NEPATrainTraveler
Service Attendant
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2018
- Messages
- 200
Hello all,
I have a couple questions about the Martz thruway bus tickets you can purchase through Amtrak. I'm taking a trip to Baltimore in a couple weeks and for the return trip I booked the Vermonter BAL to PHL and then on a different day I bought the Martz bus ticket via the Amtrak app to go back to NEPA from PHL. Amtrak lists this bus as reserved even though Martz says on their website that their regular route buses, which includes their Philadelphia route, are unreserved. The ticket confirmation email says that the ticket can only be used with a train segment despite the fact I was able to book the bus ticket seperately. There's about two hours between when the Vermonter arrives in Philly and when the bus arrives.
This brings me to my first set of questions, how does Amtrak or Martz know whether or not you are using a train segment? Do you have to show the bus driver your Amtrak ticket? I use the Amtrak app to show the train conductors my ticket. Will my Vermonter ticket still show up on the app two hours after my arrival in Philly?
My second set of questions is about taking a later bus. When I buy tickets directly from Martz (on their website or at the bus station) I can choose whichever departure I want on their regular routes because those buses are unreserved. Another thing about buying a ticket directly from Martz is that you can't cancel or modify it once you buy it. I was thinking about spending more time in Philly and taking the 6:45 PM bus instead of the 11:45 AM one (I'm arriving in Philly on a Monday and there are only two departures to W-B/Scranton on that day). I can't cancel or modify the ticket I bought on the Amtrak app, which makes sense with Martz's policy, but where I'm confused is with Amtrak calling it a "reserved thruway seat". Would I still be able to use the 11:45 AM ticket on the 6:45 PM bus like I normally would had I bought the ticket directly from Martz or does buying it from Amtrak change that part of the policy? I looked all over Amtrak and Martz's websites and couldn't find the answer. Would I still be able to bring up the Vermonter ticket on the app to prove that I'm using the bus ticket in conjunction with a train segment so many hours after the Vermonter's arrival?
Last question, if I do decide to stay later in Philly, does PHL do the thing where you can pay $10 to leave your luggage with the Amtrak baggage claim? I've heard of other stations doing this.
Thanks in advance.
I have a couple questions about the Martz thruway bus tickets you can purchase through Amtrak. I'm taking a trip to Baltimore in a couple weeks and for the return trip I booked the Vermonter BAL to PHL and then on a different day I bought the Martz bus ticket via the Amtrak app to go back to NEPA from PHL. Amtrak lists this bus as reserved even though Martz says on their website that their regular route buses, which includes their Philadelphia route, are unreserved. The ticket confirmation email says that the ticket can only be used with a train segment despite the fact I was able to book the bus ticket seperately. There's about two hours between when the Vermonter arrives in Philly and when the bus arrives.
This brings me to my first set of questions, how does Amtrak or Martz know whether or not you are using a train segment? Do you have to show the bus driver your Amtrak ticket? I use the Amtrak app to show the train conductors my ticket. Will my Vermonter ticket still show up on the app two hours after my arrival in Philly?
My second set of questions is about taking a later bus. When I buy tickets directly from Martz (on their website or at the bus station) I can choose whichever departure I want on their regular routes because those buses are unreserved. Another thing about buying a ticket directly from Martz is that you can't cancel or modify it once you buy it. I was thinking about spending more time in Philly and taking the 6:45 PM bus instead of the 11:45 AM one (I'm arriving in Philly on a Monday and there are only two departures to W-B/Scranton on that day). I can't cancel or modify the ticket I bought on the Amtrak app, which makes sense with Martz's policy, but where I'm confused is with Amtrak calling it a "reserved thruway seat". Would I still be able to use the 11:45 AM ticket on the 6:45 PM bus like I normally would had I bought the ticket directly from Martz or does buying it from Amtrak change that part of the policy? I looked all over Amtrak and Martz's websites and couldn't find the answer. Would I still be able to bring up the Vermonter ticket on the app to prove that I'm using the bus ticket in conjunction with a train segment so many hours after the Vermonter's arrival?
Last question, if I do decide to stay later in Philly, does PHL do the thing where you can pay $10 to leave your luggage with the Amtrak baggage claim? I've heard of other stations doing this.
Thanks in advance.
