WASHINGTON — Last-minute travel plans to D.C. for the inauguration Friday and the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday are going to cost you.
A single Friday morning Acela train ticket from New York to D.C. could cost more than $400, according to the Amtrak website, if business class is more your speed.
But it’s no cheap feat for families, either. A family of four taking an Amtrak train Friday will spend no less than $528, but a trip almost any other day would cost $147.
Buses are cheaper, but not nearly as cheap as they usually are.
A normal bus ticket on a Thursday for carriers Greyhound, Megabus and Bolt Bus from New York to D.C. generally range from as low as $5 with Megabus to as high as $20 with any of the three, according to their websites.
But this week, Megabus is charging $30–$35 for a ticket, and Greyhound is charging $34–$43. Bolt Bus has not increased its prices, but those seats are mostly sold out.
The most expensive bus ticket between New York and Washington is Saturday, with Greyhound charging $62 for a trip from New York to D.C. that day. It charges $24–$29 on a normal Saturday. Bolt Bus is charging a dollar for that same trip the first two Saturdays in February.
Most of the sellouts for Amtrak and the bus companies to D.C. are Friday afternoon and all day Sunday to New York.
Half of all Amtrak trains are sold out Friday, and most of the sellouts are for trips after noon. All but one Bolt Bus is sold out for Friday, and about 75 percent of Megabus trips are sold out. Those remaining seats are in the $45-to-$57 range, well above the typical $15–$35 for the three bus companies.
The Sunday trip back to New York is sold out on Bolt Bus and nearly sold out on Amtrak. The remaining bus tickets on Megabus are going for $40 to $50, and Greyhound is charging $55. Both companies usually charge $21–$34 on a Sunday.
The cost to go to New York Monday is closer to normal. The cheapest Amtrak ticket is going for $89, not an unusual price for a trip a week away. Future tickets go for $49. Bolt Bus and Greyhound are both charging $14–$23 for the trip, a few dollars more than usual, and Megabus is maintaining its usual price of $10–$23.
