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Eastern Shuttle (bus company)
Encyclopedia
Eastern Shuttle is a provider of intercity bus service in the I-95
corridor between New York City
and Richmond, Virginia
, and is one of a number of companies that compete in the Chinatown bus
market out of NYC's
Chinatown
.
) was two different Chinatown bus companies that both began operations around 2003, Eastern Travel (Eastern) and Dragon Coach, later Today's Bus (Today's). Eastern provided service initially to Philadelphia and later to Boston
. Following complaints from Greyhound
and Peter Pan
, and a requirement for all intercity services to move into the South Station
terminal, Eastern left the Boston and competed in the New York City-Washington, D.C.
market, with most trips servicing the Baltimore Travel Plaza. Today's provided service between New York City and Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.
In fall 2008, shortly after Eastern began offering Wi-Fi
on its coaches and started servicing Penn Station
, Coach USA purchased Eastern using the operating authority of a then-inactive company whose operations were sold to Peter Pan in the early 2000s., giving Coach USA its first foothold in the Chinatown bus market. In winter 2009, Coach USA purchased Today's, giving Coach USA a foothold in the Chinatown bus market to Philadelphia.
Earlier in 2008, Coach USA had introduced its Megabus
service into the northeastern United States out of a hub near Penn Station which competed at the time with two of the companies purchased by Stagecoach to form what is now Eastern Shuttle. With the acquisition of Eastern and of Today's, Coach USA used Eastern to significantly expand its Megabus service to Philadelphia and DC.
In August 2009, Coach USA divested itself of Eastern Shuttle operations, and the two lines are no longer affiliated with each other.. Eastern schedules have since been removed from the megabus.com website and customers are no longer able to make reservations for Eastern buses on the Megabus website. A link, however, remains on the Megabus site to Eastern Shuttle's new site, and while Coach USA does not own Eastern Shuttle, Coach USA continues to own all of Eastern's fleet.
.
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
corridor between New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and is one of a number of companies that compete in the Chinatown bus
Chinatown bus lines
Chinatown bus lines are discount intercity bus services that have been established in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast of the United States since 1998. Similar Chinese American-run bus services are cropping up on the West Coast...
market out of NYC's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Chinatown
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown , home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
.
History
What is Eastern Shuttle today originally (combined into one company when Eastern was owned by Stagecoach GroupStagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
) was two different Chinatown bus companies that both began operations around 2003, Eastern Travel (Eastern) and Dragon Coach, later Today's Bus (Today's). Eastern provided service initially to Philadelphia and later to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Following complaints from Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
and Peter Pan
Peter Pan Bus Lines
Peter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....
, and a requirement for all intercity services to move into the South Station
South Station
South Station, New England's second-largest transportation center , located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest train station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston, a prominent train station in the northeastern...
terminal, Eastern left the Boston and competed in the New York City-Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
market, with most trips servicing the Baltimore Travel Plaza. Today's provided service between New York City and Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.
In fall 2008, shortly after Eastern began offering Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
on its coaches and started servicing Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
, Coach USA purchased Eastern using the operating authority of a then-inactive company whose operations were sold to Peter Pan in the early 2000s., giving Coach USA its first foothold in the Chinatown bus market. In winter 2009, Coach USA purchased Today's, giving Coach USA a foothold in the Chinatown bus market to Philadelphia.
Earlier in 2008, Coach USA had introduced its Megabus
Megabus (United States)
Megabus, branded on buses as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/Coach Canada and DATTCO providing discount travel services since 2006, operating throughout the Northeast, parts of the Southeast, and Midwestern United States, and in southern Canada...
service into the northeastern United States out of a hub near Penn Station which competed at the time with two of the companies purchased by Stagecoach to form what is now Eastern Shuttle. With the acquisition of Eastern and of Today's, Coach USA used Eastern to significantly expand its Megabus service to Philadelphia and DC.
In August 2009, Coach USA divested itself of Eastern Shuttle operations, and the two lines are no longer affiliated with each other.. Eastern schedules have since been removed from the megabus.com website and customers are no longer able to make reservations for Eastern buses on the Megabus website. A link, however, remains on the Megabus site to Eastern Shuttle's new site, and while Coach USA does not own Eastern Shuttle, Coach USA continues to own all of Eastern's fleet.
Fleet
The Eastern Shuttle fleet consists entirely of single-deck MCI coaches painted either solid white (sometimes with the standard Coach USA stripe) or red, with (front to rear) EASTERN on the sides (and in most cases, the front) of the bus in plain lettering in the opposite color, the American flag, and the telephone number (212) 244-6132. Most of the fleet consists of coaches transferred from other Coach USA properties (including Megabus), along with some coaches purchased for Eastern and a handful of coaches that were inherited when Eastern Shuttle was purchased by Stagecoach (the inherited buses and units painted red do not have Coach USA stripes on them). All Eastern Shuttle coaches branded as such are equipped with Wi-FiWi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
.
Stop locations
Current stop locations for Eastern Shuttle are listed below.| City | Route | Stop location(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Cherry Hill light rail station Cherry Hill (Baltimore Light Rail station) Cherry Hill is a stop on the Baltimore Light Rail system. There is currently no free public parking at this station, but connections can be made to 3 of MTA Maryland's buses from here.... |
||
| New York City | 28 Allen Street (departures and arrivals) Spacious waiting room provided |
New York Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (New York City) Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also... (departures) 34 Street – Penn Station (Seventh Avenue) (arrivals) |
|
| Philadelphia | 1021 Arch Street | Independence Mall | |
| Richmond Richmond, Virginia Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... |
910 North Boulevard Virginia State Route 161 State Route 161 is a primary state highway in and near Richmond, Virginia, United States. It extends from an interchange with Interstate 95 in the independent city of Richmond north to an intersection with U.S... |
||
| Rockville Rockville, Maryland Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S... |
305 North Washington Street | ||
| Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
715 H Street, NW | ||
See also
- Megabus (United States)Megabus (United States)Megabus, branded on buses as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/Coach Canada and DATTCO providing discount travel services since 2006, operating throughout the Northeast, parts of the Southeast, and Midwestern United States, and in southern Canada...
- BusJunctionBusJunctionBusJunction.com is a discount bus ticket search engine based in the United States. It aggregates ticket information from discount and Chinatown bus lines so that users can search for tickets by price and departure time....
- GotobusGotobusGotoBus is a ticket search engine specializing in bus travel. It is owned and operated by IvyMedia Corporation, a privately held company. GotoBus.com sells line run intercity bus tickets, multi-day bus tours, guided city tours and sightseeing activities throughout the United States and Canada...
- BoltBusBoltBusBoltBus is a bus line operating in the northeastern United States. It is a 50/50 venture between Greyhound Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines providing service between New York City and other cities in the northeastern United States, utilizing the existing operating authority of Greyhound Lines...
- Chinatown bus linesChinatown bus linesChinatown bus lines are discount intercity bus services that have been established in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast of the United States since 1998. Similar Chinese American-run bus services are cropping up on the West Coast...