BoltBus

Inexpensive, almost always clean, free wi-​fi and under $ 30 to Portland. Can’t beat the price but if you hate sitting next to people and making eye contact, run away.

Where’s the wifi they mentioned. I took the bus, it stopped and ran like it should but it promised wifi and i had just bought a new I-​phone. Dang! It’s okay because I can chill like humanity had to before the internet, but false advertising makes me give it a two star rating.

Great service, but there should be a staging area, not just a sidewalk with nowhere to sit.

BoltBus is LEGIT, you have to at least ride for once in your life!
The Bolt Bus is similar to other commercial buses-​clean, comfortable seats with more legroom than the airlines! Say WHAT! YES! Dead serious, very comfortable ride!
Ok​.So let’s just be Honest… every state has a bus that travels from state to state BUT not all of them are clean, well-​kept and have Wifi.
You have the Mega bus and Greyhound, Chinatown buses… Ok we get it. we get it…
But when I heard that this bus would pick me up in Portland and take me to Seattle I swear I didn’t think it can go all the way to Canada! DAMN… why didn’t I bring my passport!
The Bolt Bus operates in the Northeast and on the West Coast, offering a variety of city-​to-​city travel options for a reasonable price. The pricing structure varies based on time of day, weekend or weekday travel, etc. Bolt Bus offers at least one $ 1 fare on each bus, so one lucky rider gets a cheap seat. From my experience, the buses are clean, timely, and well organized.
I used Boltbus to take me from one state to another for only $ 14 one way. Arrived at 5:30A.M. and by 9:30AM I was in Seattle and ready to get my day started. Thanks to the AMAZING Shawn who was our driver for the morning!
The boarding process for the Bolt Bus was very similar to Southwest Airlines boarding process. Each ticket has a letter boarding group (A, B, C) and they board each group before they board standby passengers. We had numbers on our tickets (I was A2), but we did not line up by numbers. I arrived 20 minutes before our bus departed (Bolt Bus tells ticketed passengers to arrive at least 15 minutes before their departure time). We started boarding at exactly 15 minutes before departure time and groups A, B, and C were boarded in a few minutes.
The restrooms are in the back and only a few passengers used them on my trips, but like any commercial bus, restrooms can get smelly and if you are sensitive to smells, you would prefer a seat closer to the front of the bus.
One of the perks of riding the Bolt Bus is that each set of two seats has an outlet you can use. If charging an electronic device is a priority for you, check the plugs when you sit down.
Bolt Bus advertises free WiFi, and I was looking forward to bringing my laptop and getting some work done on the bus.
Purchasing a ticket was easy and fast. You are only able to book 4 to 6 weeks before the time you want to use.
I love the BoltBus and look forward to taking it again and again!

I really like BoltBus in general and especially compared to other bus services like Megabus and regular Greyhound Service. The WiFi is fairly reliable, it usually isn’t too crowded, there are plenty of outlets, and they have a rewards program where you get can priority boarding and earn free rides. Additionally they are SUPER accommodating with bicycles, and I can’t truly express how huge that is. I have struggled with taking my bicycle on other carriers and it is a relief to know that I will never have an issue when taking it on a Boltbus. To take the cake, they have the friendliest people working for them! They are always super helpful with baggage and just nice in general. In one particular instance, I had a Boltbus worker go out of his way to help me with my bike, and even watch my bike and the rest of my stuff for me while I went to buy a drink nearby to bring on the bus.
To sum things up, they have AWESOME service that has turned me into a loyal BoltBus customer!

I live in Vancouver, WA and travel up to Seattle once a week for work (sometimes twice a week) — I think you can say I am a regular user. This is a great service, and the drivers are fabulous. The buses are pretty much on time leaving their destination, and arrive as close to their scheduled time as traffic permits.
However, I do have one criticism — which is why I deducted 2 stars — their customer service is appalling and unresponsive. I rely on a fixed schedule to get to and from work — a change was made recently to their schedule from Seattle to Portland — leaving it extremely difficult for me to continue using the service. I tried several times to ascertain from them whether this was a temporary change, or a permanent change — I either got hold of someone who didn’t care, someone who didn’t know, or nothing at all. I am concerned that there are going to be future schedule changes without notice, which will make my work life very difficult to schedule.

