The bargain lines widely known as the Chinatown buses are rolling out new routes beyond the Northeast corridor, to hubs like Atlanta, Orlando and Chicago.

Many of the bus routes have been in existence for several years, catering mostly to the Chinese immigrant clientele for whom the carriers were originally started in the 1990s. But several bus companies have begun publicizing the routes to the students, backpackers and other English-speaking bargain-hunters who have embraced the lines as a cheap mode of transportation through the Northeast.

“The Chinatown buses are booming,” said Jimmy Chen, who runs the Boston-based shuttle bus booking service Gotobus.com. “Even during a year when the economy was not so good.”

Chinatown buses now go to around 30 cities from New York, according to Mr. Chen, and there are more than 40 such companies in operation across the country.

The moves allow the bus companies to compete with low-cost carriers like Megabus and BoltBus, which operate along the traditional Chinatown bus turf as well as nationwide. Among the Chinatown bus companies rolling out routes are I-95 Coach, which is offering a New York-to-Orlando trip, and Horse Run Tour, from New York to Atlanta.