A friend and I are thinking of launching a Google-like bus here in Jacksonville. Google
currently brings over 1,200 employees to work a day on their private buses. We thought
the same type of service would be great for dealing with the downtown work commute
here in Jacksonville which can take quite a long time during peak hours.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/technology/10google.html?ex=1331182800&en=dcb412d03d29e1f6&ei=5088
We plan to start with direct non-stop routes from beach locations to downtown. Our
biodiesel buses would all offer comfortable high back seats, free wi-fi, coffee, etc.
More details are at: http://www.comingsoontojax.com/
Do you think this could work in Jacksonville?
Kris
I wish I knew the answer. I really want to say yes, but my gut keeps saying no....
Do you know any specifics about the route and the stops yet?
Is there one or two places at the beach that you would be able to pick up a large amount of people, or is everyone scattered around?
Kocan, sounds like a big project. You might have already done this, but here are a few contacts and ideas for you.
American Bus Association "ABA"
Bus Ride Magazine
Metro-Magazine
Trailways (franchise information)
ABC Bus, leader in new, used and reconditioned buses
Riverside Bus, local leader in bus sales
Operating scheduled service "schedule driven" is a great concept and makes for easy management but it is a good way to take a financial bath. Most scheduled bus services have vanished from the highways over the last 50 years. The entire National Trailways System, which connected the franchises, broke down and was abandoned. Now Greyhound provides the connections for the isolated Trailways routes. Most operations make their money on the tour side and as contract carriers. The idea that Google uses sounds similar to the Prudential's van pool concept introduced in Jacksonville back about 1980. If you can get a couple of major businesses to sign on, then you can build a route that is "service driven." As for tours and schedules, there has been a void in the system and might be room for a hybrid tour-schedule service all along A-1-A from Fernandina to Daytona Beach. This was once a local Greyhound route that was popular with the beach people. Done right, it just might be dense enough to work again.
Best of luck to you.
Ocklawaha