I never actually got to use my reservation. I had to cancel the first time and they told me I could only schedule a month out and that they would charge me every time I had to reschedule. The only time I could use the tickets were 4 months out… So The end cost would have ended being as much as a train ticket. I wish I could have tried it, but I guess it’s worth it to book the train for the ease of changing the reservation.

Awesome. Bus was early. Driver was efficient getting us on. Plug sockets work. WiFi works. Loads of leg room (& I’m 6’0). Seats are comfy.

Buy tickets as early as you can for the best prices. I won’t bore you with the details, but my experience with BoltBus was friendlier and cleaner than Greyhound, and a better price. Experiences may vary by driver, but mine was great. Thanks BoltBus.

Friendly drivers. Efficient and financially ok for long travels.
DONT SIT IN THE BACK! Horrible honey bucket stink if you are anywhere near the toilet.
I went from Seattle to Portland and it was like traveling in a Honeybucket.

If I do not have a car, or ride… Bolt Bus is the way to go. Good job Greyhound for thinking up an alternative ride source that isn’t grimy, dingy and is more reliable than Amtrak.
I love the train, but when you’re trying to get somewhere… on time, Bolt Bus is the way to travel. Clean, with plug in’s and somewhat spotty wi-​fi and always on time… I’ll take it!
The Bolt Bus I took from Portland to Eugene was mostly students like myself which was nice because the two times I’ve taken Greyhound in my past were nothing short of creepy and uncomfortable. My absolute favorite part of the Bolt Bus is the plug in’s. Although amtrak has plug in’s, the fact that this bus has it, is pretty awesome. I loved how clean and spacious the bus was too… although for my hobbit frame it was a little too spacious. I’m just not long enough for the foot rests AND the tilted back seats… I have to curl up somewhere in the middle of the seat to be comfortable. Anyways, enough about Hobbits, the Bolt bus was on time during pick up and drop off and the bus driver was courteous and informative.
I absolutely will take the Bolt Bus when I cannot drive my car, or get a ride with a friend. Oh I almost forgot… Bolt Bus is dirt cheap! Omg, $ 13 from Portland to Eugene??? Uh yeah, I’ll take it.

Pros:
Super cheap
Relatively fast
Charging outlets
Free wifi
Foot rests
Cons:
Horrible wifi
Does not allow you to watch videos, use Netflix, or listen to spotify
The bus drivers can get a little ansy, but to their credit I haven’t noticed a real difference with bolt bus drivers vs. greyhound drivers. As long as I get from point A to point B, and they’re quiet after a while so I can sleep, it doesn’t bug me too much.
Can’t really walk around and stretch your legs like you can on Amtrak. But then again it costs at most half as much.

Wow there is nothing more convenient or cheap as the Bolt Bus. It’s amazingly on time and super fast. The Seattle site is right next to the king st station so super convenient.
They are amazingly on time so get there 15 minutes early for sure. Their mobile application is terrific and easy to get a ticket.
The wifi works well as does the Power. The main problems are that it does get crowded so get there early. And of course if there’s traffic just learn to relax. A great alternative to flying or driovng

OK so $ 17 to get from Portland to Seattle might as well be free! The bus was scheduled to leave at 10:45am on a Saturday morning and should arrive in Seattle at 2pm. The bus left on time, and arrived early to our destination. The ride there had to go through rain and bumps, but it was such an easy ride I could not complain. Had an amazing time in both cities and BoltBus made it happen for an affordable price. You can’t beat how much was spent :)
Unfortunately I had to sit near the bathroom, but I slept most of the time. The seats were comfortable, the bus driver was great! The only weird part was that I had to load my own bag on the bottom of the bus… wahh, i’m not strong. lol.

