Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock
February 5th, 2010 by Tim Uden
New York City is a city of high-rise buildings and a visit here wouldn’t be complete without going to the top of one of them. Visitors to the city have a choice of two: the Empire State Building and the GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (Top of the Rock). Read on and we’ll help you decide which is best.
Queues
At the Empire State Building you’re queuing for what seems like hours. There is a queue to get in the building, a queue for the lift, a queue to buy tickets, a queue for the second lift and a queue to get on to the observation deck.
In contrast you book your ticket for Top of the Rock online for your chosen timeslot, and then you turn up and take the lift to the observation deck.
Crowds
The multiple queues and the fact that it is simply a more famous building mean that the Empire State Building is much more crowded. Top of the Rock is simply less crowded.
The hard sell
A visit to the Empire State Building means having to fend off pushy sales people that try to sell you photos and audio tours. In contrast, you can download the audio tour free from the Top of the Rock’s website if you book your tickets online.
Fame
The Empire State Building is a more famous building. But you can’t see the Empire State Building when you’re on top of it.
The GE Building at the Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock) may not be as famous as the Empire State Building. King Kong never climbed up it, but it is still a well-known building that has been immortalised both by a TV show (30 Rock) and the famous photograph showing construction workers eating lunch on a girder.
The view
Most people agree that the view is better from Top of the Rock. Even though you’re 10 floors higher up on the Empire State Building, the Top of the Rock is better located to offer unobstructed views of Central Park and a more complete view looking south down Manhattan that includes both Midtown and Downtown Manhattan.
The Empire State Building is on 34th Street at the southern end of Midtown Manhattan so you have to look in one direction to see Midtown and the other direction for a view of Lower Manhattan. From the Top of the Rock you see Midtown and Lower Manhattan in the one view, and looking north you see an unobstructed view of Central Park with the top 10 blocks of Midtown in the foreground.
Overall presentation
Both buildings date from the 1930s, but the Empire State Building just feels more dated while the Top of the Rock has been recently renovated and is generally a much nicer experience.
Price
Admission to either observation deck costs around the same. It costs $20 ($22 if you book onine) to get to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building and $21 ($19 if you book online) to visit the Top of the Rock observation deck in the GE Building.
More expensive packages are also available. For instance, once at the 86th floor of the Empire State Building you can pay an additional $15 to go up to the 102nd floor observatory and the Empire State Building has an Express Pass that costs $45 and lets you jump the queue. The Top of the Rock has a Sunrise Sunset package that costs $30 and lets you visit at sunrise and make a second visit later the same day.
Which is best?
In conclusion, it’s a no-brainer. Go to the Top of the Rock and enjoy the view. If you have money to burn (or a New York Pass, which is good for free admission to both), then go up the Empire State Building as well and decide for yourself which is best.
View of Empire State Building from Top of the Rock observation deck in the GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City
InterCity Coachlines launch $1 fares for New Zealand travel
December 16th, 2009 by Tim Uden
From today, InterCity Coachlines is selling NZD $1 coach fares for travel throughout New Zealand.
This is most likely to counter competition from upstart Naked Bus, which has been offering $1 coach fares since 2006.
Every InterCity coach service will have at least one $1 fare. However the announcement from InterCity indicates that this promotion will only run for the next 12 months.
It is great that competition from Naked Bus has pulled prices down so now New Zealand’s two main coach operators have cheap fares for travellers who are organised enough to book ahead.
I searched InterCity’s site to see how easy it was to find the cheap fares and it was no problem at all. Generally if I was to book a few weeks in advance I would have a pretty good chance to score a $1 ticket, which is similar to my experience with Naked Bus.
InterCity also have the advantage of no booking fee (Naked Bus charge $1), but once the bargain $1 fares have been sold Naked Bus still work out at around half the price of InterCity.
InterCity Coachlines New Zealand coach travel
Free things to see and do in New York City
December 15th, 2009 by Tim Uden
With more than eight million people living within the city limits and almost 19 million people in the metropolitan area, New York City is the ultimate metropolis. It boasts a gritty appeal that’s missing in many other big American cities and it has a vibrant atmosphere fuelled by the millions of people who live and work in the city. Despite its reputation as an expensive city, there is a lot happening in New York that is absolutely free.
