When it comes to long-distance travel, bus used to be the only affordable way to go. Nowadays, though, everybody’s taking cheap flights and buses often get a bad rap.
Well, I’m not going to suggest that you jump on a coach to go thousands of kilometres, but for trips of a few hundred kilometres, they are still a good option. Especially so when they offer all the creature comforts.
When I was booking a trip to Florida a few years ago, I discovered Red Coach, which I used to make a connection from Miami international airport to Tampa.
It bills itself as “an exciting new concept in luxury travel”. While that may be over-egging it slightly, the fact is that the trip was comfortable, the bus was clean, the service efficient and safe. It got me where I wanted to go with no fuss.
Yes, you’re still in a bus on a road, but the seats are padded (favourably comparable, in fact, to short-haul business-class seats on some domestic carriers) and in a 1-2 configuration, meaning you can sit on your own (as I did) or with a friend. There’s a TV to watch and wi-fi to help you while away your time online. And, at $40 for that trip, the price was right.
Red Coach only covers Florida — making it perfect for cruise passengers and visitors to Walt Disney World and the other Orlando theme parks — but similar “boutique” bus services are popping up across the United States and elsewhere.
Yes, there other ways of getting around — I flew from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale on Silver Airways, and found that affordable and efficient, too — but the message is: don’t dismiss bus travel outright.
