World Wide Bus offers students cheaper fares, convenient locations

By Todd Feathers

News Correspondent

World Wide Bus and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced last week they will run a new express bus service between Cambridge, Newton and New York City.

The company is offers an introductory one-way rate of $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends until Nov. 18. The regular fare is $15 on weekdays and $20 on weekends. Service began Oct. 27.

“The idea is to provide an overall better experience,” said Eric Brodie, spokesman for World Wide Bus. “World Wide Bus’ mission … is catering to folks that don’t want to deal with having to go into the city.”

MBTA representatives said their new partnership with World Wide Bus is another way for the MBTA to generate money without raising fares for the T and other public transportation.

World Wide Bus will pay the MBTA $48,000 per year for the right to pick up passengers at the Alewife and Riverside stations.

“It’s a great move on the MBTA’s part,” said Mariellen Burns, spokeswoman for the MBTA. “They don’t want to always be looking to their riders for revenue.”

The buses will stop at the Alewife station in Cambridge and then at Riverside station in Newton before beginning the four–hour drive to Penn Station in New York City.

Michael Fiorenza, a sophomore criminal justice major from New York City, said he probably wouldn’t commute to Cambridge or Newton to catch a bus home.

“If it’s around a holiday or something when there’s a lot of people traveling, it might be nice,” Fiorenza said. “But going all the way out there would be a pain.”

Emani Mcknight, a freshman political science major, said she wouldn’t mind going to Cambridge next time she took a bus to New York City.

“I have to travel to South Station, and it’s like the same amount of time,” Mcknight said.

Brodie said World Wide Bus has no plans to add more pick-up and drop-off points in Boston, or to expand their service to include other cities.

World Wide Bus’ ticket prices are among the cheapest offered. The Fung Wah and Bolt Bus from South Station, generally considered the cheapest way to get from Boston to New York City, usually cost $15 for a one-way ticket, but prices vary depending on date and time. Amtrak charges between $60–$150 for the trip, and plane tickets run between $100–$300.

World Wide Bus will also take over management of the Riverside bus terminal, which was run by Greyhound and Peter Pan bus companies. The company plans to make several renovations to the station, including weather proofing and replacing the lamps with more energy-efficient models.

The buses will hold 56 passengers and offer free wi-fi, a 110-volt outlet at each seat and climate control. Brodie described World Wide Bus as a convenient and environmentally friendly method of travel.

“Somebody else can drive you down to New York while you’re in a bus that’s got wi-fi and plugs into your laptop or sit and read, that’s basically eight hours of your life that you get back,” said Brodie.  “Plus it’s 56 cars off the road.”