Academy Casino Bus Service(or Lack thereof) to Atlantic City

It's been a while, but I'm back!

My gripe is with the Academy Bus Line and their awful service to Atlantic City Casinos.

Over the past 2 years their service has deteriorated to the point that it has become a joke!

It used to be a real blessing to not have to drive over 2 hours each way from my home in North Jersey, paying $11 in tolls and 30-40 dollars in Gas on top of wear and tear on your car. But things have just gotten so bad, I need to call this once reputable company out.

Here is a list of complaints from just this year alone.

1) The drivers seem to think they can just leave early, regardless if there are passengers en route to the bus stop at the designated departure time. On numerous occasions, buses slated to leave at either 10:45 AM , 11:45 AM or 12:45 PM & other times have left 3-4 mins early with a half empty bus because "the driver didn't think anyone else was coming." When a complaint was filed to a dispatcher or supervisor, the response was "we'll look into it," only for it to happen again by the same driver with no repercussion. If the printed schedule says "Departure time XX:XX," then I expect it to leave at that time and not earlier because the driver can't wait a few minutes for someone to park their car or buy a ticket and still make it by the designated time. I was once victim to this at 12 30 AM in AC, when the driver opted to leave at 12 27 AM with a less than full bus and forcing me to wait until 4 am for the next bus.

2) The evening buses are either arrive completely full, arrive 10-20 mins late and/or have no restroom, causing an additional 10 minute delay for a bathroom break(which some use to buy food and drinks at the parkway rest stop) Making it impossible to arrive promptly for check in or events at the casinos. I understand that NYC traffic will cause delays, but it seems like they don't even attempt alternate routes and go the same route every time despite poor traffic conditions that they are aware of.

3) They have continuously cut buses from their weekday and weekend schedule. A few years ago, there was a bus leaving every hour during the week and every half hour during weekends. But now, it is just one bus every 2 hours and one bus per hour on weekends. This causes buses to be overcrowded during holiday and summer time, and even having fights break out from people cutting in line. Just recently they cut out the last bus leaving at 8:45 pm, and departing AC at 12 30 AM during the week. Which means there is no Academy bus leaving AC from 10 pm until 4 AM! (I understand with budget cuts and the effects of Sandy there is less rush to AC, but it seems like they are just exploiting that to the point of absurdity)

4) Raising ticket prices while reducing service and cashback. You once paid $28(or less) round trip and received $20 cash from the casino. Then they changed it to $25 slot play. However, they started increasing the fares by $2 every few months it seemed and used the Gas prices as reason for it. Yet when gas prices dropped to under $2 per gallon in NJ, they didn't bother to reduce fares to what they were. The current ticket price is $36 from Cheesequake rest stop(where I park and ride) and up to $40 in NYC where the bus originates from.

5) WI/FI hardly works, not a huge deal for me, but would be nice to use if it is supposedly included in the ticket price.

6) Inadequate parking at the park n ride on the Parkway. There are not nearly enough commuter spots and they expect you park all the way down the parking lot and walk nearly 5-10 mins back to the bus stop. They should either add spots closer to the bus pick up or simply have the bus make a 2nd pickup at the auxiliary parking lot. Oh and heaven help you if you park in the wrong spot (WHERE it is only 2 hours allowed) and an eager state trooper leaves a wonderful ticket on your windshield for overnight parking, eventhough you clearly have your parking pass displayed in the windshield of your car!

So that's my return rant, most of you may not like it, but it's all I got!!!

Quote: BedWetterBetter

The drivers seem to think they can just leave early, regardless if there are passengers en route to the bus stop at the designated departure time.

Quote: link

To ensure your seat on the bus online ticket buyers must report to the dispatcher at Gate 1 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure.

Academy bus website

The flip side is that passengers think they can show up as the bus is pulling out of the station and get on board. This is always a trade-off with shared transit; lower expense for less convenience.

Every bus service I know of suggests that people be early, so as not to miss the bus.

