Transportation to/from Long Island

My son has taken CollegeExpress a couple of times. Both due to a less than perfect experience, and scheduling, looking at the Shortline Coach USA option that runs daily.

Anyone who has done this trip :

How was service (timeliness, power for laptop, wifi)?

Purchase tickets ? I read you can get on at campus and buy/pickup ticket at the Ithaca terminal, is that correct and convenient ?

He may get car ride home then return on bus.
Can he buy ticket at the stop leaving long island ? Drivers take cash ? I would feel better to buy in advance but does not seem possible. Worried about getting a seat (return home middle of spring break), and prefer ease of online purchase.

CollegeExpress was easy to buy, but limited schedule, main reason looking elsewhere.

Short line/Campus USA can be purchased in Collegetown. My kid sleeps most of the trip so can’t comment on power/wifi. If there is a terminal at his LI stop, the tix can be purchased there. He can buy a one way in Collegetown and use anytime. There is not an online method of purchasing from them. From our area, the short line runs 6 times a day.

Thanks. what I read online is that the collegetown tix are only Friday/Sunday trips.
That all other days, must get at the Ithaca bus station, or at local stops on Long Island.
Yes, I see they run red eye trips, intended to sleep while traveling.

Glad to hear this was a good option.

There is a new express bus called Big Red Bullet. It models after campus to campus bus, but it is 110 round trip. It stops at Bryant park. You can buy the ticket in advance and it runs daily.
http://bigredbullet.com/

My daughter took the shortline to Rononkoma.It took 7 hours. There were many stops along the way. She showed up o the bus station in Ithaca and paid for her ticket with her debit card. Another time, we paid for her ticket over the phone. There was wifi and she used her laptop the entire way.

Many Cornell parents prefer the Campus to Campus bus because of concerns that their student could end up sitting next to a non-Cornell person on the the Shortline. A plain 'ol bus, oh no. But it serves its purpose and is easier when you are not scheduling a few years in advance.

@lostaccount Oh the horror, thanks for the warning.

It is silly to think Cornell parents preferred Campus to Campus because we didn’t want our student to sit next to a non-Cornell person. My kid took CtC for many years until big Red Bullet came about. We preferred it because 1) she could buy her tickets in advance (during holiday times Shortline could be so busy that one couldn’t get on) and get an ASSIGNED SEAT, 2) she didn’t have to be in Port Authority during late hours, whereas she could be dropped off at the Cornell Club or the medical center, which were within walking distance to our apartment, 3) CtC had wifi, drinks, and seats were a lot more comfortable.
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How much it campus to campus bus and how often? I see them in NYC during the weekdays.

It is 180 roundtrip for CtC, and 110 for the Red Bullet. I think Shortline is around 80. My nephew takes Shortline. He said it can be a bit nerve wrecking around Thanksgiving time.

180, wow! I see the value in the red bullet then!!

For those of us who live in the burbs, I lean towards Shortline and CollegeExpress as a parent.
They pickup and drop off in the burbs, avoiding the “Planes, trains and automobiles” movie trip.
My S does not like CollegeExpress, long trip with many stops, but you can buy tix in advance online
and the buses appear to be modern safe buses. Only problem is they have limited service, so looking
to try Shortline this time. BR is feasible, if you don’t mind driving into Manhattan to pickup the kid,
or if they will drag luggage to Penn/PA etc. Thanks all for the info.

We live outside city, so Shortline/Campus USA has been preferred for my sons. They like it over getting rides with friends as they can sleep, listen to their own music and not have to be on other’s schedules. There has never been an issue with getting on a bus as it seems that they know when the demand is high to get the kids back to school and have more busses pulling us. They will usually have the kids break up to destination busses (North Campus, Collegetown, West). This is usually done after break. If they come home on a random weekend, there is a chance that they have to sit next to a non-student (Oh my).

C2C is really easy for anyone living in Westchester or CT as the bus drops students at the Cornell Club, one block from Grand Central. Expensive once you add in the Metro North train ticket, but convenient.

The Shortline buses are hit or miss. My son has been on one that broke down and had to wait for a replacement. Another required two transfers along the route. Returning from White Plains after some holiday, he had to wait nearly half an hour for additional buses to show up as demand exceeded bus company’s expectation. But, they are inexpensive and readily available.

But…friends who drive may change mind at last minute and leave early…but I think he prefers catching a ride with a friend, as long as there aren’t three squeezed in the back seat of a small car.

I spent 45 minutes waiting for the big red bullet on the street in Ithaca in the snow, all of us calling to see where the bus was. Got the run around from their answering service, with them first telling us that we will get a call back withing 24 hours. I guess enough people flooded their emails/phones that they then said the bus is another hour late. It showed up an hour and a half late, not excuse, apology or explanation. The seats themselves were not very comfortable and the bus smelled. Not worth the extra saving from ctc.

@mhmm – wow. Good feedback. My son has not tried that one yet and probably won’t now.

My kid has taken big red bullet a few times, always on time, but she did say the seats are not as comfortable as C2C. It is $70 cheaper.

For trips to and from Long Island, I would recommend Swarthout. $90 roundtrip; even at ~6 hours it is faster than Shortline; goes to Melville with only two other stops (Queens and Rockaway, NJ) The website is www.GoSwarthout.com

Thanks. Will check that out next time. Son took CoachUSA back to school last week. Right on time at pickup, 2 transfers but got him to campus for a reasonable price. Better service than CollegrExpress and runs more regularly.

I took Shortline a couple times to/from Ithaca. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride (seats were cramped and sometimes not soft enough), but at $88/roundtrip, it’s by far the best deal.
Apparently Shortline is offering a “platinum” service now. For $5 more each way, you’ll get a nonstop ride along with free drinks and a snack.

Don’t take College Express; they have horrible service. At $73/roundtrip, they are the cheapest, but you’ll have to suffer through late bus arrivals, drivers getting lost (yes this happened more than once), and tons of transfers. Once on a trip back to Ronkonkoma, the driver stopped for a transfer by Connecticut.

If cost isn’t an issue, then the Campus-to-Campus bus is the most comfortable. I haven’t been on it before but I hear they have tons of leg room and even tables so you can do work.