BoltBus

The BoltBus is a nice, inexpensive way to travel from Seattle to Vancouver or Portland. I spent about $ 45 round trip from Seattle to Vancouver. The trip from Seattle to Vancouver is pretty direct with a stop in Bellingham and the border. The WiFi and the outlets are a little spotty, but I was sleeping for a lot of our 6:30 am ride.
At the border, everyone had to get off the bus with all their belongings to go through customs. This took about 30 – 45 minutes and the Canadian border patrol folks are polite and much more relaxed than the American side!
The driver was super friendly and got us to Vancouver with a few minutes to spare. The station is adjacent to Vancouver’s SkyTrain station, a super convenient way of getting to the Granville Entertainment area.

I have enjoyed the economical and easy way to travel. online ticket ordering can be frustrating. But trip is nice. I recommend it to friends.

First time taking bolt bus. Very frustrating that the wifi doesn’t work at all. They don’t accept card If you pay up front before getting on, and I couldn’t book a ticket online an hour before take off, after landing at the airport. I had to run to an atm to grab cash.
Bus ride is fine, except for it being super crowded, not much room for luggage, and the sick lady next to me forcing me to hold my breath.
Wifi is definitely most frustrating to not work for a 2 and a half hour ride.

This review is specifically for my most recent Bolt Bus experience. Usually, I have a pleasant experience but this last time was a nightmare.
First of all, the bus was running about 30 minutes late. Then, after using the wheelchair ramp, the bus driver couldn’t get the ramp back into the bus… the darn thing just wouldn’t go back up! After struggling with it for 15 minutes, the bus driver finally got the ramp back in and then he disappeared somewhere for another 15 minutes. Turns out he went to go get Starbucks! I get it, the man deserves a break. But when I asked him to reposition 3 rows of seats that couldn’t be used because they were moved to accommodate the previous passenger’s wheelchair, he said «there aren’t ANY open seats? We’re already running late!» and proceeded to leave.
If you took 15 minutes of our time to go get coffee, you can take 30 seconds to pull the seats back forward! The only pro about this was that I had tons of extra leg room! :P

Cheap way to get to and from Seattle/​Portland. Most of the time the outlets and wi-​fi work. Outlets are loose but are there. Bus has been on time 95% of my trips. Drivers aren’t the most friendly but they are there to drive and they do that well.

All I can think about right now is urinal cakes. That’s because I’m writing this from the back row of a bolt bus bathed in the scent of used urinal cakes. The one saving grace is the free wifi, albeit very slow wifi, that’s providing me with a way to vent. If only there was a way to vent the noxious fumes that are filling my nostril as I type.
My trip from Seattle to Portland was great. The bus left on time. Cheap tickets. A power outlet at our seat and free wifi, painfully slow at times, but free nonetheless. Couldn’t ask for much more and would have given a 4 star rating. But on the return trip, my wife and I got stuck in the last row, where we’ve been forced to endure the continuous wafting of foul odors from the bathroom beside us. That may be unavoidable with the door open, but the smell is permeating the back rows even when the door is closed. Seems like a little investment in a good exhaust system would really do wonders here. I’m just hoping I don’t smell like a porta-​potty when I get off the bus in 2 hours.

As I sit writing this in what are indeed comfy seats with plenty of leg room, I’m holding my scarf over my nose and mouth to avoid the regular wafts of eau de latrine from what I suspect is a pretty grim restroom.
I’m on the bus to Portland from Seattle. I booked the Bolt Bus because I thought I could get some work done during the trip, but both the wifi and the power outlet at the seat are not working. The driver informed us that the lack of wifi is an issue with AT&T that has been ongoing for 3 months and urged us to contact Bolt Bus customer service. When I did send a note all I received was a short reply basically telling me to read the FAQs on their website that state they will not provide any type of refund for these services not working.
Maybe the other buses are better? I do hope so, at this rate I think I’d rather hitchhike…

Love taking bolt. Excuse of its price and that its direct. It stops at a awesome location. Very convenient and close to Chinatown and downtown. Leaves on time so be sure to get here early

I’ve taken the BoltBus several times between Seattle and Portland and have been satisfied every time. I travel often between these two cities and sometimes it feels really great to not have to drive myself. I’ve been on busses that have been completely full and some that have been only half full, allowing every passenger two seats to themselves. BoltBus is nothing fancy, but it’s an extremely affordable way to travel. I’ve paid between $ 15 – 25 for each ride I’ve taken. Some of the things I love are FREE WIFI and CHARGING OUTLETS. It’s not the fastest wifi, but it works pretty well for a moving vehicle (and for a free service). There’s also a bathroom on the bus, which is convenient since the bus doesn’t make any stops until it reaches its destination, but I’ve never used it because I didn’t feel comfortable about using a bus bathroom (but that’s just me!) The locations in both Seattle and Portland are in the downtown areas and are really close to public transportation. The only thing that I haven’t liked about some of my rides is being stuck near smelly passengers… but that’s not BoltBus’s fault!

I took the Bolt from Portland to Seattle!
What a great experience! It was clean fast comfortable convenient and
Cheap!
The bolt has made travel between cities easy affordable and convenient.

Much better than Greyhound. Buy your ticket early to get the best price. The bus stops right on the street, so don’t look for a «station.»

Got on a 645pm standby bus easy peezie (no extra cost y’all). Driver hauled ash and got us to pdx 30 minutes early. Super efficient and pleasant way to travel from Seattle to pdx. RT costs me $ 38 and I don’t have to drive. You da real mvp of travel, Bolt Bus.
Free WiFi and owned and operated by Greyhound.