«Get the @#$% out of the way!»
«This is the fast lane, you son of a motherless goat!»
«The speed limit is 65, @#$%face!»
«Signal, BITCH!»
These are things you don’t say when cruising on the Bolt Bus from PDX to Seattle. It is a much more relaxing experience than driving. It is also cheaper than driving. The rates are cheaper than gassing up your ride. For 2 Round Trip tickets, I paid ~$ 75. My premium-​thirsty ride would have been around $ 100. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
While you enjoy the ride, it’s two strengths are also its two weaknesses. Almost every seat has a dual AC outlet. The holes are looser than a two doller hooker! I had to reinsert my prongs into the holes so many times. I put it in, it came back out. I put it in, it came back out. I couldn’t keep my plug in the holes. Annoying. The wifi… ummm…works. Using the speedtest app I got speeds of less than 1MBPS. That’s almost as slow as a Portland Subaru Outback in the I5 fast lane. So, no redtube for you. Just fast enough for Words With Friends and sexting.
Oh, its dark in the bathroom. You would think they could spring for one of those tap lights you stick onto the wall.
Our driver on the return trip rocked. There was some BS traffic on I5 South at Alberta at 10:30PM because people got freaked out by some road work signs and don’t know how to merge (and/​or drive). He took the Killingsworth off ramp and right back onto the on ramp and passed all the gridlock. He saved us 5 – 10 minutes and I was able to catch the last MAX train that went to end of the line.
Cheap fares and not having to deal with Pac NW drivers is worth it for me. I will be a BoltBus regular. I’ll bring tape to keep my plug in the outlet and download a movie onto my device so I don’t have to depend on the wifi slower than a 1998 256k modem.

Using this BoltBus is very easy.
When I went on the website to book my ride, the process was fairly quick. Going in-​between Portland and Seattle, and vice-​versa is usually about $ 30 per way for adults.
In what would occasionally be tragic, I forgot my boarding pass. Luckily, I had my confirmation number. I told the driver my code and he showed me my name on a little screen.
Like with Southwest, you board in sequence. It starts with disabled, then frequent riders, then A Group, B Group & C Group. They store your luggage at the bottom like a proper express bus.
The atmosphere is fairly good. People weren’t making noises and the bus is very quick, perhaps about as quick as a car. Seeing from the windows is fairly fun.
They have onboard wifi, but they seemed to have entirely censored YouTube for bandwith reasons.
The seats can be a little firm. They do have plages to plugin your electronics and cupholders. Right next to you is a trash recepticle.
Overall, this has good aggregates between flying and Amtrak. You are more comfortable than flying, but not as much as with Amtrak. But the price is comparable to Amtrak. You also don’t have to wait for a train that can be hours late.
If you don’t have a car, BoltBus will likely make sense for your ride.

Omgahhhh for your nose’s sake I suggest you get here early and travel in packs of 2 so you do not have the misfortune of sitting next to stinky mcstinker.
Bolt bus is the super cheap alternative way of getting from Portland to Seattle and even as far north as Vancouver. You would need a passport for that though.
My best friends and I purchased tickets for only around $ 20 each for a one way ticket to Seattle from Portland which is very cheap considering amtrak would have been about $ 30 although considering my experience I might have sprung for Amtrak and paid an additional $ 10.
We got there late first of all but that was my fault I mixed up the times. The bus though was on time and even got us to Seattle before the scheduled time. It drops you off in Chinatown area.
So the Bolt Bus is a large and pretty comfortable commercial size bus that boasts wifi, luggage space and a bathroom. What sold us, besides the lower price, was the wifi. I mean what better way to pass a two hour ride then to just browse the internet. HA! Wifi sucked! Like to the point where you couldn’t even connect to it, we were sitting towards the front where the router was so we had a better chance of getting wifi than the poor souls in the back. One guy came up and asked the driver to reset the wifi because they couldn’t connect to it. He said he couldn’t do that because that would require pulling over and turning the bus off.
On the positive side, it was a pretty smooth ride and the driver was nice and his driving was great. I felt very secure and safe. They also have outlets where you can plug in and charge your electronics, but those are only at certain spots so look for a seat with an outlet.
The cons, wifi sucks! I had to repeat that a second time because I mean why even advertise it if it sucks that bad? The guy sitting next to my best friend was hogging up the arm rest and she said he kept getting all up in her personal space not in a creepy way but just more annoying. It still does not beat the pile of moldy moist clothing smell gravitating from the guy that I was sitting next to.
Head my advice, get there early and travel in pairs so you don’t have to deal with sitting next to someone smelly. My other best friend lucked out and sat next to a quiet older gentleman who just kept to himself and respected her personal space and didn’t smell.
All in all though, I would take the Bolt Bus again. It’s inexpensive, quick, safe, on time and pretty convenient with the electrical outlets and all but this time I’m bringing Febreeze or something.