Thanks for the good summary of the typical Atlantic City patron. It actually makes me miss the place less and less. The time it took me to get to Las Vegas vs. going on an Atlantic City junket was well worth it because when I got there, everyone was happy, on vacation, and great food at reasonable prices.

Here's a direct link to the schedule from Cheesequake.


I agree that it's been cut way back from what it was a few years ago, but that just matches the downward spiral of AC visitors in general.

Busses leaving half empty? Get there earlier. Also note that busses that leave AC at :15 and :45 do a pickup at a second casino before heading north.

WiFi has never been a problem for me.

Parking at Cheesequake? It's a commuter lot. Most of those cars are for people going to work in NYC.


Also note that matching supply and demand for this type of bus service is a logistical nightmare.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Also note that matching supply and demand for this type of bus service is a logistical nightmare.

True but no matter how bad that job is done one fundamental question remains and it remains just as valid for Atlantic City as for the entire state of Oklahoma.

Is it better to endure an unpleasant day-trip's inconveniences and get to Atlantic City or is it better to have a nice relaxing trip and get to Las Vegas?

I've often looked at the "deals" offered in Oklahoma and told people to save up their quarters and make a once a year trip to Las Vegas so as to get a decent bang for their buck?

Perhaps the question is how does the journey affect your performance and your enjoyment.

Several months ago some gamblers near South Carolina had a choice to make. Go on the Gambling Boat's Maiden Voyage or not. It seems the Captain had forgotten that there would be a difference from the "dry run" he had already made: weight of passengers, weight of dollar coins in the machines, weight of food and weight of booze. On the dry run his shortcut was just fine; but on the real thing he was riding lower in the water and grounded on a sand bar.

So the passengers wound up with free food and free booze as they awaited a Coast Guard rescue, but the only gambling they had was the bets they made amongst themselves about sinking, the captain's employment status, etc. Yet at least they had sunshine, salt water and fresh air. It sounds as if the bus won't ever be offering much of that.

But questions is the same, whether you are in Oklahoma, New Jersey or South Carolina. Perhaps its just better for you to save your money and get a decent deal once a year?

Quote: Dieter

Academy bus website

The flip side is that passengers think they can show up as the bus is pulling out of the station and get on board. This is always a trade-off with shared transit; lower expense for less convenience.

Every bus service I know of suggests that people be early, so as not to miss the bus.

I won't argue that is always best to plan accordingly and arrive ahead of schedule(which I do), but it is still wrong for the drivers to just leave because they are tired of waiting. Especially when the next bus doesn't come in for another hour(if it is even on time) or 2 hours if it is during the week. That is just a nightmare waiting at a rest stop when it could have all been avoided if the driver simply departed when the company has authorized it.

I've seen and heard dispatchers telling drivers in AC to wait 5 or 10 mins after the listed departure time to "see if any one else shows up" when the driver radios in to them I've got " 8 from Taj and 3 from Harrahs."

Sounds gross.

I used to love the Detroit casino bus. You would pay $15 and get $30 in freeplay. It was almost always on time and a nice ride. Plenty of parking.

Around here, our casino buses require reservations to get a guaranteed seat and they know who is supposed to be there. I'm guessing you're not letting them know or they don't require a reservation. Generally speaking many in the northeast are rude like you're complaining about and how nobody tries stopping this business wise amazes me.

Not only does Academy not require reservations, but it's open-ended. You get the schedule linked above, and can return on any bus in the next four days.

Quote: onenickelmiracle

Around here, our casino buses require reservations to get a guaranteed seat and they know who is supposed to be there. I'm guessing you're not letting them know or they don't require a reservation. Generally speaking many in the northeast are rude like you're complaining about and how nobody tries stopping this business wise amazes me.

It's really only been a problem for the past year and a half.

Obviously Hurricane Sandy affected service and commuting to AC. That is when they cut the weekday service in half to just One bus every 2 hours after 12 pm until 8 :45 pm.