Free music and theatre
BAMcafé (30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn; subway Fulton Street (G), Lafayette Avenue (C), Altantic Avenue-Pacific Street (2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, M, N, Q, R, W)) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music has free performances of jazz, R&B, pop and world music every Friday and Saturday night.
During summer, Central Park’s Summer Stage (Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, New York; subway 68 Street (6)) hosts a programme of free concerts including some by major artists.
Shakespeare in the Park has a regular programme of free Shakespeare productions performed in Central Park. Although admission is free, you still need to get a ticket from Delacorte Theater in Central Park or the Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street, New York; subway Astor Place (6), 8 Street-NYU (R, W)). The Shakespeare in the Park season runs from June to August.
Free museums
The American Folk Art Museum (45 West 53rd Street, New York; subway 5 Avenue-53 Street (E, V)) is free on Friday nights 5.30pm-7.30pm. This isn’t just free admission, but includes free live music too.
Look at Renaissance art and Egyptian mummies at the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn; subway Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum (2, 3)), which has free entry 5pm-11pm on the first Saturday of each month.
Federal Hall National Memorial (26 Wall Street, New York; subway Broad Street (J, M, Z)) is where George Washington was sworn in as the first US president. The site is now home to a free museum.
Entry to the Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Avenue, New York; subway 86 Street (4, 5, 6)) is by donation 5.45pm-7.45pm on Saturday evenings.
Free admission to the Guggenheim Museum on Saturday evenings
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA; 11 West 53rd Street, New York; subway 5 Avenue-53 Street (E, V)) has free admission 4pm-8pm on Friday evenings.
The National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green, New York; subway Bowling Green (4, 5)) always has free admission.
The South Street Seaport Museum (12 Fulton Street, New York) is free 6pm-8.45pm on the third Friday of each month.
The Studio Museum of Harlem (144 West 125th Street, New York; subway 125 Street (2, 3)) has free admission every Sunday afternoon (12 noon-6pm).
The Whitney Museum (945 Madison Avenue, New York ; subway 77 Street (6)) has admission by donation 6pm-9pm on Friday evenings.
Free walking tours
Several neighbourhood groups operate free walking tours. These include the Union Square Partnership’s free 90-minute walking tour of Union Square and surrounding streets. This tour departs 2pm every Saturday from in front of the Lincoln Statue in Union Square (subway 14th Street-Union Square (4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W)).
There are also free walking tours that can be downloaded as podcasts from iTunes.
Other free attractions
Stretch your legs and get close to one of New York’s most famous landmarks – the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge has a raised pedestrian walkway in the centre of the bridge that is accessible from the end of Centre Street (subway Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall (4, 5, 6)) on the Manhattan side. It takes around half an hour to walk across the 1825m (5989ft) bridge.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn; subway Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum (2, 3), Prospect Park (B, S, Q)) is free Mon-Fri until 2 March 2010.
Entry to the Bronx Zoo (Boston Road, Bronx ; subway East Tremont Avenue-West Farms Square (2, 5), bus BxM11) is by donation every Wednesday.
During winter the Pond at Bryant Park (subway 42 Street-Bryant Park (B, D, F, V); open 6 Nov-24 Jan; Mon-Thu 8am-10pm, Fri-Sat 8am-midnight, Sun 8am-10pm) is the city’s only free admission ice-skating rink, although you’ll need to rent skates for $12 if you don’t have your own pair.
Grand Central Terminal is arguably the grandest railway station in the United States and you don’t need to buy a train ticket to admire the impressive building. The station’s main concourse is the most well-known part of the building consisting of a cavernous space with an enormous American flag and an opulent astronomical ceiling. There are more platforms on the lower dining concourse, which is considered one of the most impressive railway station food courts with many well-known restaurants including the famous Oyster Bar that has been operating at the station since 1913.
Shopping in a big city like New York may not fit into your itinerary if you’re just doing all the free things in town, but window shopping lets you keep your wallet in your pocket while seeing why shopaholics love this city. It costs nothing to browse speciality shops like the one-of-a-kind B&H Photo, FAO Schwarz toy shop and Zabar’s famous deli or to poke your head in the famous designer shops on Madison and Fifth Avenues.
