There’s good news for all those who scorn the Chinatown bus--its Jewish, and slightly less stinky counterpart, Vamoose, will no longer be the only other option for thrifty DC-NYC travelers. 

The new discount bus service, DC-2-NY, is upgrading services by offering customers complimentary beverages and wireless internet services. This is good for thirsty workaholics, facebook addicts, and compulsive bloggers alike.  

Since the biggest deficiency of a Chinatown bus is its less than hygienic bathroom, free drinks could pose an uncomfortable dilemma.  However, according to the DC-2-NY website, consuming beverages will not present a problem since the new and supposedly comfortable buses will also have sanitary bathrooms. That means I’ll be able to quench my thirst without wiggling in my seat from the New Jersey turnpike to Penn Station.  Passengers will also be spared the aggravation of additional waiting time, as the buses won’t stop in Baltimore or Philadelphia.

Even though these new amenities allow DC-2-NY to advertise their services as “upscale,” the price is anything but extravagant.  As long as you make your reservations online, a roundtrip won’t cost you more than $40.  Even if planning ahead cramps your spontaneity, walk-up customers only pay $50 for a last minute NYC trip.

Every time I make a Chinatown bus trip up to New York City I prepare myself for the worst.  Horror stories such as spontaneously combusting engines and other roadside calamities should probably strike panic in my heart.  However, after braving the Andes in rickety chicken buses, I’ve adopted the mentality that the risk and relative discomfort has always been worth the price.  That doesn’t mean I won’t jump at the chance to not only travel cheaply, but also safely and comfortably between two major cities of the developed world. DC-2-NY new luxury services begins July 27th.