It's only been this year that things have gotten THIS bad and drivers in the morning are just taking off early, despite numerous complaints from dozens of passengers. It just further shows lack of concern for long time commuters and management's unwillingness to accommodate.

And there are no reservations needed, which caused hours of long lines and fights during the summer from Rowdy New Yorkers who cut the line departing AC. You think THAT would give them incentive to add more buses to the Summer schedule, but no they kept on as if it was an isolated incident.

Only now to reduce service even further by removing the last bus at 8:45 pm from the weekday service, making another inconvenience for people who work late and want to catch an evening bus to AC during the week. In addition to removing the Midnight bus leaving AC, causing a 6 hour gap between Academy buses departing AC on non-weekend days/

I used to take the academy bus from Staten Island. It left the first stop 10minutes before schedule...because it could not make the later stops on time because the schedule did not take into account traffic...regulars new this...bus drivers new this...but amazingly Academy never changed the schedule...

Then the Tropicana cut the casino package...and finally as Academy raised the price Tropicana began to refused to honor there $30 casino play if you had not been playing there over the voucher....I had never heard of and AC casino not honoring the bus vouchers...

I switched to the Chinese buses out of Brooklyn and china town....half the price... better comps ...one stop...horrible buses but for the price...who can complain...And every now and then the price is waved (don't now why or how often but it nice when it happens)

Quote: Eazzy

I switched to the Chinese buses out of Brooklyn and china town....half the price... better comps ...one stop...horrible buses but for the price...who can complain.

Inveterate gamblers them Chinese. I think the whole table at that mis-packaged mini-Baccarat deal was a group of bus-addicts.

Its terrible to read of travel ordeals like this, but I do admire those who can endure them and not have it affect their later decisions while gambling. I'd be too pissed to even remember what was trump during my Blackjack games.

####UPDATE#####

In response to the allegations of Academy's lack of service and loyalty to paying customers, they have changed their schedule to AC!

By cutting their bus service in HALF! They now have a measely 4 buses going to AC on weekdays, down from 8.

The last bus departs Cheesequake at 2 45pm and the last bus from AC leaves at 6pm. The next bus after that? 8 30 AM , making a 14 hour gap between buses if it ends up being full. The last bus on weekends is 6 45 pm and 10 pm returning from AC. With an 8 hour gap until the next bust leaving at 6 30 am.

They're not even considering that things will pick up in the summer time and if they don't change it back it will be an even bigger mess for commuters than last year.

I'm sure they don't care bout people fighting over seats and their reputation being tarnished for good. So expect there to be some lousy PR this summer when a riot breaks out due to a greedy bus company throwing caution to the wind and screwing over loyal patrons.

Quote: BedWetterBetter

####UPDATE#####

In response to the allegations of Academy's lack of service and loyalty to paying customers, they have changed their schedule to AC!

By cutting their bus service in HALF! They now have a measely 4 buses going to AC on weekdays, down from 8.

The last bus departs Cheesequake at 2 45pm and the last bus from AC leaves at 6pm. The next bus after that? 8 30 AM , making a 14 hour gap between buses if it ends up being full. The last bus on weekends is 6 45 pm and 10 pm returning from AC. With an 8 hour gap until the next bust leaving at 6 30 am.

They're not even considering that things will pick up in the summer time and if they don't change it back it will be an even bigger mess for commuters than last year.

I'm sure they don't care bout people fighting over seats and their reputation being tarnished for good. So expect there to be some lousy PR this summer when a riot breaks out due to a greedy bus company throwing caution to the wind and screwing over loyal patrons.

I think you're better off driving in. It's only an hour and a half? from Cheesequake and that is the most pleasant stretch on the GSP-minus the damn tolls of course.

Sounds like you may need to drive into the city (New York.) You can catch the Greyhound from Port Authority to most of the AC casinos. They leave and return every half-hour except during the night hours. The last bus leaves NYC at 11:30PM and the first bus to return is 8:10AM.