New York’s best bargain is the Staten Island Ferry, which provides a free alternative to pricey sightseeing cruises. The ferry sails between St George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, sailing past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty en route. It offers excellent views of Lower Manhattan and Jersey City as well as Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The ferry operates 24 hours per day with departures every 15 minutes during peak hours. The return trip is free.
It costs nothing to wander around Times Square and gawp at the bright lights. The big intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue is world-famous for its garish neon advertising, and is the centre of New York’s Broadway theatre district. It is the only part of New York where zoning laws require building owners to display illuminated signs and the intensity of bright lights and neon signs rivals that of Las Vegas.
You can unwind in the park after you have done all the free things in the city. Central Park, the city’s most famous park, takes up a huge chunk of central Manhattan spanning the expanse between Harlem and Midtown Manhattan. The park features lots of recreation areas including cycling and walking tracks, a swimming pool, two ice-skating rinks, an outdoor theatre and a zoo. It is the most visited city park in the United States and you can easily spend a day here, although it is best to keep out of the park after dark. Other parks include Bryant Park, Union Square and Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village where you can often listen to amateur musicians who gather around the fountain.
Explore Seinfeld’s New York
October 12th, 2009 by Tim Uden
Even though Seinfeld stopped running in 1998, many visitors to New York City make a pilgrimage to see the locations from the show. The main spots are:
Tom’s Restaurant
Tom’s Restaurant (2880 Broadway, New York; subway Cathedral Parkway-110th Street (1)) on the corner of Broadway and 112th Street was the setting for Monk’s Café in the show. This restaurant is the main Seinfeld location in the city with Seinfeld memorabilia adorning its walls. It is a popular spot with tourists, yet it still remains an affordable place to eat with a genuine local atmosphere.
Tom's Restaurant (aka Monk's Cafe) on New York's Upper West Side
Original Soup Man
Unfortunately Soup Kitchen International – the inspiration for the Soup Nazi episode – on W 55th Street closed in late 2006, but the legend lives on in the spin-off Original Soup Man franchise with several Manhattan locations including 42nd Street near 5th Avenue (subway 5 Avenue (7)) and 2 Astor Place, New York (subway 8 Street-NYU (R, W), Astor Place (6)).
H&H Bagels
H&H Bagels (2239 Broadway, New York; subway 79th Street (1)) where Kramer worked is a New York institution and is regarded by many as having the city’s best bagels. If you visit, make sure you pop across the road to Zabar’s to experience one of the best specialty food shops anywhere.
Kramer’s Reality Tour
The character Cosmo Kramer was based on Seinfeld producer Larry David’s neighbour, Kenny Kramer. Kenny runs Kramer’s Reality Tour (tel 212 268 5525), which takes in the show’s main locations and also includes inside gossip on the show. The tour, which runs on Saturdays, is popular with Seinfeld fans visiting New York, but it is advisable to book well in advance. Tours cost $37.50.
Check the Geography of Seinfeld site for more information about New York locations used on Seinfeld.
How to eat in New York City for only $3 per day
October 11th, 2009 by Tim Uden
Eating in New York City can be expensive – really expensive – but there is cheap food if you dine at the ubiquitous food carts and cheap pizza places found throughout the city.
Street food stalls predominantly sell hot dogs, bagels and pretzels (three New York staples that every visitor should try), but there are many other types of food available from shish kebabs to waffles. Prices vary from one cart to another and, after paying $3 for a hot dog only to find a cart on the next corner selling them for $1, I recommend only buying from carts that have their prices prominently displayed. In general hot dogs cost from $1 to $3 and a bagel with cream cheese costs $1 to $1.50.
