MVP Bus

As a college student in Baltimore who calls Long Island home, I found MVP as an inexpensive alternative to get home every once in a while.
While the bus may be clean, it is surely not as advertised. No movie, no Wi-​Fi, and certainly not new buses. The driver knew his way around, but unfortunately did not follow hands-​free laws with his cell phone usage.

If I could give this zero stars I would. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
I got the MVP bus groupon. Never again. It was awful. I had no air conditioning for the 6 hour journey, and was told it was «on» when it clearly was not. They do not make it clear that they will be driving 30 minutes off the highway to stop in Baltimore.
They say wifi may not be available on all buses, but I rode it twice and neither had wifi. (I’m fairly certain it doesn’t exist) The bus departed 2 hours late as I think they only own 2 buses, so if 1 is delayed you are screwed. The buses are old and smelly on top of the no AC.
The driver was rude and had three cell phones that he would switch between talking on without a hands-​free device for the entire trip. He would either be doing 40 mph in the right lane while talking on his phone, or 90 mph in the left lane — It was a nightmare…
Summary:
–Smelly old bus
— No Air conditioning
— Always late
— Terrible, rude drivers
— Random unannounced stop 30 minutes into Baltimore
— No wifi as advertised

Bought a ticket for the NYC to Baltimore route about a week in advance. I showed up on time for departure, but no bus, no one at the window, nothing. There was, however, a sign with some scrawl saying that MVP had changed management and wasn’t running that day. Do you think they could have sent an email telling me that before I dragged my luggage to midtown Manhattan? Do you think I’ll ever get a refund for the money they defrauded me of? Do you think I would ever use MVP bus again?
Some other would-​be passengers said that they had booked their tickets just hours before the bus was supposed to leave, so, yes, I consider this fraud to take people’s money when you know the bus isn’t running.
Luckily I was able to find a nearby Chinatown bus that was going down to Baltimore (on time, no less, imagine that!). As an experienced bus rider throughout the northeast I have to say, forget BoltBus, forget Megabus, definitely don’t dream of using MVP, just find the Chinatown buses and take those. It’s shameful that these seemingly fly-​by-​night operations can be operated so much more efficiently than the companies who put up a façade of respectability, but couldn’t run an on-​time bus service to save their lives.

I have been doing the Chinatown bus trips from DC/​Baltimore to NYC for about 6 years now. I had tried a few different bus lines, each with their perks and low points, but lately MVP has really dropped the ball.
I don’t think its quite accurate to rate a bus company on scheduling, because most of the time they are coming from another location and traffic is a huge factor in lateness. It’s not really their fault that if Baltimore-​NYC trip takes 5 hours. Traffic happens. it sucks, but it would be same if you were driving yourself.
My biggest problem with them is how often they cancel their buses after people have already booked. This has happened to me and a few of my friends on at least five different occasions, with varying degrees of advanced notice. One friend didn’t find out hers was cancelled until 20 minutes after the bus was scheduled to leave.
I chose them because their Baltimore location is much more convenient to me than the Chinatown buses that run to/​from the Baltimore Travel Plaza. But now I am too nervous to book a trip with MVP because it’s likely they will just cancel it anyway. Luckily Penn Station is not too far.

This is the same bus that goes between DC and NY.
Please DO NOT TAKE IT. My round-​trip experience included: bus breaking down (on the way over), cancelled bus (on the way back), broken seats, disgusting bathroom, not a non-​stop trip (30 min. rest stop somewhere on the way!).
From DC to NY, our bus broke down when it arrived to pick us up. We were offered our money back and told the replacement bus would arrive in less than an hour; we decided to take the replacement bus and it wound up arriving more than 2 hours later. Several seats were broken. On our way back from NY to DC, I received a text message a few hours before our departure time telling us our bus had been cancelled and we could take an earlier bus or a later bus. We chose the earlier and cancelled farewell lunch plans with friends because otherwise we would have arrived in DC too late. Please do not give this company business because they don’t deserve it! There are many others offering much better service for less than $ 5 more. We wasted so much valuable tourism time because of this company. Also, their bathroom was disgusting and the toilet seat was broken and on the floor.

I have taken many different busses in many different countries in this Earth and I have to say, MVP may be the worst.
A) Overpriced. In this day and age if you don’t have wi-​fi or at least outlets cut the cost by $ 5
B) Awful drivers. On the way from NYC to DC I’m fairly certain mine was high. Giggling to himself, cruising back roads of Annapolis, stopped TWICE to get food before we even arrived in Baltimore …
C) A complete disregard for arriving at the scheduled time with all personnel. How can you expect to run a successful transportation company if you don’t respect ETAs? Not everyone is travelling for pleasure.
I’d much rather cough up the cash for Amtrak the next time around. Goodbye, MVP. It’s sucked.

