commuting to NYC from Mt. Laurel (Academy or Greyhound?) (for rent, student loans)

[dropintheocean]

Hi,

Looking for some advice on commuting to New York from the Mt. Laurel area. I'm about to graduate college and just got my first job (9-5) in NYC, in Soho. I still live at home in Mt. Laurel. Eventually I plan to move to the city (or close to it), but at least for a few months I want to commute to save money for rent and student loans.

I've done internships in NY and have always taken the train from Hamilton. I like the train and don't mind the drive to get there, but with prices going up, I'm trying to avoid paying the $425/mo + $100 to park for a daily commute (plus subway) if there is a decent alternative. Looking into options closer to home, I found that the Academy Bus from the Exit 5 Park and Ride is $340/mo and Greyhound from Mt. Laurel is $360 (both go to Port Authority I think). I'm only maybe a 5 minute drive from the Greyhound station, but I'm also close to 295 to get to the Academy stop. Does anyone have experience commuting on either of these lines? Are they reliable? Crowded? Academy estimates a 1 hour, 25 minute trip and Greyhound a 1 hr, 40-45 min trip -- is this remotely accurate? Are there any other commuting options I should consider?

Any advice or feedback would be helpful!

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by dropintheocean

Hi,

Looking for some advice on commuting to New York from the Mt. Laurel area. I'm about to graduate college and just got my first job (9-5) in NYC, in Soho. I still live at home in Mt. Laurel. Eventually I plan to move to the city (or close to it), but at least for a few months I want to commute to save money for rent and student loans.

I've done internships in NY and have always taken the train from Hamilton. I like the train and don't mind the drive to get there, but with prices going up, I'm trying to avoid paying the $425/mo + $100 to park for a daily commute (plus subway) if there is a decent alternative. Looking into options closer to home, I found that the Academy Bus from the Exit 5 Park and Ride is $340/mo and Greyhound from Mt. Laurel is $360 (both go to Port Authority I think). I'm only maybe a 5 minute drive from the Greyhound station, but I'm also close to 295 to get to the Academy stop. Does anyone have experience commuting on either of these lines? Are they reliable? Crowded? Academy estimates a 1 hour, 25 minute trip and Greyhound a 1 hr, 40-45 min trip -- is this remotely accurate? Are there any other commuting options I should consider?

Any advice or feedback would be helpful!

There was a Trailways bus that ran from, if I remember correctly, Exit 4 for decades.

I never took it, but in the 60s & 70s I had friends whose fathers took the Trailways bus to NYC as a daily commute. It can get really ugly in the winter, when there are storms, though.

[southbound_295]

I checked & here's the Trailways bus stop in Mt Laurel. http://www.trailways.com/travel/individual-bus-tickets/busstations_updated.pdf (broken link)

You'd have to see how they compare, but they have been doing the NYC run for decades.

[NatasNJ]

I think you can book the bolt bus for like $1 each way if you do it well in advance.
Not sure if you can do that for work and be totally set with a cheap commute option.
Worth checking out at least.

Rates seem to range around $8 - $14 each way. Not sure how that compares to Greyhound.

[ocnjgirl]

I don't have experience from Mt, Laurel to NYC but have taken Greyhound from AC to NYC several times. The only problem I run into is that the ticket only says from-to, not what time. Every bus regardless of time was packed to the brim. So if I wanted to take an 8am bus to NYC, I would get there at least an hour before that and wait in line for the bus to arrive, that is the only way to guarantee getting a seat on the bus I wanted. If the other lines let you get a ticket for a specific bus/time, go with them. You might want to go check out each bus station one morning at the time you'd want to go to see how crowded it gets and how easy it is to get a seat.

[dropintheocean]

Thanks everyone for your help! I think Trailways is now the same as Greyhound because the Mount Laurel station is the Exit 4 stop. I'm leaning toward trying Greyhound since they run more frequently. (BoltBus is great, but there's no good place to park my car and I don't think it's as reliable time-wise. Doesn't seem like a good commuter option).

I am worried about experiencing what ocgirl did--overcrowded buses, especially with more using non-NJTransit options with the fare hikes. I guess I'll find out when I start my commute!

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by dropintheocean

Thanks everyone for your help! I think Trailways is now the same as Greyhound because the Mount Laurel station is the Exit 4 stop. I'm leaning toward trying Greyhound since they run more frequently. (BoltBus is great, but there's no good place to park my car and I don't think it's as reliable time-wise. Doesn't seem like a good commuter option).

I am worried about experiencing what ocgirl did--overcrowded buses, especially with more using non-NJTransit options with the fare hikes. I guess I'll find out when I start my commute!

It's not just the fare hikes, NJ Transit doesn't have bathrooms on their busses, even on the long routes like AC to NYC!

Good luck with your commute!

[JerzBoy]

I've taken the Greyhound from Mount Laurel to NYC a few times. Service is good - they run frequently in the morning. I've never had a problem getting a seat because the bus runs every 10-15min. The time estimates are usually pretty accurate (sometimes faster than 1hr40min) unless there is an accident on the TPK or some crazy tunnel congestion. It is pretty relaxing on the bus and you can park for free at the station. I just wouldn't want to do that commute everyday for too long. Good luck to you.

[SlilyBilly]

New commuting update for anyone interested.

Greyhound’s Mt Laurel station is now the Academy Bus Park & Ride lot in Westampton, NJ (Exit 5 of the Turnpike or Exit 47A of 295-North.

Greyhound also discontinued its commuter pass program Quiklink. It only accepts single ride tickets starting 2/1/2023.

Academy still operates a commuter bus schedule to NYC from Westampton. You can use its app SilverPass for commuter passes.