Avoid street food stands that don't display a price list
There are several other options for hot dogs including Gray’s Papaya, which is reputed to have the best hot dogs in the city. This local institution is famous for its hot dogs and fruit juice and has three locations (539 8th Avenue, New York; subway 34th Street-Penn Station (A, C, E); 402 6th Avenue, New York; subway Christopher Street-Sheridan Square (1); W 4th Street (A, B, C, D, E, F, V); PATH 9th Street & 2090 Broadway, New York; subway 72nd Street (1, 2, 3)) that are open 24 hours. A hot dog at Gray’s Papaya is $1.50 and their Recession Special (two hot dogs and a drink) is around $5. Papaya Dog and Papaya King are two other similar hot dog and fruit juice places that you will see around Manhattan.
Pizza by the slice is another New York City bargain. Although there are many places selling slices for $3 to $4, it is possible to get a slice of pizza for just $1. Try Two Bros Pizza (corner 9th Avenue and W 40th Street, New York; subway 42 Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal (A, C, E)), which has $1 slices and a combo with two slices of pizza and a can of soft drink for only $2.75.
A slice of pizza costs only one dollar at 2 Bros Pizza
If you’re travelling on a tight budget you can get by on a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast and a slice of pizza for lunch and dinner, which means a daily food budget of only $3.
Zipcar – a different type of car rental
September 26th, 2009 by Tim Uden
This week I drove my first car rented from Zipcar, a car sharing agency that is an alternative to a traditional car rental company.
Basically Zipcar’s target market are people who live in big cities and only need a car occasionally. Rather than buy a car, they become a Zipster (a Zipcar member) and rent a car by the hour when they need it. It’s not really a service designed for the traveller, but in some instances it can work out a better option than a regular rental car.
Here are the main differences between car rental and car sharing (à la Zipcar):
- Traditional rental cars require that you rent the car from the rental car office, but they usually let you return the car to a different city; car sharing agencies like Zipcar let members reserve over the internet and pick the car up from reserved parking spaceslocated at strategic points all over the city. Cars from a car sharing agency must be returned to the same car parking space.
- Traditional rental car agencies let anyone walk in off the street and rent a car, but car sharing services like Zipcar only let members rent and it can take several days for a membership application to be processed. It costs USD $75 to sign up as a member in the US or £50 if you sign up in the UK.
- The process of picking up a regular rental car can take around 15 minutes. With a car sharing service like Zipcar you can be driving within a minute or two.
- You rent by the day with traditional car rental companies, but with car sharing services like Zipcar you can rent by the hour (although there is also a daily rate).
- Traditional rental car companies usually have no problem if you want a car for a month or longer, but it is difficult to get a car from a car sharing service like Zipcar for longer than four days (mainly because other members may have previously reserved that car).
- With car sharing agencies you get the exact same car you asked for, none of being ‘upgraded’ to some big ugly car that you didn’t ask for.
- Traditional rental car companies may charge you additional fees for insurance, but car sharing agencies like Zipcar include insurance.
- You are responsible for paying for petrol if you rent through a regular car rental company, but fuel is included with car sharing. In the United States Zipcar includes the first 180 miles (300km) per day free of charge and there is a fuel card provided with the car so you can top it up at Zipcar’s expense.
- Most rental car companies won’t rent to you if you’re aged under 25 and if they do, they will charge you extremely high fees for the privilege. Zipcar only require that you are aged over 21 and they don’t charge you any extra if you only just turned 21.
There are quite a few differences between Zipcar’s service and a regular rental car and it isn’t for everyone, particularly if you’re planning a longer trip. However it is worth considering if you are travelling between big cities by some other form of transport (such as plane or train) and need a car for a few days at a time to explore a specific region, and it may be your only option if you’re aged between 21 and 25.
Because fuel is included and there aren’t any additional charges for insurance, Zipcars and cars from other car sharing services can work out much better value than regular rental cars (as long as you average less than 300km per day).
In the United States most car rental agencies seem to specialise in big ugly boring cars (usually the Hyundai Ascent – which I previously blogged about as being too big an unweildy – is the smallest car on offer). However Zipcar has quite a nice range of small cars, such as the Mini, Honda Jazz and the Mazda 3. Unfortunately like most US-based rental agencies, all North American Zipcars have automatic transmissions, so you’ll feel like an old age pensioner driving without being in full control of your car (however most Zipcars in London are manuals).
