Chinatown Bus Ordeal

Chinatown Bus Commute

If you are a Howard University student from New York or not, you surely know about the $20 Chinatown buses! I took one this weekend just to see what the “BUZZ” was all about and is it just me or are the Chinese running these buses like the meanest/rudest Chinese you ever came across?

So, I took a trip to New York city this weekend, not feeling like making the 4-5 hr drive, I sought out different means of getting there. It was either the Amtrak train, a flight or the Bus and being the poor student that I am, I opted for the bus. My trip started on 5pm last Friday June 12, 2009 when I unknowingly boarded the Chinatown bus on 513 & H Street in Chinatown DC with my luggage in my lap. Not only was I rudely told by the bus attendant to take my luggage off the bus and throw it in the storage under the bus but come to find out this was the wrong bus! I was supposed to be boarding the Eastern bus on 715 H Street just half a block over.

So I make my way over to the next side and get on the correct bus this time and I proceeded to hand my E-Ticket to the bus conductor. Since the instructions stated that Identification was necessary upon boarding, I politely asked the driver if he needed to see my ID, not only did he not look at me but to my surprise he ferociously told me to sit down!

I hesitantly took my seat and braced myself for the long ride, pondering over my new found perception of Chinese people who I previously viewed as mild mannered and respectful. Nevertheless, the trip finally got underway and needless to say I was still upset at my latest ordeal. I was determined not to let this affect my visit so I put my disdain aside for the time being and 4.5 hrs later made it to NY.

Here is the sight that made the trip all worthwhile:

Manhattan at Night

My time in New York was interesting to say the least but I enjoyed the vibrant, activity driven city for what it had to offer. Now one would think, two bad encounters with the Chinatown bus in one day is ridiculous but would you believe it was not over yet?! I had yet another terrible encounter with another Chinese when I was returning to DC. The problem was that I booked a ticket which was emailed to me, so not having enough time to print the ticket I assumed since it was electronic I could just show the email and confirmation number at the bus. Bad idea! To my surprise when I got to the front, I was told abruptly to step out of the line since I did not have the paper ticket which caused me to lose my preferred seat! The attending Chinese lady rushed me into their office and continuously complained as she physically wrote me out a paper ticket from the information in her computer. In the end, I was the last person the enter the bus and had to endure a most uncomfortable seat all the way back to DC which took over 5hrs due to inclement weather in Baltimore and New Jersey!

That was the third strike that solidified my newly formed perception of the Chinese running the Chinatown buses. In conclusion, the night scene in New York was hectic but what a beautiful city! Well, with that said I returned to DC with a sweat drenched shirt, a new found view of certain Asians and a new experience which was priceless. So next time you take a Chinatown Bus, keep my experience in mind.

I want to hear your experience with the Chinatown Bus, have you had similar experiences or am I just being too sensitive? Drop a comment let me know. Thanks for reading!

Written and Edited by Kema E.
Technical Editor at Hilltop Buzz