You get $25 slot-play for the $38 ticket ($45 on Friday and Saturday).

All the buses have wi-fi and bathrooms.

Quote: darkoz

Sounds like you may need to drive into the city (New York.) You can catch the Greyhound from Port Authority to most of the AC casinos. They leave and return every half-hour except during the night hours. The last bus leaves NYC at 11:30PM and the first bus to return is 8:10AM.

You get $25 slot-play for the $38 ticket ($45 on Friday and Saturday).

All the buses have wi-fi and bathrooms.

I've tried Greyhound from NYC, it just takes too long. I need to catch a bus 15 mins walk from my home, pay 5.50 each way. Sit for an hour on NJ transit buses each way, hope that the return Greyhound gets me to Port Authority in time to catch a bus to Bergen county NJ and then walk 20 mins home.

Overall, it would add 3-4 hours extra to an 8 hour day trip.

I just fear that Academy is purposely trying to phase out service to AC and it will result in a violent incident during the summer peak for Jersey shore goers.

Really sad too, I never had a bad thing to say until these last few years. And I have used them since 2008.

Sounds awful. Also brings me back to the early days of my career, 2004-2006 playing AC. I lived in Philly and used Greyhound as my transportation to AC, several times per week. Round trip was $14 at first and then raised to $16 and then $18. The return option was open for 72 hours. There were 8-10 scheduled trips a day and most of then came with a casino bonus, at first in cash, later machine credit, that would make the trip just about break even. The 8pm trip to Showboat returned $20 cash (later machine credit) for a small profit. As you might imagine that bus was crowded.

All of the buses that either returned a small profit or were break even were populated by homeless people that just rode back and forth, using the time for sleep. That was pretty annoying and sometimes smelly. :/

I was on a shoe-string budget and bankroll, but one of the first 'luxuries' I allowed myself was to start taking the train (NJ transit) for my AC trips at a cost of first $6 and then $8 each way. A much nicer ride. :)

Quote: kewlj

Sounds awful. Also brings me back to the early days of my career, 2004-2006 playing AC. I lived in Philly and used Greyhound as my transportation to AC, several times per week. Round trip was $14 at first and then raised to $16 and then $18. The return option was open for 72 hours. There were 8-10 scheduled trips a day and most of then came with a casino bonus, at first in cash, later machine credit, that would make the trip just about break even. The 8pm trip to Showboat returned $20 cash (later machine credit) for a small profit. As you might imagine that bus was crowded.

All of the buses that either returned a small profit or were break even were populated by homeless people that just rode back and forth, using the time for sleep. That was pretty annoying and sometimes smelly. :/

I was on a shoe-string budget and bankroll, but one of the first 'luxuries' I allowed myself was to start taking the train (NJ transit) for my AC trips at a cost of first $6 and then $8 each way. A much nicer ride. :)

They tried the ACES express train to AC from Port Authority for about 8 months, then shut it down.

The problem with it, it would take you to Camden, transfer to another train and get you over to AC in 3 and a half hours time for 36-60 dollars EACH way. And it only ran on Fri-Sun with no casino bonus at all. So needless to say, commuters opted for the alternative for half the money in half the time.

Ironically, I just received my free bus ticket in the mail! Maybe I can auction it during the fire sale of Taj mahal!

I believe Academy cancelled their Middlesex County line run as well.

****November Update****

Academy Service to Atlantic City reducing weekend buses on Saturday & Sunday. There was a wave of "cancelled" buses for the weekend service in the last 6 weeks. It seemed random at first, but now it appears the 1 pm and 5 pm buses from NYC to AC are being cut from the weekend schedule.

These times are NOT available during the week and for whatever reason, Academy feels they can use weekend riders as guinea pigs for this. Could end up being a HUGE problem on Sundays, as the 5 pm bus was the last bus leaving and therefore is the last return bus from AC departing at 9 pm.