My experience with Zipcar
I signed up for a Zipcar membership a few days before flying out to the USA. However my member application meant that I needed to provide a copy of my driving record, which I needed to order a week earlier from Vicroads in Australia (if you’re planning to rent a Zipcar you definitely need to plan in advance). The day I arrived I recieved an email saying I was approved and a couple of days later I picked up my new Zipcar membership card (my Zipcard) from Zipcar’s San Francisco office.
I reserved my Zipcar online on my iPhone (this was around a week before Zipcar was due to release their new iPhone app so I did it through the phone’s built in browser) and was given directions to where the car was parked.
After finding the car I held my Zipcard to the windscreen and the doors unlocked. Then I hopped inside and started the car using the keys attached to the driving column (well it would have been that easy if I was able to work out how to start the car but a combination of not haven driven an automatic in around 15 years and being unfamiliar with starting a Mini – press the start button – meant that it took me a while to work things out, but that is not any fault of Zipcar.
There were a few little quirks that will take a little getting used to (such as leaving the keys in your car when it is parked and refueling using the fuel car under the sun visor) but I think it is worth it for the freedom that Zipcar offers, not to mention the option of having a nice small car instead of the big ugly things that most US rental car companies offer.
My problems trying to start the car notwithstanding, I found Zipcar an easy alternative to a regular rental car and I look forward to using them again; which incidentally will be tomorrow when I pick up a car in Palo Alto in Silicon Valley.
There’s more to Los Angeles than its suburbs
September 23rd, 2009 by Tim Uden
Los Angeles is noted mostly for its suburbs like Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice Beach and many people consider LA a vast suburban sprawl lacking a central core. In fact many travellers who visit Los Angeles don’t even set foot inside the city centre.
The focus on the importance of Los Angeles’ suburbs is best illustrated by the fact that, out of around 30 hostels in the LA area only one – Stay Hotel – is in the city centre.
Although downtown Los Angeles doesn’t have the buzz of many other big cities such as Chicago, New York City or San Francisco; downtown Los Angeles is still worth a visit.
It is the oldest part of the city and it includes historic areas such as El Pueblo de Los Angeles plus some brilliant architecture such as Los Angeles’ 28-storey City Hall and the art deco Union Station.
If you’re planning a trip to Los Angeles, don’t write off the city centre and if you’re visiting without a car, then it makes sense to stay in the city centre to take advantage of LA’s public transport system, which is centred on Downtown Los Angeles.
Downtown LA may not have the same vibe as New York City, but it does have history, quirky shops, world-class museums, interesting neighbourhoods on the city fringe such as Chinatown and Little Tokyo. With the trend of people moving back downtown it will only get better.
Free entry to museums in the USA on 26 September
September 18th, 2009 by Tim Uden
26 September 2009 is Museum Day with free entry to hundreds of museums throughout the United States. However it doesn’t apply to all museums – the museum I was hoping to visit that day (the Tech Museum in San Jose) is not participating in the scheme – and you’ll need to check the Museum Day website to see if the museum you want to visit is participating.
You need to fill out the form on the Smithsonian website to download your free admission card. But tough luck if you’re visiting from abroad as the online form on the Smithsonian website only accepts addresses in the US and Canada. I would assume that the Smithsonian is not being discriminatory on purpose (it is most likely an oversight rather than some sinister xenophobic plan) and you could probably get around this by using your hotel or hostel address rather than your home address.
Qualmark skews its star ratings too high
September 17th, 2009 by Tim Uden
Qualmark is New Zealand’s main star rating agency which is the ‘official’ star rating used by Tourism New Zealand. It was established in partnership with Tourism New Zealand and as such it has an interest in promoting tourism rather than providing travellers with impartial advice.
Furthermore, like many other – so called, official – ratings agencies, they are paid by the accommodation establishments for the rating. This cosy partnership between accommodation providers and the organisation that is supposed to be rating them just leads to higher ratings than the hotels and hostels deserve.
As an independent travel guide BUG never accepts payment for a rating. Having any sort of direct business relationship with a hostel that we rate would jeopardise our independence. Our aim is to provide independent consumer advice, which means that we review and rate a hostel for the benefit of the traveller – not the hostel.
