A large majority of my guests will be traveling far for our wedding, many from across the world in Asia. A large portion of that number will be staying in NYC for the trip for its many attractions; however, our venue is a good 20 minute drive from midtown Manhattan. So for the convenience of our guests, we will be chartering a bus.
I had briefly mentioned this idea before and several readers asked about the details. I’m sorry I didn’t write about this sooner, but there was a good reason for the wait: it really did take us this long to find a respectable charter bus company at a decent price.
The company we decided to go with is BusBank, a nationwide company. The price for a 49-passenger deluxe motorcoach for 7.5 hours is $935 plus 10% gratuity. Although this wasn’t the least expensive option, I felt that their level of service (just from emails and phone calls) were far superior than others.
If you’re interested in talking to BusBank, I highly recommend the account executive I worked with:
Shawn Brown
(866) 428-7226, ext 6172
(312) 476-6172 (direct)
sbrown@busbank.com
The other top contenders in my search were:
Coach America (operates Coach USA and Gray Line) - quoted me $1,064.65 + gratuity
UEC Transportation - quoted me $825 + 15% gratuity
All other companies had horrible communication, or were way more expensive.
Why didn’t I choose UEC? I just felt more comfortable with BusBank, and sometimes you have to go with your gut. 
Okay, I just have to say that’s my brother’s name! Same spelling and everything! I miss him (lives in AU now). 
Cool…can’t wait to hear how they did for your wedding!
For those of you who might be looking for a shuttle van, rather than a full-on charter bus, type of transportation for guests, and you’re already getting a limo for yourself, I’d suggest asking the limo folks if they can add a passenger van to your services. We did that, and were able to get a really good rate. The vans were just serviceable; not very posh or anything, but good enough to get people from the hotel to the venue.
We were 20 minutes from mid-town as well.. at the NY Botanical Garden!
[...] research led me to Gray Line Bus Tours (which Miss Peony recently mentioned here). Their site even has a section for weddings (which I’m always wary of because I think they’ll [...]
Sorry to say you’re living proof that people are easily conned by a slick website and salesman. As owner of VanGo “The Art of Transportation” in Los Angeles, CA, I can tell you without hesitation that your choice of BusBank over CoachUSA was the wrong decision. Unknowingly you selected the cheapest carrier. You see, of the three selections, two are bus brokers that don’t even own a 2-wheel tricycle much less buses. Logic tells you that selecting BusBank (or UEC) means they broker your business to the least expensive carrier in your area and then “pack” the price with their profit which is more than the carrier will actually clear. Now think about a bus carrier that is actually being paid around $500.00-$700.00 (or less). I urge you to read the VanGo website at http://www.askvango.com and go to the News Release link. By the way, until they show up at the door you will NEVER know the actual name of your carrier (bus company) the age, model, service practices, safety record, insurance, etc.. Even though CoachUSA is my competitor they were the solid choice. If you doubt my comments, ask yourself this; did they inform you that they are a broker and don’t own any vehicles whatsoever?
Heyy Miss Peony,
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Christina
Mrs. Peony, New York
Age and Occupation: 27, Marketing Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, QA Engineer
Engagement Date: June 28, 2007
Wedding Date: April 18, 2008
Venue: The Fountainhead
Blogging Since: August 7, 2007
About Me: Both Mr. Peony and I are huge computer nerds, and our conversations usually consist of the latest gadgets, programming languages, and video games. At the same time, I can also be very girly with an obsession with handbags, makeup, and high heels. And art! I've studied studio art extensively, almost majored in art history, and freelance as a web and graphics designer. Mr. Peony and I are having a ball of a time planning a wedding for 250(!) guests, doing our best to infuse our personalities (geeky chic) with the wishes of our very traditional Asian parents.
Miss Peony: So helpful! I will have to give Bus Bank a call. I had called a bus company based in New York and they seemed really frantic on the phone… plus, I heard their buses weren’t the cleanest. I’d hate for my family to complain about the sanitary conditions… and I know they would!