advance, but it’s not our policy to issue credit for the difference.
Can I change my ticket?
Tickets are non-refundable and only good for travel on the schedule & date that you have purchased.
What happens if I miss my schedule?
Tickets are non-refundable and only good for travel on the schedule & date that you have purchased.
What happens when my schedule is cancelled?
We’ll make every effort to operate our published schedules. Events will happen both within our control and beyond our control that may cause us to cancel schedules. A cancellation for any reason will allow you to request a refund or reschedule your trip at no charge to you. If the cancellation was our fault we reserve the right (at our discretion) to give you a free trip (or two!) and beg for your forgiveness.
If you have provided us with a contact number (cell phone or other) we will contact you the moment we know the schedule is cancelled. If you choose not to provide us a cell phone just send us an email at customer.service@boltbus.com and we will contact you to rebook your reservation.
How do you set your fares?
Our goal is to offer our customers as inexpensive a ticket as possible and still make an operating profit. Our fares will start @ $1 (plus a transaction or booking fee), with a minimum of one $1 fare available on every schedule we operate every day. The fares we charge will vary by day of week, overall passenger demand and how many days until the travel will take place. Typically someone who purchases a week or two out will receive the cheapest fares so it will save you money to plan ahead. Even our higher walkup fares will be reasonable and will allow for inexpensive spur of the moment travel.
What are your children fares?
One infant under the age of two is allowed free of charge per full fare passenger. For example – two full fare adults would be allowed to transport two one year olds free of charge. The only exception is if you plan on using a child seat explained in the FAQ below.
Can children travel unaccompanied by an adult?
No children under the age of sixteen (16) are allowed to travel unaccompanied and therefore we assume no responsibility for liability for unaccompanied children.
Boarding / Baggage
How does your boarding process work?
Please arrive at the pickup point a minimum of 15 minutes before departure. If you have purchased online please bring your email confirmation. You’ll need to show your email confirmation to your driver as this will act as your boarding pass. In the top right hand corner of your email confirmation is a large letter. This letter designates which boarding group you are assigned too. We board by groups with our loyalty program members boarding first, followed by customers who purchased tickets online and lastly any walkup passengers. Feel free to sit in any open seat.
What do I do if I’ve forgotten my email confirmation?
After the first two groups have boarded approach the driver and explain you’ve forgotten your email confirmation. You’ll need to show a picture ID and the driver can verify you've got a reservation.
What happens if I arrive late... very close to departure time?
Five minutes before departure we reserve the right to release any reservations as “no shows”. Walkup passengers will be loaded at this time. You could lose your seat to a walkup passenger. We encourage you to arrive at the pickup point a minimum of 15 minutes before departure.
What are the rules on baggage?
You are allowed one piece of baggage under the coach and two small bags to carry on (purse or backpack). The carry on bags should be small enough to fit in the overhead bin. You are responsible for placing your bags in the baggage bin under the bus and retrieving your bags at the destination. If you need assistance with your baggage, ask and the driver will be glad to assist you. We recommend that you properly tag all bags and place your name, address and phone number on the inside. If a bag is left mistakenly behind and is properly marked we will return it to you free of charge.
Can I take a bicycle or golf bag?
We do allow them and consider them to be oversize items as long as space is available in the baggage area. The oversize item will count as your one bag allowed under the coach. You’ll be responsible for placing the item in the baggage bin. We will not charge you an additional fee for oversized item provided it is within your limit of one bag under the coach. BOLTBUS is not responsible for damage to oversize items or items that are not placed in normal luggage or a carrying case.
What can’t I take in my luggage?
We don’t allow the transport of any type of weapon. We also do not allow the transport of any material that would be deemed hazardous material by the DOT (Acids, ammunition, animals, combustible liquids, compressed gases, corpses, cremated remains, explosives, firearms of all types, fireworks, flammable liquids, furniture, hazardous materials (poisons, radioactive materials, etc.)
The Trip
What about your drivers?
We employ professional, highly trained drivers. We expect our drivers to carry themselves as professionals at all times and also be quick with a smile or a helping hand. Drivers are allowed to accept tips (for a job well done) they are not allowed to solicit tips.
What about your bus fleet?
The majority of our bus fleet is new 2008 Prevost X3-45 motor coaches. This is terrifically designed motor coach with numerous design features for both the comfort and safety of its occupants. The X3-45 has a longer wheel base for an especially smooth ride. These coaches are equipped with ABS, disc brakes, and stability control. We do have some refurbished older MCI 102DL3 motor coaches that we will operate on our busiest days. These older coaches allow us to add service to the peak days and still keep costs (and fares) low.