Greyhound , here I come!

Quote: BedWetterBetter

****November Update****

Academy Service to Atlantic City reducing weekend buses on Saturday & Sunday. There was a wave of "cancelled" buses for the weekend service in the last 6 weeks. It seemed random at first, but now it appears the 1 pm and 5 pm buses from NYC to AC are being cut from the weekend schedule.

These times are NOT available during the week and for whatever reason, Academy feels they can use weekend riders as guinea pigs for this. Could end up being a HUGE problem on Sundays, as the 5 pm bus was the last bus leaving and therefore is the last return bus from AC departing at 9 pm.

Greyhound , here I come!

Interesting reading. I have to ask, what do the rich people do? Certainly they aren't taking buses and going through all this stuff. Is there a middle option, mini-vans or something like that? VIP Buses exclusive for qualified players? etc..?

Probably take Limos or rent towncars with a driver for a few hundred bucks.

Or they probably go to Sands or another casino in PA!

Quote: BedWetterBetter

****November Update****

Academy Service to Atlantic City reducing weekend buses on Saturday & Sunday. There was a wave of "cancelled" buses for the weekend service in the last 6 weeks. It seemed random at first, but now it appears the 1 pm and 5 pm buses from NYC to AC are being cut from the weekend schedule.

These times are NOT available during the week and for whatever reason, Academy feels they can use weekend riders as guinea pigs for this. Could end up being a HUGE problem on Sundays, as the 5 pm bus was the last bus leaving and therefore is the last return bus from AC departing at 9 pm.

Greyhound , here I come!

I agree... Forget about Academy. Go with the good old Greyhound... or choose Golden Express which offers the $27 special Package. The price includes: 1) roundtrip bus fare from Manhattan (Chatham Square) to Caesars, 2) a $25 Slot Credit & 3) also a $25 match play coupon.

Quote: Artemis

I agree... Forget about Academy. Go with the good old Greyhound... or choose Golden Express which offers the $27 special Package. The price includes: 1) roundtrip bus fare from Manhattan (Chatham Square) to Caesars, 2) a $25 Slot Credit & 3) also a $25 match play coupon.

I took Golden Express from Brooklyn Chinatown (8th Avenue) and the driver booked it from AC-NYC in less than two hours. No joke.

So I made the mistake of taking a Sunday trip to AC via Academy Bus. They changed their weekend schedule again, now there is no bus leaving AC after midnight and the last bus on Saturday night is 11 pm and 9 pm on Sunday.

Academy is also pulling a stunt where two of the last 3 buses(2 pm and 3 pm) on Sunday night are mysteriously cancelled, leaving only ONE bus returning from 5 pm to 9 pm. This has happened 3 weeks in a row since the new schedule went into effect.

Essentially, they are forcing every person who wants to come home on Sunday evening onto ONE bus, because they are too cheap to pay their drivers the weekend shift. So they are purposely causing panic and confusion for people coming home after a weekend visit.

Yesterday was the start of the mayhem to come. They had one bus come to pick up 3 bus loads worth of people. Luckily, I waited in line 20 mins before it showed up, anticipating some sort of shenanigans. I got a seat, but a man had his young daughter with him and people pushed past them to get a seat on this intentionally sabotaged bus.

The little girl was crying while her dad tried to get back his place in line, but by the time he got on the last seat was taken. A big argument ensued and needless to say, it was a tense ride home. Ultimately, a good Samaritan gave up his seat so the man and his daughter could share the seat.

However, if Academy would just honor the schedule they posted instead of playing these games with passengers, this would never happen. Guess they won't realize the error of their ways until someone is hurt or worse!

Not to be a dick but I have no sympathy for a man who takes his infant child on a bus junket to Atlantic City on the weekend so he can gamble. God forbid you could do something productive with the kid/not blow her school savings in the slots. See this all the time and it always frustrates me...Leave the kid with family or a baby sitter if you have to gamble, don't take her to that hell hole.

