Low Cost Bus Carriers Competing For Travelers

BoltBus's inaugural run yesterday from Boston's South Station to New York's Penn Station started smoothly, but ended with a screech - literally - as the shiny new motor coach, which was running more than an hour late, loudly scraped against construction equipment.

But the mishap, which gouged the side of the new motor coach and ground the trip to a halt, didn't faze officials at BoltBus, the new joint venture between Greyhound Lines Inc. and Peter Pan Bus Lines.

'In New York City, it's going to happen. It's almost bumper cars,' said David Hall, the Greyhound manager who led BoltBus's development and stood on the street yesterday awaiting the new service's first arrival from Boston. 'We'll replace the rubber strip. It happens all the time.'

BoltBus's rough start contrasts how it has tried to set itself apart along the fiercely competitive Boston-to-New York route, which generates more revenue for Greyhound than any other city pair."