I’ve been using MVP for round-​trips from NYC to Baltimore for a few years now. These five stars all go to their amazing supervisor Mr. L. Great guy. Definitely great customer service.
Here’s the thing about MVP:
1) NYC to Baltimore buses are usually on or close to schedule.
2) Try not to use tour bus restrooms in general.
3) Baltimore to NYC buses are usually late.
4) There is a rest stop for food and restrooms depending on the driver.
5) The trips usually average 3 hours and 40 minutes.
On Saturday, I bought my regular ticket from Baltimore to NYC. Sunday departure time rolls around and I go to check-​in at the Baltimore office. Guy behind the counter informs me the ticket was for Saturday. Shocked, I checked and lo and behold, I had mistakenly purchased it for yesterday. Bus was due in another fifteen minutes and I had to get back to NYC for work on Monday.
I explained what had happened and the guy says I need a ticket for today. It’ll cost another $ 20. Company policy states that the ticket can only be used yesterday and changes in schedules must be made 24 hours in advance. Dude, if I could go back 24 hours and change my schedule, I would probably change ticket date, no? I understand they are running a business here but I’m not trying to defraud them. I paid for a ticket and didn’t get to use it. He wanted me to pay another $ 20? I was willing to pay $ 10 and no more. Guy was adamant that buying another ticket was the way to go even though I didn’t even use my purchased ticket.
I asked to speak to a supervisor, and got a phone number. Took a couple calls to get through, and found out that the supervisor was on the upcoming bus. When the bus arrived, I spoke with Mr. L, showed him my unused ticket and explained my mistake. Dude behind the counter was still trying to get me to fork over another $ 20. Since the bus was not full, Mr. L was kind enough to let me on. Made it back to NYC right on schedule. Thank goodness for you, Mr. L.
I realize that if the bus had been full, I would have been SOL. Like I said before, I’ve been using MVP for quite a few years and had been looking into other buses that people have said where better. But I’m definitely sticking with MVP. Their great customer service is worth it.

Horrible experience I had while traveling from Baltimore to NYC on 06/​13/​2011.
I took a book from MVP office located at Hyundai Plaza near Marc Pen Station Baltimore. I believe it was operated by third party. The bus started around 9 am and it had a logo on
written over it.
After traveling from about 2.5 or3 hours the bus pulled over at rest stop at some point in Saveren NJ. The Driver mentioned that the bus will stop for around 20 mins. I went for coffeee and came back in 15 mins and the bus was gone. The driver should have done a head count before starting the bus at Baltimore and then ensure that all people are present before starting from rest stop. This was a terrible experience and I had to waste around 4 hours for making my own traveling arrangement and then again to come back at MVP office at NYC. This trouble was in addition to the extra money and energy I had to spent.
Even at MVP office in NYC there was no one at the office counter to assist me in getting my bag. Then some other person who was not MVP official had opened the door o hand over my bag to me.
This is not the kind of service expected from a very well know bus service provided like yours. Even yous help desk calls were all prerecorded and there was no way where I could reach you guys for assistance.
MVP will be my last choice when I decide to travel next time.

I picked up a Groupon for $ 10 each way to DC, a deal that seemed too good to pass up. I’ve traveled often via Megabus and Bolt, so I figured MVP would be similar. It was similar in that it was a bus that left from Penn Station, but that was where the similarity ended. MVP does not factor traffic into their routes at all. They claim that a bus which first stops in Baltimore can make it to DC in 4.5 hours. I would say this is perhaps possible in the wee hours, but MVP doesn’t run during the wee hours. On Fridays and Sundays, when most people travel, this trip takes 5.5– 6 hours.
Our bus was supposed to leave Friday at 7 pm, but it was over an hour late due to traffic. The bus was shabby and the ride bumpy. I think MVP buys coach buses that other companies don’t want to fix up and runs them as-​is. We stopped once on the turnpike, but the ride was so long that by the time we got to Maryland, I had to use the bus bathroom. Only trouble was, it was after dark and the light in the bathroom wasn’t working. MVP did not supply toilet paper, either, but armed with a pocket pack of Kleenex and the light of my Kindle, I managed to void my bladder. We finally arrived in DC around 1:30 am.
On the way back, the bus was on time, but there were plenty of other things that went wrong. The bus bathroom was out of order, but we did stop for gas on the turnpike. I don’t think the A/​C on the bus was working, because it was boiling until we hit some rain. The strangest thing about this ride was the driver’s taste in movies. Initially I was excited at the prospect of onboard entertainment, but two of the offerings were highly inappropriate. Initially, we were treated to a film about war in the Congo, but the driver turned it off when it became too violent. Then when we stopped in Baltimore, he played it safe by loading a Disney «Cars» straight-​to-​DVD spin-​off. But when we stopped in New Jersey, he decided to put in «Nightmare on Elm Street,» despite the fact that there were several small children on board. He turned it off after about 20 minutes, probably at the request of the parents in the front of the bus. Not really sure how a slasher film ended up in the bus’s stash of appropriate movies, but a handful of kids will probably be having nightmares about it for years.
Once the entertainment concluded, we devised another entertainment for ourselves. We counted the number of tape strips that festooned the interior of the bus. Most of the shades were held together with tape, so we never really came up with a final number.
I’ve sat on quite a few buses in my life; Greyhound, Peter Pan, Eastern Travel, Martz, Megabus, and Bolt, but MVP was the absolute worst. It would be tolerable for a short hop to say Philly, but 5 hours is way too long to be on an MVP bus. Spare yourselves.