As for Academy, the writing has been on the wall for them for a couple years now. Take Greyhound or the China busses. Greyhound has a few of its own minor issues but the consistent schedules/electric outlets make it far worth the extra money.

Just out of curiously- with gas and tolls so cheap wouldn't it be easier to drive- I go down there 3-4 times a week and can't cost me more then 15 round trip

Quote: Wizardofnothing

Just out of curiously- with gas and tolls so cheap wouldn't it be easier to drive- I go down there 3-4 times a week and can't cost me more then 15 round trip

No, from where I leave on the parkway it costs the following:

$1.50 per toll x 7 + $0.75 x 2 = $12 in tolls plus $20 Gas, also factor in mileage and wear n' tear on your vehicle.

So out of pocket you pay $32 driving down versus $36 for a round trip bus ticket with $6 in tolls and $6 worth of gas.

Factor in that you get $25-30 back in slot cash, which I am almost always able to recoup my bus fare with and sometimes make a small profit. So you can make back the bus fare through the bonus slot play and you get a free bus ticket for every 10 trips by swiping a President's Club card. Not to mention you avoid the hassle of late night driving, falling asleep at the wheel or getting pulled over by the dreaded NJ state police.

Well if yoy are presidents club surely you play more then what they give you so that shouldn't be a factor- being on a bus with all that drama would make me insane...
When I started law school first weekend I went to port authority and took the bus to ac..... One trip down was Ali needed to pay for a limo back (spent my entire win for the night on it)

Quote: Wizardofnothing

Well if yoy are presidents club surely you play more then what they give you so that shouldn't be a factor- being on a bus with all that drama would make me insane...
When I started law school first weekend I went to port authority and took the bus to ac..... One trip down was Ali needed to pay for a limo back (spent my entire win for the night on it)

It wasn't a bad bus company until after Hurricane Sandy hit. They had hourly buses and good weekend service. Then they reduced the service to every 2 hours, with decent weekend service. Then when gas prices soared during those shaky weeks after Sandy, the ticket fares kept increasing by a $1 or 2 every month.

But in the last year and a half the service decreased seemingly every few months to the point you can't catch a weekday bus going down after 2 pm! All the while, gas prices are at an all time low and they don't drop the fare by a penny!

You just have to be crafty and know where to be and when to be there to avoid all the drama. It just seems deliberate to me and they are messing with people's lives and safety just to save a buck! If you promise something in writing, such as a scheduled return bus, and then cancel it 3 weeks in a row, you are asking for trouble.

But I'm sure they could care less and they will keep on gouging people.

This:

Quote: BedWetterBetter

... Not to mention you avoid the hassle of late night driving, falling asleep at the wheel or getting pulled over by the dreaded NJ state police.

That's huge.

Yeah, the service sucks now. I don't take Academy anymore. In fact, I won't even go to AC unless I'm driving and staying overnight.

But when I took it, I took it from the Cheesequake rest stop, milepost 120. On the return trip I'd nap for those first 90 minutes. Made the rest of the ride easy.

I never understood the logic of this company when they would send empty buses from NYC to AC just to pick up passengers and not use that opportunity to sell tickets.

The last two return buses on weekdays are the 8 pm and 10 pm. Meaning, 2 separate buses leaves Port Authority at around 4 pm and 6 pm to arrive in AC on time for those pick ups.

Why not just offer that ride to passengers? Even if you sold 10 tickets on each bus, you recoup some of the expense and provide slightly better service on weekdays. But they would rather send two empty buses and lose out on that potential revenue.

Gate fees.

Any bus going into the Port Authority bus depot must pay a fee. Add the cost of a ticket salesperson, and the few passengers that actually want to take that bus don't cover the costs involved.

Therefore, it's easier and cheaper to go to AC direct from the bus company's own garage.

Also, the garage is some distance from NYC. Add that mileage, and probably tolls, and it's not worth it.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Gate fees.

