Bus from Austin to Dallas

[BillyBadAss 189]

Someone in passing told me second hand about some express shuttle bus service between Dallas and Austin. 

The way it was described was as an alternative to air travel, with snacks, wifi, etc.   (i.e. - not some crummy Greyhound experience that takes 5 hours). 

Has anyone ever heard of this? 

 

[TwiceHorn 31536]

https://www.vonlane.com/

 

There was some discussion here or at the old place. Generally great reviews but expensive.

[RDCanecutter 26473]

Anybody use Megabus? I haven't, but at their stop in BHam I saw lots of foo-foo people playing with laptops waiting to board.

https://us.megabus.com/journey-planner/map?msclkid=7873a31369cf16acf8d2ff2c17fa2797&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=DA - Brand Prospecting Bing&utm_term=megabus&utm_content=Brand - Exact

[Gene Parmesan 4014]

If it has to travel on the road, how express can it be?

[RDCanecutter 26473]

Personally, for pure experience, I'd skip Greyhound and all the upscale buses, and find one of those Mexican buses that start and stop at secret locations.

[Eddyline 116]

Megabus.  Less than $20 on weekdays, a little more on weekends

Edited January 16, 2019 by Eddyline

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

I pass by the Houston Megabus "depot" on the way to work every morning.  If you are willing to do that over spending the extra $80 on Vonlane, I am both impressed and saddened for you.

[BillyBadAss 189]

I checked Vonlane.

Looks like basically a first-class type seat. Free wifi, no streaming; satellite TV. 

They estimate the trip at 3:15, which is not much longer than I could drive it. 

Prices are $105 each way, $210 round trip. 

Parking is $30 per 24 hour period. 

Interesting. 

[rage-a-holic 4473]

23 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

I pass by the Houston Megabus "depot" on the way to work every morning.  If you are willing to do that over spending the extra $80 on Vonlane, I am both impressed and saddened for you.

Did it look like this?

 

[Spoosner 86]

If you're going by bus, Vonlane is badass.  In addition to what you mentioned, they have decent snacks, noise cancelling headphones you can borrow, laptop "desks" that attach to your chair, and easily the best mobile bathroom you've ever seen.  There's a stewardess that serves you all these things, and you can also purchase beer/wine/mixed drinks for $5 a pop.

That being said, the price is obviously quite a bit higher than the next best alternative, which is Megabus.  When Megabus was new (10 years ago), the clientele was much better than a Greyhound for the simple fact that you have to purchase your ticket ahead of time via the interwebs.  As the word has spread, it is now more of the crowd you'd expect to be riding the bus, but definitely still WAY better than Greyhound.

[RDCanecutter 26473]

Amtrak. Sure, it'll be late, but that'll be more time to enjoy staggering around drunk in a moving train.

[AUS-97HORN 11823]

14 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Amtrak. Sure, it'll be late, but that'll be more time to enjoy staggering around drunk in a moving train.

that will take 6 HOURS to get to Dallas from Austin.

[tokamak 6441]

My mom takes Vonlane to come visit sometimes. Ft Worth -> Houston route. She thinks it's great. From what she says, it's as advertised - comfortable seats, good snacks and drinks, etc.

[BillyBadAss 189]

NOTE: Texas Exes members get a 15% Vonlane discount. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by BillyBadAss

[Buck Futter 105]

Megabus is great. So much better than Greyhound. Megabus used to take off from the dobie center, I hear they moved to San jac and 15th or something like that? They'll drop you off at downtown Dallas. It's usually cheaper too.

[Stunns38 3558]

Took Megabus from Dallas to Austin today for the first time. Not terrible. A mix of typical Greyhound riders, college students, and a few normal folks. Was pretty comfortable with no frills for $15.

[PilotsError 2320]

I can't say enough good things about vonlane. Highly recommend it.

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

17 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

Did it look like this?

 

No, more like this

 

[ROFL BOX 6649]

22 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

Personally, for pure experience, I'd skip Greyhound and all the upscale buses, and find one of those Mexican buses that start and stop at secret locations.

If it's a secret, then how do people know where to go & board?

[Guest Lobo]

First rule of Vonlane is you don't park at the Hyatt.  It's $30 a day, that's insane.  Just take an uber or have someone drop you off.  Second is, check the itineraries and compare them against SWA.  They're usually about the same price, but depends on when you want to arrive in Dallas.  Third-where are you doing in Dallas?  It drops off near Love Field, which is fine if you have business downtown or uptown.  Not so great if you need to get out to the suburbs.  If you have a long uber ride upon arrival, blended with overnight at the Hyatt, it starts to get very expensive.  

For door-to-door travel time to Dallas, it's about the same time for me to leave my home or office and be at my destination in Dallas between Vonlane and SWA.  And it's about the same price.  For Dallas travel, it really just comes down to what time I need to be there.  And costs are usually about the same, all-in.  Vonlane typically gets the nod for me because I can cancel 10 minutes beforehand and don't have to buy a special fare class to get that basic customer right.  

[RDCanecutter 26473]

5 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

If it's a secret, then how do people know where to go & board?

Actual Mexican-Mexican people know where to board. Others don't, unless they stumble upon it.

[Tylerocks 2553]

On 1/16/2019 at 1:21 PM, Liquor and Poker said:

I pass by the Houston Megabus "depot" on the way to work every morning.  If you are willing to do that over spending the extra $80 on Vonlane, I am both impressed and saddened for you.

Same here.  It's amazing how normal the Megabus folks look when compared to the Greyhound station a couple blocks down. 

Fucking night of the living baseheads over there.