A Guide to 10 'Luxury Bus' Lines You Can Take Instead of Amtrak

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com, a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

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Yes, you can travel in luxury on a bus: A few bus lines around the country are providing luxury bus service on intercity routes up to about 300 miles, especially in areas where air and rail service is either sparse or expensive. To qualify as “luxury,” my primary requirement is that a line must provide one-by two seating, with extra legroom, in a full size intercity bus, along with an onboard lavatory, Wi-Fi and/or streaming TV, snack/drink service, and no-fee baggage checking. That’s all typically much more comfortable than a plane, and sometimes more comfortable than Amtrak. Fares are around double regular bus fares, because the lines fit only 22 to 35 seats into buses that nominally hold 55 to 60 seats, in addition to extra passenger amenities.

I found 10 lines that qualify, listed here alphabetically, with samples of posted one-way fares. Most lines employ capacity-controlled pricing: As buses fill up, fares for remaining seats increase. Most lines also offer a variety of round-trip, multi-ride, frequent-traveler membership, student, and similar discounts. Most require reservations, and pick up and leave travelers on public-street loading zones, or sometimes at hotels.

Editors’ Note: Included fares are accurate at time of publication.

Luxury bus at airport — Oleksandr | Adobe Stock

BestBus

BestBus is one of the many bus lines that operate between New York City and the Washington, D.C. area. Although most of its trips use conventional intercity buses, one or two daily trips feature “Prime” service that offers the necessary luxury mix. At least one trip operates most days nonstop between New York Penn Station and Washington-area drop off points at DuPont Circle and Union Station and three stops in suburban Virginia. The Prime fare for February starts at around $47 one-way, compared with $38-40 for the regular service; trips take four hours and more.

Amtrak offers frequent competition, with trips taking from a bit under three hours (Acela, from $155) to 3:30 hours (Northeast Regional, hovering around at $115 with fares below $100 available on specific dates).

C&J Bus Lines

C&J operates at least two daily trips, all with luxury buses, on two main routes:

Connecting Boston with Dover, Portsmouth, and Seabrook New Hampshire. Trips take 55 minutes to Seabrook, at $13.99, to 1:30 to 2 hours to Dover at $14.99, and on average 1:15 to 1:30 to Portsmouth at $14.99.
Connecting New York with Andover, Massachusetts as well as Seabrook and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Trips take 4 hours to Andover, fares are $74. Trips to Seabrook take between 4:30 and 4:45 and trips to Portsmouth take roughly 5:15, fares for both are $84.

Concord Coach Lines

Concord operates several trunk routes, but offers its luxury “Plus Bus” on one daily round trip each on its route connecting New York City with Portland, Maine (6 hours, $79).

Amtrak connects New York with Portland, but a train trip requires changing trains and stations in Boston. The shortest connection for a trip in early March takes six hours and costs $84, including bus transfer between stations in Boston. Competitive air service to Portland for a similar time frame starts at $45 one way.

Dartmouth Coach

Dartmouth Coach operates luxury bus trips at least once daily with extra weekend service between New York City and Hanover/Dartmouth and Lebanon, New Hampshire. Trips take about five hours; fares start at $89. This company is affiliated with Concord Coach Lines and appears to offer a similar luxury product. Dartmouth also operates from the Boston area, but only with conventional buses.

Amtrak does not go near Dartmouth or Lebanon. Flights from New York to Lebanon start at around $134 one way, and require about four hours with a plane change at Boston.

Hampton Jitney

The Hampton Jitney operates between New York and the main eastern Long Island centers, including three to four daily luxury “Ambassador” service trips to/from Montauk, with additional trips to/from Amagansett. Montauk trips take 3:15; fares start at roughly $45.

The competition to the Hamptons is the Long Island Rail Road Montauk line. Montauk trips take 3:15 and cost $22.25 off-peak, $30.50 peak.

Interior of a luxury bus — Creativa Images | Adobe Stock

Red Coach

Red Coach operates a complex network linking Miami with Tallahassee while also serving key intermediate stops. Although it also operates conventional buses, Red Coach operates luxury First Class runs several times daily between Miami and Tallahassee via Orlando. Miami-Tallahassee trips take about nine and a half hours, with fares starting at $99; Orlando-Miami trips take about 4 hours with fares starting at $45.

Red Coach competes with Amtrak, Brightline, and Tri-Met between some South Florida stops, but no rail line operates to/from Tallahassee or between Atlanta and Florida. Miami-Tallahassee nonstop flight fares start at roughly $150 round trip, taking two hours nonstop or over five hours with a layover.

Tripper Bus Elite

Tripper Bus is one of the many lines that operate between New York City and the Washington DC area. The line runs between two and seven trips each day, and on most days one of those trips uses a luxury “Elite” bus. Trips run between New York City Penn Station area and stops in suburban Bethesda and Arlington. Travel time is 4:00 hours; Elite class fares start around $60, compared with regular fares which start at $27. See “BestBus” entry for Amtrak and airline competition.

Vamoose Gold

Vamoose is yet another New York-to-Washington bus line that operates a luxury service. “Gold Bus” trips operate three to four times per day between midtown Manhattan and stops in Bethesda, Maryland, and Arlington and Lorton, Virginia. The trips take 4:00 to 4:30 hours to/from Bethesda; 4:40 to/from Arlington; and 5:00 to 5:30 to/from Lorton. Gold Bus fares start at $79, depending on time of day; regular fares start at $49. See “BestBus” entry for Amtrak and airline competition.

Vonlane

Vonlane operates an extensive network of all-luxury bus routes connecting Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, and San Antonio. All stops are at city-center hotels except for Dallas, where the terminal is at a Love Field hotel. Sample fares from Houston to Fort Worth are $129; the trip takes four hours.

All Vonlane routes are serviced by multiple airlines, including Southwest. Sample nonstop airfares for Houston-Dallas in late February start at $154 one way, decreasing to under $100 for select dates in March. Amtrak operates one train daily between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth and one train daily Dallas-Austin-San Antonio. Coach fares Dallas-San Antonio start at $37 for a 10-hour trip.

Washington Deluxe

Washington Deluxe is the fourth (on my list) New York-Washington bus line that offers a deluxe option. “LUX” buses operate less than daily between New York/Penn Station and Washington/DuPont Circle. The trip takes 4:00 to 4:30; the fare starts at $35. See “BestBus” entry for Amtrak competition.

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