Any bus going into the Port Authority bus depot must pay a fee. Add the cost of a ticket salesperson, and the few passengers that actually want to take that bus don't cover the costs involved.

Therefore, it's easier and cheaper to go to AC direct from the bus company's own garage.

Also, the garage is some distance from NYC. Add that mileage, and probably tolls, and it's not worth it.

Fair enough, but there is no Gate Fee for Cheesequake Rest Area on the GSP. Granted, it only account for a handful of passengers on the bus. But if they were to utilize the opportunity to pick up passengers at Cheesequake or another GSP rest area, they can recoup some of their expenses. Word would start to spread that Academy has evening pickup and more and more commuters would find a way to be there. They could potentially have an additional 20-25 passengers per run, which would equal around $720 in fares. This would certainly more than cover the cost of tolls, Diesel fuel and the driver's wage for the trip.

But alas, Academy just doesn't see the light!

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Gate fees.

Any bus going into the Port Authority bus depot must pay a fee. Add the cost of a ticket salesperson, and the few passengers that actually want to take that bus don't cover the costs involved.

Therefore, it's easier and cheaper to go to AC direct from the bus company's own garage.

Also, the garage is some distance from NYC. Add that mileage, and probably tolls, and it's not worth it.

I'm not sure about the gate fees at the Port. But Academy runs a lot of regular commuter lines up and down the Parkway and Route 9. Just check out how many Parkway entrances have Park-Ride lots. They're all Academy.

*****UPDATE******

So it finally happened, they made their Atlantic City Run into a Senior Citizen bus tour!

The revised AC schedule now cuts the weekend buses down to a laughable amount. Friday night's last bus returning is 11 PM, Saturday night's last bus is 8PM! and Sunday night's last return bus... 5 PM!!!

I guess they only want grey hairs and people who can't stay up past midnight on their buses.

Another thing I notice is a lot of "cancelled" buses during the week, namely the 2 pm from NYC. They have resorted to outsourcing to Adirondack Valley Tours, where the drivers are clueless on which Casino to go to.

Last night there was an incident, where an Adirondack driver who I assume was hired last minute, went to only one of the pickups at Harrahs for the last bus of the night. Needless to say, there several upset commuters who demanded they send a bus to Resorts for the 8:15 PM pickup as promised on the schedule.

Their compromise was the bus will wait at Harrahs for anyone who shows up by 8:30 PM. So they had to pay $18 for a cab or $2.25 for a jitney to get the bus because the driver didn't know he had too show up at a second stop?

I also noticed on my Presidents Club card, they did not add my last two trips as points towards a free ticket(10 points = 1 free ticket)

So I will certainly be calling and voicing my concerns. Good thing I paid with a Debit Card and save my receipts, otherwise this cheapskate company would probably deny me the rewards. I dread their Summer schedule changes, they'll probably just have 2 or 3 buses going all day and still make mistakes and cause problems for the customers!

Not that I ever would use them again, thanks for the update.

I was going thru some old email and got a message on 7/20 that says the loyalty program is being discontinued as of 7/31/17.

Here's the link to the web version: http://academybus-news.com/4669-29OO-331B2WLB45/cr.aspx

They stunk 18 years ago when I commuted on a weekly basis, and it seems nothing has improved.

And so it would seem, the nightmare is OVER! http://www.academybus.com/?utm_campaign=105864_Presidents%20Club%20Notice%20-%20July%202017&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Mission%20Communications%20US&dm_i=4669,29OO,1B2WLB,8S3L,1

Academy is stopping ALL service to Atlantic City effective Sept. 10 2017. Supposedly, due to budget cuts and loss of revenue.

I knew this day would come eventually, but didn't think it would be this soon. Luckily, I have found very reliable service through Raritan Valley to Sands PA and Saddle River Tours to AC. It's just a shame they had the only game in town for NJ commuters to go to AC multiple times a day and blew it with their lack of diligence.