NEVER, EVER AGAIN! I wouldn’t take it again even if it was free. I bought a one way ticket from NYC to DC through a 50% off Groupon deal and paid $ 10…not worth it.
The website and email confirmation made no mention that the bus also stops in NW Baltimore which couldn’t be any further from roadways to DC. There was also no mention of a stop at the Delaware rest stop, which was scheduled for 15 minutes but we left late from it. If the bus leaves NYC late then it should focus on making up time, not taking more time at rest stops.
The bus was disgusting, I don’t think it had ever been cleaned once. The whole bus smelled like a urinal for the entire trip and only got worse as customers used it. There is no wi-​fi on the bus or outlets.
Gross, gross, GROSS!

Oh my my my. I will not take this bus ever again if I can avoid it.
I went to DC and back with a friend and the trip on the way there was fine, but the bus on the way back was disgusting and the facilities hadn’t been cleaned. The stench was unbearable! To make matters worse, the bus broke down on the highway; thankfully the bus driver was able to restart it and we got back in one piece.
Overall the customer service is friendly enough, although they could be a little more clear about where to line up.

I used MVP because they have the latest departure from NYC to DC. They were awful. They advertise free internet access-​they refused to turn it on. «Their aren’t enough passengers» was the driver’s response. They stopped in Baltimore when no stop was advertised. As if that weren’t bad enough, even though the stop is just north of the train station, they drove north aroudn the Balto. Beltway and down the JFK expressway rather than going through the tunnel and thus incurring the toll. This added almost 12 miles to the trip-​it was a Wed. night and clearly not a traffic issue. The clincher for me was the Driver’s refusal to turn the overhead lights on as this would «use too much gas» thereby making reading impossible. It was a horrible trip.
NOTE TO GROUPON USERS: This is not worth the $ 10 savings. Use another Bus Service-​they are still really cheap and offer what they advertise.

MVP bus is great. Its cheap and its efficient. The buses aren’t the newest but it serves just fine for going and returning from DC. The staff is friendly, helpful and professional. The location near Penn station is very convenient as its near most major subway lines. On one trip back from DC, we arrived in NYC a little later than scheduled but that was due to traffic. It’s a bus, there’s nothing you can do about traffic.
Overall, MVP is a great bus line!

I wasn’t even a passenger and I had an awful experience. Thats gotta tell you something. They honor walk ups more than the customers who have reservations. So unless you only do walk ups you are shit out of luck.
I went to drop off my girlfriend at a 3pm bus and as the metro did get us there a little late we were still there at 2:50pm. Only to find out that the bus had already left. I know what you are saying, what a bus left early thats amazing and unheard of. Yes its unheard of because as a stipulation to buying their bus tickets you are required to be there 30MINS prior to departure unless you want to forfeit your seat. They started boarding the bus at 2:30 and took all walk ups to fiil the empty seats and left at 2:45pm. So we had to wait until the 4:30 bus which of course left late, go figure.
I understand policies and rules however if you have a policy that states you need to be there 30 mins prior to a departure, then make that a bold fucking headline or say be there at 2:30 not 3pm. Its common sense to load the bus and at 3 if there are empty seats then you fill them with walk ups you idiots. Bolt bus and mega bus clearly know what they are doing. The only reason my gf didnt get those buses, which we ride constantly to and from nyc, is because they were sold out.
Please stay clear of MVP
P. S. Just got off the phone with my gf, the ride was apparently worse than this story

I’ve taken many DC – NY buses and this one is not exactly the worst, but it’s pretty bad.
Tips:
–Take a different bus!
–Vamoose, Megabus, Boltbus, DC2NY, Wash Deluxe… these are all much better.
If you have to take this bus (like if you bought cheap vouchers, for instance):
–Book ahead of time.
–Get there at least 30 min. early.
–Bring your confirmation number and email, as they may not have your name on the reservation list.
–Sit towards the front as the back will smell like the bathroom.
–The bathroom will not have soap.
–The bathroom may not have toilet paper.
–They will play a movie very loudly and it may suck.

