Panda NY Bus — Local services in New York

This is my 4th trip overnight bus trip with Panda NY bus. Previously I rode round trip from NY to Jacksonville North Carolina pre-COVID19 and during the pandemic. I relocated to Raleigh North Carolina recently and this is my saving Grace for weekends to China Town NY to Raleigh. The staff has always been helpful when boarding and checking in. They always depart on time. There can be some confusion at the bus boarding location, however you should kindly clarify with the staff in front boarding or folks behind the desk. When riding Panda, I have taken note that the outbound buses from New York are always the cleanest and newer models. The trips returning from the south to NY are where you worry. The bus is more packed and it’s filthy because the driver has been traveling over 18 hours from Atlanta. This is why I chose the one way ride. The leg room is very tight with the seating and the other passengers are never really the most polite or sane individuals. Maybe you’ll get lucky and sit next to someone who is. Things to note:

Bring patience. Stay alert for all stops and announcements in a low volume heavy foreign accent Bring a sweater and dress in layers Bring headphones Don’t wear anything you care about Follow along with your phone GPS to avoid missing your stop Take your toilet breaks while at the 5-15 minute gas station stops & grab some healthy snacks too. If you do not want to wait around not knowing when the bus is arriving, call ahead of time to inquire about delays or late arrival time. They will inform you from the station desk. Estimate that you’ll be about 1 hour to 2 hours later than the arrival time they provide. Allow travel time for delays.

You’re really paying for the best time management with traveling Panda. They get you there without unnecessary stops. It’s like driving myself minus the fatigue, tolls & gas breaks. Greyhound and the other companies are a joke. Hours of wasted time stopping in every city. I was even able to get some good sleep this time while the air conditioning played as good white noise and the loud millennials stopped cursing. All in all. Panda is a good...

I was on bus 268 on the way from Raleigh, NC to NYC and it was also the same number for the return bus. Both rides were overnight. It stopped somewhere in South Virgina to switch drivers both ways. It seemed like it was the same two guys that switched off for that route. Pros: The buses arrived and left on time from the pick up locations. We arrived early into NYC by about an hour. I was nervous when heading out of Raleigh since it was my first time traveling with this company, so I had called them to verify if the bus was on time, and the customer service rep I spoke to on the phone was able to confirm the bus was going to be on time and would be arriving within 10 min. The bus driver between VA and NYC was quiet when he made calls and did not smoke. Cons: The driver that drives from VA through NC seemed like a cranky old guy that spoke loudly on the phone while driving the overnight routes, and smoked. I sat in the 2nd row of the bus, so I was close enough where his behavior had more effect. If it was a daytime bus, the talking wouldn't have been a big deal, but since these were overnight buses, I think it was inappropriate for him to be talking so loudly. On the return trip, he took on the route around 345am, and was on the phone for over 15-30 min when I was trying to go back to sleep. The worst part of this bus driver's behavior was smoking. He opened his window while he did it, but as a non-smoker, opening windows is not enough. I can still smell the smoke, and I never liked the smell of smoke. Each time there were other passengers near me, so I'm certain his behavior was impacting others as well. I think this driver needs to be disciplined (not necessarily fired) by the company so he talks quieter on the phone and does not smoke on the bus at all in order to be more considerate to passengers on the bus. Because of this driver's behavior alone, I feel like 3 stars is the best rating I can give this company...

PANDA BUS NUMBER 701 LOOTED ME, I TOOK A TRIP ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 AT 7:30 PM FROM NEW YORK 28 ALEAN STREET TO WINSTON SALEM, BUT STARTED ITS JOURNEY AT 7:45 PM BUT ON THE TICKET IT WAS WRITTEN BUS SHARPLY LEAVES 7:30 PM AND AT AROUND 9.30 PM BUS STOPPED AT WALT WHITMAN SERVICE AREA AND DRIVER SAID BREAK FOR 15 MINIUTES BY BARELY UNDERSTANDABLE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACTUALLY THEY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH ONLY THEY SPEAK CHINESE. I WENT TO BATHROOM AND AFTER 10 MINIUTES I CAME TO BUS, BUT BUS ALREADY LEFT THE PLACE, I WAS STRANDED, MY BLACK LAPTOP BAG(INSIDE THERE WERE A MY WHITE COLOR APPLE LAPTOP AND BROWN COLOR WALLET AND INSIDE WALLET THEY WAS $500 THAT I EARN FROM HARD WORK AT NYC RESTURANT ) AND LEATHER BLACK THICK JACKET. I LITERALLY CRIED, THEN I CALLED 911, 911 SENT A STATE TROOPER BUT THAT STATE TROPPER COULDN'T HELP ME, I TRIED TO CALL THE BUS COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE BUT I ALMOST DIALED 100 TIMES BUT THEY DIDN'T PICK UP CALL, IT WAS COLD NIGHT, I HAD NO WALLET, NO MONEY, MY LAPTOP BAG AND JACKET WAS IN BUS. I STRANDED WHOLE NIGHT AT THERE WITH WHEEPING AND CRYING. NEXT DAY I ASKED ONE GOOD GUY GAVE ME A LIFT AND I WAS ABLE TO COMEBACK NYC, I COULDN'T GO WINSTON SALEM, MY FAMILY WAS WAITING THERE, THEN AFTER I WENT TO SEVERAL TIMES AT PANDA BUS COMPANY OFFICE TO RETRIVE MY BAG AND JACKET, BUT STAFFS ARE SO RUDE OF THIS BUS SERVICE, THEY PUSHED AND BULLIED ON ME, I CALLED THE 911 AND 911/311 TEHY ALSO SAID THAT THEY CAN NOT TAKE ACTION TO PANDA BUS COMPANY, IF THAT HAPPEND TO GREYHOUND THEN THEY ABLE TO DO SOMETHING BUT FOR PANDA COMPANY, THEY COULDN'T DO. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED, PLEASE NEVER EVER RIDE PANDA BUS COMPANY'S BUS, THE DRIVER, STAFFS JUST HORRIABLE. NEVER TRUST PANDA BUS. I STILL REQUEST TO BUS COMPANY PLEASE HELP ME TO RETRIVE MY ITEMS MY LAPTOP IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ME. I DON'T CARE MY JACKET BUT LAPTOP IS VERY NECESSARY. PLEASE...