Clearly when an organisation like Qualmark is being paid by the accommodation it is supposed to be rating and is partnered with an organisation involved in promoting tourism, then the ratings are likely to be skewed towards a higher star rating. After all, they look after their customers – the hotels and hostels they rate – rather than travellers like yourself. Looking after their customers means giving them a star rating that hotels and hostels will be proud to display.
I am not saying that they are corrupt in any way. Qualmark (and other ratings agencies such as AAA Tourism in Australia) follow a strict set of guidelines to come to their rating and I am sure that Qualmark’s assessors take their job seriously. However the algorithm used to calculate those ratings produce higher ratings than a truly independent ratings assessor such as BUG (or Michelin if you’re talking about fancy restaurants). After all they look after their customer, the hotels and hostels that pay for the ratings; while BUG looks after our customers, the travellers who buy our guidebooks and use our website.
You would expect that the ratings would be spread between a ½ star and five stars with the majority of ratings near the middle (2, 2½ and 3 stars). That is the case with BUG’s ratings, but Qualmark’s ratings are through the roof. Their backpackers’ hostel ratings do not rate a single hostel less than three stars and even awful hostels like Wedgwood House YHA in Picton and Barnacles Seaside Inn YHA in Paraparaumu get at least three stars while those same hostels barely manage to score two stars with their BUG ratings.
New Zealand also has BBH’s backpacker perception ratings. This is a more subjective rating system than Qualmark’s system, but it is generally more trusted than Qualmark for giving an indication of a hostel’s quality. However it is isn’t a complete rating system as it only rates hostels that are part of the BBH hostel network, thereby eliminating all YHA hostels from their ratings.
Refer to the following table for an idea of the disparity between Qualmark, BUG and BBH ratings:
| Hostel | Qualmark rating | BBH rating | BUG rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accents on the Park (Nelson) | 5 stars | 80% | 4 stars |
| Anndion Lodge (Wanganui) | 5 stars | 4 stars | |
| Base Backpackers (Wellington) | 4 stars plus | 3½ stars | |
| Criterion Art Deco Backpackers (Napier) | 4 stars plus | 3 stars | |
| Downtown Backpackers (Wellington) | 4 stars | 66% | 2 stars |
| Kiwipaka Rotorua (Rotorua) | 4 stars plus | 2½ stars | |
| Moana Lodge (Plimmerton, Wellington) | 5 stars | 89% | 4 stars |
| YHA Auckland International (Auckland) | 5 stars | 3½ stars | |
| YHA Franz Josef (Franz Josef Glacier) | 5 stars | 3½ stars | |
| YHA Mount Cook (Mount Cook) | 5 stars | 4 stars |
While the hostels may love having a high Qualmark star rating, it is a disservice to travellers having all the ratings bunched up at the top end of the scale. For instance, in Wellington there is only one star separating Downtown Backpackers (Qualmark awards them 4 stars, BUG awards then 2 stars) and Moana Lodge (Qualmark awards them 5 stars and BUG awards them 4 stars). Qualmark’s rating of these two hostels would have you believe that they both offer a similar standard of accommodation but in reality these two hostels couldn’t be more different. Moana Lodge is a lovely place that has worked hard to earn its high rating, on the other hand Downtown Backpackers is a big old place in a run-down building that most travellers tolerate for its central location. Qualmark’s rating only separates these two hostels by one star.
Compare this with other star rating agencies such as the English and Welsh Tourist Boards, which assess star ratings but are more accurate with lower ratings awarded to simpler or poorer quality hotels and hostels. This is better for the traveller as it gives a better indication of what a place is really like as opposed to Qualmark’s system, which basically involves saying that all the hostels are excellent when they all clearly are not.
Fortunately travellers have the alternative of BBH and BUG’s own independently assessed star ratings.
Greyhound to start running coaches in the UK next month
August 20th, 2009 by Tim Uden
Starting on September 14, Greyhound coaches will start operating from London to Portsmouth and Southampton.