MVP: Bolt bus = Kanye: Taylor Swift. 2.5 Stars
Based in Baltimore, this company offers the most frequent routes between B’More and NY. It is cheap and serviceable and no worse than many of the other companies that do the east coast hustle. Most do speak english (though who cares) and the ticket handlers are usually AZN hustlers types (you know the type) who hate their jobs. But alls well that ends well. They will get you back and forth in relative comfort for $ 35 roundtrip.
Things to watch out for:
if you want to get dropped off/​picked up at the downtown b’more location instead of out at the travel plaza, you will leave the bus at a parking lot and board a large white van that the bus driver will drive to a highly suspect, mostly deserted street corner. Sketch! but, this does put you pretty close to a subway station.
The restrooms can be super trife. One time I boarded the bus which was 2 hours late and it was raining. Of course the coach smelled rank since it was filled with wet passengers, gross. But to make matters worse, someone had thrown down in the bathroom during the previous trip. The bathroom could be smelled from the front. We were all desperate so most of us stayed, but 5 minutes after departure, an unfortunate coupled seated in the far rear yelled «stop the bus! I can’t take it anymore!» and were dropped off on the side of the road. DAMN! Needless to say when we finally made a stop at a travel plaza, everyone got off the bus and bought air fresheners and nose plugs. Struggles!

I only took MVP Bus once, but it served me pretty well. Was planning on taking Vamoose back to Bethesda, MD, but I dawdled while sightseeing at Top of the Rock and missed my 4 pm «reservation» (as if they ever check those anyway). Being spontaneous, I decided to show up at Penn Station anyway and hope for the best. This young Asian American guy was yelling «Washington! Baltimore!» and I thought, hey, that includes me… only $ 20 for a one-​way ticket, and unlike my recent trips on Eastern Todays and New Century, the guy speaks clear English and isn’t openly hostile towards me!
If I had thought about it for another few minutes, I wouldn’t have chosen a Baltimore-​bound bus when already leaving NYC in the rain and during rush hour. I don’t like bus rides that last 6 hours, but at least it wasn’t MVP Bus’s fault. We also stopped at a rest area.
Major plus for the almost-​empty bus, since I got to stretch out and enjoy the silence. I’ve helped organize group buses before, and it sucks for the company if the seats don’t sell, but how can you not love it as a customer? The bus was pretty clean. I did smell something odd, but I think it was a fellow passenger…

It works, but could be much better. It’s cheap, only 35 $ for return ticket ny-​to-​dc. My experience was last weekend was as follows,
Left NY at the 6:30 bus, left 10 mnts late but broke down 4 – 5 blocks ahead… The driver doesn’t speak english, which is fine as long as everything is good, but he wasn’t able to tell us anything whats wrong, whats happening next.
Anyways next bus came up around 7:30 and we reached DC around 11:45pm, with loud volume movie playing for 2 – 3 hours so pretty long journey.
On way back, I arrived late at the stop (5 mnts before departure) and they filled the bus. so I had to wait 2 hours for the next bus. On the other hand, the mvp bus guy at washington dc was helpful and friendly so I dint mind it too much.
Lesson learn — Not most reliable, TV runs at loud volume and they don’t have reservations in case u arrive very late.

Granted that MVP Bus doesn’t have the new features that some of the other companies are coming out with, like wifi and power outlets, but the bus was very clean and the company did not seem sketchy at all. Most people think that the china town buses in DC are all scary, but there are definitely some, like this one, that are fine.
There’s even an actual room in a building where you can buy your tickets and even wait inside instead of standing out in the cold for the bus to come. The only thing I didn’t like was the stop we made in Baltimore which was definitely out of the way. The stop was not right off the highway but instead we drove about 15 minutes through some back streets. The entire trip took a little longer than I expected but the ride itself was fine.

of course this review is completely biased because I only rode on it once.
however, i give them 5 stars because they are the only ones in penn station that even has a booth where you can get tickets. ridiculously, there is no ticket counter for busses in penn station. you either have a reservation number cuz you already bought your ticket online or you have to pretty much go standby.
since mvpbus has a little counter across the street, we were able to see what time they left so we could at least hop on one of them.
the other good thing about this service is that it’s the cheapest for same day fare ($ 20 one way, $ 35 roundtrip).
the other good thing about this service is that they don’t freaking pack the entire bus. this is probably cuz they’re not as popular as megasux.
the other good thing about this service is that they actually stop in the middle for a restroom/​snack break.
i’d take them again over megasux any day.