Okay, so if you are taking a bus or researching taking a bus you are aware that it isn’t the most luxurious way to travel. Now that we have that gripe that I’m sure litters most of these reviews out of the way…
BoltBus is a great economical way to travel a short distance. I recently took my first trip on one to and from Portland, and it was great for a lot of reasons.
A) both of us could watch a movie together, read, or nap instead of the usual driver gets stuck behind the wheel for 4 hours while I nap. If you keep in mind that Portland’s buses are better than Metro and they have Lyft and Über in plentiful and legal supply, any argument about driving being better is now negated.
B) Nonstop service! We got on in the ID and got off in a pretty easy to commute-​from downtown-​ish location in Portland. Easy. Hopped a bus right after and were at the hotel in no time.
C) Bathrooms on the bus!
D) Wifi on the bus!
E) If you are first in line or boarding with A or B, you can snag a seat with an outlet!
Do I need any more reasons than this? I think about 4 hours would be my limit, but BoltBus is a great way to get where you are going hassle-​free.
My drivers both ways were also extremely pleasant and got us there BEFORE scheduled arrival both times. Big fan! I also hear if you sign up for an account and buy tickets early you can get $ 1 fares and fare discounts.

Yesterday I called to rebook a trip I had from Seattle to Portland, leaving today. The agent yesterday explained that I could apply my fare to a trip which I could rebook, with a simple fee. I chose that option, however, she didn’t «know the schedule or have access to booking» beyond June 24, 2015. That in itself is really bad customer service. I had wanted to travel in July, but your company didn’t yet know its July schedule, and your systems don’t have the capacity to book more than a few weeks out!!! That makes no sense at all, and is very frustrating for a traveler who does have the ability, and the need, to plan ahead.
The agent suggested I book for another random time, pay the rebooking fee, then as I get closer to that time, rebook again, pay another cancellation fee, and see if the date I actually needed was available at that time, which she couldn’t guarantee. Please read that sentence agin. That’s crazy. This can’t actually be what you advocate to customers as a standard practice! The fees alone for rebooking twice would then have added up to $ 18.00, which is almost the fares I have paid at different times in the past — and higher than some I have paid round-​trip.
I then decided to rebook for, departing June 22, returning June 24, and was going to try to change my schedule to meet your limitations — another crazy idea that the customer would have to adapt his schedule to your limitations.
When I looked at the tickets that actually arrived today in email, I found she had actually booked me departing Seattle on June 24 at 12:30p., and departing Portland that SAME DAY, June 24, at 2p. That trip is not possible.
I called again today, waited 12 mins to get help, and then explained that the tickets that I had been reissued were not possible to use because the booking had been done for two trips on the same day that are impossible to take. The agent was immediately and very noticeably annoyed with me, and seemed inconvenienced by my very request. She was rude, offensive, rigid, and very quickly escalated into yelling at me, telling me to stop talking, and then hung up on me!

Bolt is the low cost sister of Greyhound. The ride from Vancouver to Seattle was fine with only a stop in Bellingham. The custom check at the border was a hassle. Wish they could have done it at the station in Vancouver like the train.
A quick, efficient, low cost alternative, but remember, the service is basic.

For the Seattle-​Portland route it’s cheaper, faster, and more reliable/​timely than Amtrak and cleaner than Greyhound. The seats are not very comfy, but it’s a quick ride. They really shouldn’t try to market themselves as «modern» relative to their competition, since their policies are ludicrously 20^th Century:
1. If you show up day-​of to get on the bus, you have to have cash. Exact change. And they can’t tell you ahead of time if they will have space.
2. No refunds. If you want to reschedule, you have to call a customer service agent. Yes, on the telephone. They can’t reschedule more than 4 weeks out. They charge $ 5 worth of fees for rescheduling (yes, that’s 25% of the ticket price) and won’t refund the difference if the new far is lower.

After taking the BoltBus to Portland a couple of times, I am officially a fan of BoltBus!
Rides are generally smooth, relaxing, and on-​time. There are outlets on the bus. If they’re not working, don’t hesitate to let the driver know. They’re pretty cool about investigating the issue. There is wi-​fi but I have noticed that its a hit or miss. I was unable to watch netflix or hulu via wi-​fi but I ended up taking a nice nap to and from Seattle.
I might even take a random trip to Vancouver thanks to the ease and convenience of BoltBus.

Great way to get to Portland (or Vancouver) on a budget with free wifi.
Taking the Bolt Bus is easy. Purchase your ticket online then show up and take the bus. Depending on the bus you ride it’ll be spacious enough or not enough. On our way to Portland it was great, lots of leg room, great wifi, and ample plugs. On the way back it was a tighter squeeze, the bus was older and smaller. Either way, for the price you’re getting a deal.
The busses pickup and drop off from convenient locations in each city.
Just know if you purchase your ticket, it’s a final sale. You can move the date but for a small fee in addition to the extra charge of the cost of the ticket.
Smooth sailing!

What’s not to love?! $ 20 (and even cheaper sometimes from what I hear) to/​from: Seattle, Vancouver, Portland in a big comfy bus where all you do is sleep or cruise until you arrive!
Each pair of seats have their own outlets for charging your devices, free WIFI, bathrooms aboard and pleasant drivers!
You would think with the economic pricing, you’d have some sub-​standard dirty run-​down jalopy but to my pleasant surprise, the bus was new, clean and modern!
Thank you BoltBus!

I love this bus line.
Tip: When it says the bus bolt seattle is located at 5^th Street South and King Street… They literally mean it. It’s the little bus stop that says «Charter Bus» on the street there. There is no signage but just wait at that intersection and you’re golden.
Have a lovely trip!