Express bus service between five South Florida destinations gets
rolling this weekend.
And,
Florida Gulf Coast University is one of the stops.
OurBus,
a New York City-based tech company that specializes in intercity and
crowd-sourced bus routes, is expanding into Florida, with a new route
connecting Tampa to Miami, with stops in Sarasota, Fort Myers and Fort
Lauderdale.
It
kicks off Friday. Tickets may be purchased at www.ourbus.com or by downloading
the free OurBus app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
The
service initially will run Friday through Monday, expanding to seven
days a week in early July.
Promotional
fares of $10 one-way will be available for the first two weeks or so.
After that, regular fares will range from about $15 to $30 each way, said Axel
Hellman, one of three company founders.
The
Florida boarding locations: Florida Gulf Coast University in south Fort Myers;
downtown Tampa, across from the Amtrak station; Sarasota at Cattlemen Road in
front of Burlington Coat Factory; Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
Airport and Miami International Airport.
Although the local pick-up and drop-off point is a bus loop at an FGCU parking
lot, OurBus isn’t only for university students and staffers.
There's
no parking at FGCU set aside for the express bus users. Most will need to
get a lift, either from family and friends, a cab or
a ride-hailing service.
Still
Hellman thinks leisure travelers and budget-minded local families will
respond.
He
said OurBus expanded here because "Fort Myers and Sarasota are two of the
largest cities in the country that don't have express long-distance bus
service.”
Without
such service – and no nonstop flights from Fort Myers or Sarasota to Miami, for
example – people are obliged to make long drives.
But,
“taking the bus is more convenient, and more environmentally friendly,” Hellman
said.
And,
an express bus can be a time-saver.
Greyhound
has service to Miami International from the Rosa Parks station in downtown Fort
Myers. Its Saturday trip takes an estimated four hours and 50 minutes one-way,
and includes a transfer.
On
OurBus, the trip takes an estimated two hours and 40 minutes, and requires no
transfer.
OurBus
partners with existing bus companies to deliver its service. In Florida,
the partner is My South Bus Tours LLC, better known as International Limo of
South Florida, based in Pembroke Pines.
The
bus and limo company will supply drivers and motor coaches that typically seat
56 passengers, Hellman said.
Traveler
perks include reclining seats, free wi-fi, individual charging ports, sanitized
restrooms, free water and free rescheduling.
The
company also is offering a membership program. For a sign-up fee of $49.99,
members get 50 percent discounts on 10 one-way fares.
OurBus,
launched in 2016, grew its U.S. East Coast service this year with several
new routes, including Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.; New York City to Philadelphia
– and starting this holiday weekend – Newark, New Jersey to
Washington, D.C.
OurBus
also serves the Philadelphia suburbs with daily, express bus service to
New York City on its Main Line route, which launched in December 2017.
And by the end of the year, Hellman said OurBus aims
to start several other routes addressing “transportation deserts” in
Florida: locations where there is limited rail, air or bus service.
