So let me get this straight: You’re taking a bus from Houston to Austin — and this isn’t some winery tour bus or something?” inquired my friend, Lana Stack. A flight attendant for United Airlines, Lana was mostly amused about my mode of travel for this trip because, as her friend, I benefit from free standby tickets through United’s Buddy Pass program. Why, then, would I opt to take a bus as opposed to booking a free ticket for what’s essentially an hour-long flight?
I didn’t have a great answer at the time, other than I was curious about Vonlane, a first-class motor coach and, well, FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real thing, y’all.
Launched in 2014, Vonlane offers transportation in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with up to 78 daily departures on peak travel days and a total of 446 weekly departures among the cities.
ILS SONT PARTIS … AND THEY’RE OFF!
For a girls’ weekend getaway, we booked a one-way ticket from Houston to Austin for $100 and boarded the Vonlane motor coach at the Hyatt Regency downtown. The Vonlane coaches are designed with 22 first-class seats as opposed to a traditional motor coach with 56 seats. There were water bottles waiting for us, and we immediately settled in by extending the leather leg rest and pulled out my blanket. Within minutes, we were cruising to Austin — in contrast to traveling by air, where frequent delays leave you, at the least, sweating and annoyed, or potentially missing a connecting flight and ruining your trip.
“The coach service has been particularly well-received by business travelers, such as attorneys, accountants, lobbyists looking to work in a quiet, comfortable and productive environment,” said Alex Danza, founder and CEO of Vonlane. “Leisure travelers also remark that they love the luxurious, first-class travel experience at fares below the cost of commercial air travel and with less hassle than driving.”
LAGNIAPPE GALORE
As first-time travelers on Vonlane, our experience got better and better. Our server offered us an array of complimentary soft drinks and snacks such as granola bars, popcorn, chips and candy. Before we could even finish our snacks, we were ordering lunch: a complimentary salad, sandwich or wrap.
After lunch, I walk to the restroom, and like many people, I can’t properly evaluate a venue until I visit the water closet. Vonlane’s restroom is equivalent to a sizeable half-bathroom and featured a full-length mirror and the coolest faucet and hand drier I have ever seen. Shaped like an airplane, the Dyson WD04 Airblade “nose” was where the water was dispersed, and the “wings” dried your hands. All housed in the sink! Genius.
As I was telling our server how impressed I was with the restroom, I noticed a refrigerator stocked with wine, beer and spirits. There were craft beers, gin, tequila, vodka and whiskey to choose from. I ordered a glass of Sofia Brut Rose for $7. Ok, it was actually a plastic cup — yet I still felt chichi.
Fellow Dallas-based Vonlane traveler Lillian Bajor, a 22-year-old law student, said she frequently travels to Houston to visit family or to Austin to attend concerts and events.
“My fave thing about Vonlane is how easy it is: You can just get on board, fall asleep and wake up where you need to be,” Bajor said. “It’s better than a flight because it’s reasonably priced, super clean, has no baggage fee, and you don’t have to deal with security lines and the hassle that comes with air travel.”
If you don’t feel like napping, passengers have access to complimentary Wi-Fi and more than 350 hours of on-demand digital media.
We arrived in Austin in less than three hours — same as if we’d driven and likely the amount of time spent at the airport plus the flight.
BIENVENUE EN LOUISIANE
Ok, so now you’re intrigued and admit: You have a bit of FOMO brewing. When is Vonlane going to add routes to Louisiana — and specifically to Lafayette?
“While we do not currently have a Lafayette route planned, we always look for passenger suggestions on future routes,” said Danza. “When we consider creating a route, we look initially at a route where the door-to-door time would be similar to flying. Our routes range from two to four hours, typically. We also look at the volume of traffic between the two locations and what alternatives exist for transit currently.”
Let’s all put some good juju in the universe for this “private jet on wheels” to add routes throughout Louisiana!