All of our buses go to a garage every night and all receive a full and rigorous periodic maintenance program. We are very serious about safety.
What makes your bus different?
We’ve done some things to make the trip more enjoyable.
- More legroom - we’ve taken a standard coach configuration and removed seats. This adds about three extra inches of legroom per seat
- Internet--Our buses are equipped with WiFi hot spots. This technology is new, and there are spots on the trip where the service may be unavailable. We also do not advise downloading large files, as the speed will be relatively slow. The WiFi service is free of charge…enjoy.
- Power plugs-ins--Located throughout the coach are standard 110-volt plug-ins. To make the trip more enjoyable, plug in your laptops, iPods and portable DVD players, and enjoy yourself.
- Standard amenities - restroom, air-conditioned, panoramic views, the normal coach accoutrements
*Plug in and Wi-Fi disclaimer: BoltBus makes every effort to provide these services free of charge to every passenger. However, if, for whatever reason, the service is unavailable we are unable to supply a refund.
What is the trip like?
Fast, hopefully fun… on shorter trips (less than three hours) the service will be non-stop from origin to destination. On a longer trip (over three hours) we will typically make a quick comfort stop. This stop will be at a location with vending machines and public bathrooms. The stop is quick -- about 10 minutes -- long enough to use the restroom or grab a quick snack. This gives our driver and passengers a chance to get some fresh air and stretch their legs.
Are there any rules?
Not many… we ask that you be respectful of your fellow passengers. Use headphones if you listen to music or watch a movie. We don’t allow disruptive behavior such as loud conversations, music or fighting. The driver will warn the offending parties once and if needed the driver will escalate to the proper authorities. We have a zero tolerance policy for alcohol, drugs, weapons and unruly behavior
Do you have a loyalty program?
Yes, we try and have a little fun and at the same time reward our most frequent riders.
How do I enroll in the loyalty program?
Yes, we try to have a little fun and at the same time reward our most frequent riders. Enrollment is easy: just click on the loyalty-program link on the homepage and you’ll be guided through the process. It only takes a few moments.
What perks do I get from the loyalty program?
Any confirmed reservation you make online will build you points which in turn will award you a free trip or two. Currently for every eight trips you take (one ways) you’ll get a one way trip free. This free trip is yours to use whenever you want: next weekend, the next big holiday or next year, your choice. Just make sure you’ve signed in as a loyalty member when you make your reservation so you’ll get credit.
Do I get anything else from being a loyalty member?
Loyalty members will automatically get priority boarding and will be first to board the bus. We also reserve the right (at our discretion) to have some fun and give our loyalty members free stuff (if you’ve been good!!).
Can I lose my points in the loyalty program?
BOLTBUS reserves the right to close any loyalty account that has been dormant for
eighteen months. If you go this long of a period without traveling with us you could
lose any points or awarded trips you’ve built up.
How do I redeem reward travel?
To redeem your reward ticket, simply log into your rewards account and go to the
redeemable reward field. Type “1” and hit submit. The confirmation page will show
the original full price value of your ticket, but you will not be charged that price.
I have a disability and want to travel, what do I do?
On the home page you’ll see a link for customers with disabilities. Click on this link and you’ll be guided through the process. We recommend (as with all our customers) that you use this link and make a reservation in advance, save some money and guarantee your place on the bus. Walk up customers are always welcome on a space available basis.
Is your fleet wheelchair lift equipped?
Yes, the BOLTBUS fleet is 100% wheelchair equipped.
Can I bring my pet on board?
No dogs, cats, birds, or other animals will be transported. However, a properly documented service animal, trained for the purpose of accompanying a disabled person, will be permitted to travel with the disabled person at no additional charge.
Can I bring food on the coach?
Food and non-alcoholic beverages may be carried on board for personal consumption.
Can I bring a child safety seat on board?
Yes… we ask that you purchase a ticket and reserve a seat. You should ensure that your child seat has been approved for use in a motor vehicle, and is used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. It is your responsibility to secure the child seat to the bus seat with strapping or webbing that is approved by the child seat manufacturer. You are responsible for providing the strapping or the webbing to properly secure the seat.
What if I have additional questions?
If you have any additional questions, comments, or other general customer service inquiries, please email us at webmaster@boltbus.com. For other, immediate questions call us at 1-877-BOLTBUS (1-877-265-8287). We’ll be happy to assist you!.