Newark Airport Express Stop Grand Central — Local services in New York

SCAM! AVOID this "service" (with massive air quotes). I am kicking myself for not looking into this company before using it based on Google Maps' routing options. I took the Newark Airport Express with my wife from Port Authority to Newark International. We bought round trip tickets from an on-site representative. She handed us a paper receipt for the tickets for $58, we were returning to NYC the next day. Mind you, this is the only piece of paper we were given.

The next day, we boarded the bus in Newark to return home to NYC, when a different representative came up to us on the bus. I presented her the receipt I was given the previous day. In what seemed like an all-too-ready spiteful tone, she informed us "this isn't a ticket." When I told her, trying to retain my patience after a long day, "this is all I was given by your coworker yesterday, I didn't know I was supposed to receive anything else," she became even more condescending in tone and did nothing to acknowledge the fact that a mistake was made on her company's part (if not an intentional scam). I said, "If you look, you'll see that I was charged $58 for a round-trip, this is us returning back to Port Authority for the second part of the round trip." She said, and I quote word for word what she actually said here, "I don't care if you were charged $1,000, that isn't a ticket." Everything about the way she handled the situation was outrageously unkind, disrespectful, and miles away from serving a paying customer.

To end the debate, my wife paid another $34(!!!) to get us back to NYC. A trip that took nearly an hour in traffic on that horrible bus. The rude representative in Newark said, curtly, "it's not my problem, you can talk to the company and see if they want to give you your money back." Which I immediately laughed at because I've lived in NYC long enough now to know that customer service is near non-existent at this level. Of course, I have emailed them several times to no response. I have called numerous times, with no answer or returned calls. Again, this screams "SCAM."

We burnt almost $100 on some of the worst service of our lives. It would have been roughly the same cost to get a car, or way cheaper to have taken the train. Which we will absolutely do next time. So please, DO NOT support this company. Learn a lesson from this fool who didn't do...

Once I found the pickup location, my experience was great. If you're looking for speed and convenience, this isn't for you. But if you're willing to plan ahead, it's a simple and affordable option.

I was considering doing the Penn Station-NJ Transit-Airtrain route, but after advice from several friends about that route's difficult navigation out of Manhattan, I figured I'd pay a couple extra bucks to get on one bus and be dropped off right at my terminal. I waited about 10 minutes at the GCS stop before a bus came, and I saw at least two other buses heading to and from there on my walk to the stop, so it seemed to me like the routes were being well covered. For what it's worth, the driver seemed to be very aware of his schedule and where he needed to be and when. So, if they're late, it's not for lack of trying. There are just a lot of factors that affect ground travel time in NY.

I do wish that there were more information on the website as to where exactly to find the pickup locations. After wandering around GCS Terminal for 10 minutes with luggage and asking for help from two different folks, I was finally told that the stop was actually a block south from GCS (41st bt Lex and Park if you're wondering). I may not have been looking in the right place on the website, but I don't know how I could have known this without asking for directions. While that was frustrating, the ride thereafter was pleasant. I boarded at the GCS stop at 10:40 and arrived at Terminal B at 11:40. We did not experience any traffic. If you're traveling alone and it's worth it to you to save $50-60, then plan to board your bus about 4 hours before your flight, and you'll be fine. If you have 2-3 people, just...

My experience with the Newark Airport Express Bus is mixed. The staff selling the tickets in the airport were really nice however the driver who took us into the city was miserable.

The guy selling tickets on the bus was even worse, rudely telling a woman to wait until he finished issuing a ticket when all he needed to do was step into a seat to allow her to walk past a get a seat.

Their ticketing system is also painful. We bought tickets in the airport but people were buying them on the bus, which meant we were stuck at each stop waiting until everyone has tickets. The bus was probably only 20% full and it took us about 30 minutes before we actually got going.

I was so worried the return trip would take just as long that I left 4 hours early for a domestic flight.

The return journey was better. The bus was on time and the driver was really nice.

At the end of the day this is a bus service and I’m sure delays do happen, drivers are grump and most people don’t leave positive reviews for a bus therefore this review page is littered with bad reviews.

The company does need to fix its ticketing system which will ensure a much more streamlined and consistent service. The price is also much cheaper the getting a taxi and quicker then a train.

If however you are travelling with a part of three or more a taxi would...