The new coach service will feature complimentary newspapers, air conditioning, toilets, free wireless internet, power sockets at each seat and a frequent rider programme. Greyhound’s UK coaches will have leather seating that promise to be more spacious than rival coach companies with 41 seats to a coach as opposed to the usual 50 seats.
Greyhound UK will adopt a yield-management pricing model like those used by low-cost airlines and rival coach operator Megabus. If you book in advance you will be able to get fares with low prices starting at £1 (plus a 50p booking fee).
From what I have seen, it looks like it will be a top quality coach service with nice little extras that will make it a great travel option.
Services from Portsmouth to London will depart from the Hard Interchange in Portsmouth with a pick-up on Edinburgh Road in the city centre and then run express toBulleid Way near Victoria Station in London. The trip will take two hours with 10 services per day. Portsmouth to London services will run from 6am to 6pm and London to Portsmouth services will run from 9am to 9pm.
Coach services from Southampton to London will depart from Southampton Town Quay with pick-ups at Southampton West Quay and Southampton University and will run express to London, terminating atBulleid Way near Victoria Station. The trip will take two hours with nine services per day.
Greyhound’s new coach services will be timed to met Isle of Wight ferry services.
The relatively recent resurgence in coach travel in the UK started with Megabus, whose £1 fares forced Scottish Citylink and National Express to become more competitive. Now with Greyhound entering the UK coach travel scene, it looks like low cost UK coach travel will be with us for a while.
This is good news for travellers fed up with Britain’s expensive rail services, although with Megatrain and some inexpensive deals offered by the likes of Chiltern Railways, East Midlands Trains, London Midland and Virgin Trains it looks like competition from cheap coaches is also starting to bring down the cost of rail travel, particularly on more competitive routes.
I think it is great that there is more competition and more cheap travel options in the UK, but I don’t really think that the Greyhound brand is worth all that much. In Australia, Greyhound have a relatively good reputation but in the United States they have a reputation as transport for the lower classes (although I would suggest that the riff-raff that hang around some US coach terminals would have a lot to do with this image). Greyhound is trying to capitalise on their American heritage – and the livery on their coaches suggests that they are trying to recreate a nostalgic image. In my opinion, that image works well in the US where you want to ride an American institution to get the full American experience; but that’s not what you want when you visit any other country. Greyhound coaches in Australia have a much more modern image than in the US and they’re not trying to be American – and why should they, Greyhound Australia has been around longer than Greyhound in the USA.
Unfortunately I get the feeling that Greyhound UK is trying to be too American. That is not going to appeal to many international tourists that come here to experience British culture and I expect it won’t appeal to too many British passengers either. An article in The Times says that “each coach will have names based on classic American songs such as Barbara Ann, Jolene and Peggy Sue” and one of the first Greyhound coaches in the UK will be named Sweet Caroline. It all sounds too American for a coach that will be travelling down the M3 to Southampton. I would prefer to ride a coach named Fluorescent Adolescent, Wonderwall or Sorted for E’s and Wizz than a coach named Sweet Caroline.
I get the feeling that this American branding will plant an image in peoples’ minds about the old Greyhound from American films. That is an old coach with uncomfortable seats and broken air conditioning where you sit next to some smelly passenger who hasn’t showered since she got on the coach two days ago in Tuscon and after 20 hours on the coach you pull into some awful terminal that is inhabited by the homeless. It’s not a good image and it is something that Greyhound is working hard to dispel. In the north-eastern United States Greyhound have introduced some excellent new services that have been re-branded with names like Bolt Bus and Neon. This new branding is necessary to appeal to a younger market that is turned off by the Greyhound brand. It is a shame really as Greyhound does have a good product that has evolved beyond the image that most people have.
FirstGroup, who took over Greyhound in 2007, shouldn’t try so hard to play up on Greyhound’s American heritage. After all it is a British company that I would assume it looking to the future. Rather than slapping a retro 1950s paint job on a modern coach, they should adopt a more modern brand like Greyhound have done in Australia (note that Greyhound in Australia are not related to Greyhound in North America and the UK). From what I have read about Greyhound’s new UK service, I get the impression that it will more closely resemble theBoltBus and Neon brands. This is what Greyhound should be aiming for.