Train travel between Portland and Seattle, for me, holds a demi-​glamorous allure: unclean carpets fade away when the brilliant blue water of Commencement Bay glitters mere feet from your window on a sunny Monday afternoon.
But all the loveliness is easily destroyed, every time, by Amtrak’s inevitable announcement that your train is delayed by thirty minutes. No, an hour. No, two hours. No… it’s canceled. Good luck!
It’s a complicated calculus, this PDX-​SEA route that I have reason to travel monthly or so. Drive myself, pay for gas, and sit in traffic? (Hopefully) take the train at a longer but more leisurely pace? When neither will do, BoltBus is there to save you. It isn’t perfect, nor is it remotely glamorous, nor is the scenery lovely… but you’re not driving, and it’s pretty cheap. They have multiple destinations up and down the West Coast region, so Seattle isn’t the only option either.
I’ve ridden BoltBus a few times now and it’s one of the rare transit experiences where delays have been minimal and, when there is one, it isn’t their fault (of course you’re going to encounter nasty traffic heading into Seattle on a Friday afternoon). Embarking and dis– is uncomplicated and quick, and while you might not get to sit with your friend/​lover if you board in the late B or the C group the seats themselves are comfortable enough. Not nap-​inducing, but serviceable. Just make sure to scout for outlets before sitting down if you need them; they aren’t in every row. Look between the seat backs in front of you, down near the floor, to locate them.
Routes vary according to demand; I usually pay anywhere from $ 15 – 23 for a one-​way ride into Seattle, and there are a plethora of departure times. Given that gas is substantially more than that one way for one person (calculus changes if my man’s on the road with me), it’s worth it. In Seattle, you’re dropped off in Chinatown; summon Über (damn you Portland for not having it!) or take the escalator down to the light rail and all bus tunnel transit. Note: that isn’t the best neighborhood at night (I say as a previous Seattleite) so be alert if it’s late and dark.
If you’re looking for affordable and relatively efficient travel to Seattle, let the nice BoltBus drivers do the work for you!

Seriously, you can’t beat the price for a bus ride on the Bolt, especially if you buy your tickets far enough in advance. I’d say I’m a huge fan, and would recommend this to others. The ride is quick and clean, and the bus driver was pretty nice. They seem to have the process down, moving people quickly into the bus so that the trip can be started without delay. The bus on both legs arrived on time.
I’d take this again if I didn’t feel like driving or shopping a ton. Personally, it seems like a good option from Seattle to Portland, since downtown Portland is small enough to walk around (without really needing a car).

Will there be a person eating a type of food inappropriate for an enclosed area with un consenting strangers — most likely.
Will there be a screaming kid — also highly likely
Will there be someone listing to their ear buds too loud or otherwise having a loud conversation — very likely, if not guaranteed .
Will there be someone with their shoes kicked off and on the seat next to them — not as likely but I’ve seen it.
Ready yourself for these unpleasantries because you will see one if not all of them.
If you can cope with that for a few hours, go for it. Personally, it’s annoying but I have a pretty high thresh hold for that type of thing. Even more so when round trip to Seattle comes out to around $ 30. Prices can vary tremendously mind you.
Most — not all — seats have chargers so keep an eye out for this when picking your seat. My strategy is always to pick the most normal looking person (someone who doesn’t look like they’re gonna whip out a tuna sandwich half way down the road) and try to sit next to them, at least in that scenario you pick your partner for the ride. Wi-​fi is spotty and a bit of work to get going. I wouldn’t bank on it if you have something to get done.
Buses I have taken have been timely which is nice. The bathrooms are not as scary as I was worried they might be. They were actually pretty clean!
A fine way to travel if you’re willing to put up with a bit of the unwashed masses. I’ve lived to tell the three star tail with minimal discomfort. Keep your expectations in the lowish category and might be presently surprised!