RedCoach bringing luxury ride with bus prices to First Coast

[thelakelander]

Company plans to bring affordable amenities to two area stops.



By Roger Bull

A new luxury bus service is expanding in Florida and is expected to be in Jacksonville soon.

RedCoach is now operating in and out of Orlando,

Miami, Atlanta, Tampa, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach. Terminals in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach will be added to the list of destinations by the end of the year.

A terminal location has not been chosen for Jacksonville, but the company is primarily looking around Jacksonville International Airport, said Kim Hinton, a company spokeswoman.

The concept is this:

Though the bus is the same size as Greyhound buses, there’s less than half as many seats â€" 27 to Greyhound’s 55. Instead of two seats on each side of the aisle, one side will have two and the other only one.

The seats are leather, have foot rests and lap trays and can recline up to 140 degrees. Each bus has free WiFi, along with 110-volt outlets for laptops and cell phones. Drop-down screens will show movies.

The terminals are often near airports instead of the middle of downtown.

full article: http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-10-26/story/luxury-bus-service-redcoach-heads-toward-jacksonville

Getting around with the bus

Here’s a comparison of one-way routes for Wednesday, along with adult fares, between some of the cities where RedCoach operates:

Gainesville-Orlando

RedCoach: Two buses. Fare: $30.

Greyhound: Five buses.  Fare: $27.72 online, $31.50 standard, $37.50 refundable.

Orlando-Miami

RedCoach: Four buses. Fare: $40 except for the 3 p.m. bus, which is $25.

Greyhound: Eight buses. Fare: $37 online, $48 standard, $55 refundable.

Southwest Airlines: (Orlando to Fort Lauderdale) Four flights. Fare: $131.

Tallahassee-Miami

RedCoach: None.

Greyhound: Six buses. Fare: $76.56 online, $87 standard, $98 refundable.

Atlanta-Tampa

RedCoach: None.

Greyhound: Four buses. Fare: $74.80 online, $85 standard, $96 refundable

[tufsu1]

I posted an article about this service a few months back...good to see they are coming to Jax. soon

[Singejoufflue]

In the Midwest, the service MegaBus has become extremely popular.  High-frequency, low frills, and inexpensive bus service connecting the major cities.  While Amtrak is also popular, it can't touch the rates of the MegaBus.  I'd love for this to be expanded to Charlotte. Maybe next year?

[Ocklawaha]

...and still the stupid plan for the grand old JACKSONVILLE TERMINAL (JRTC for you unclean masses) is for a "GREYHOUND STATION"...   

IDIOTS!

Does ANYONE AT JTA know the value of sundry services to even just the charters that fly through here on the way to the mouse? DUMP LAV $, WASH WINDSHELD-SIDE WINDOWS $, RESTAURANT $, FIRST COAST GIFTS $?

Does ANYONE AT JTA know there are even MORE scheduled operators out there then Greyhound? Do they know that TRAILWAYS is still alive and well? That LA CUBANA (similar to red coach) blows through a couple of times daily between NY / CHI and MIAMI? Do they know we COULD attract others with a bus transit center sitting above the worlds #1 attractions?

Oh hell, probably not... I'm going to my doctors, hoping they give me something STRONG! Be back at sarcasm central about 3-6 pm...

OCKLAWAHA

[urbanlibertarian]

Better service at a similar price.  Isn't competition wonderful?

[simms3]

Wow seems like a great concept!  I remember my freshman year in college I missed a flight home and had to make do with a last minute Greyhound ticket.  Ew Ew Ew.  A standard 6-7 hour drive took 13-14 hours with a stop in Savannah.  The second transfer bus was filled with grossly obese people and no airconditioning.  No empty seats.  It was toture.

This at least seems very nice, like first class flights on widebodies.  And the fares seem more than reasonable.

[Ocklawaha]

The concept is this:

Though the bus is the same size as Greyhound buses, there’s less than half as many seats â€" 27 to Greyhound’s 55. Instead of two seats on each side of the aisle, one side will have two and the other only one.

The seats are leather, have foot rests and lap trays and can recline up to 140 degrees. Each bus has free WiFi, along with 110-volt outlets for laptops and cell phones. Drop-down screens will show movies.

MY, MY, MY JTA, where have I heard THAT concept before? Express flyer to the beaches, MAYO, Orange Park, Mandarin, Nocatee, WGV ANYONE?? anyone?



OCKLAWAHA