[Travelandtourism] Luxury Bus Travel

Fri Jun 15 14:58:01 UTC 2018

Good morning Jana and everyone,

	You may want to check your area to see if services similar to
Vonlane operate there. Vonlane does have plans to expand into other Texas
cities and into other states. Perhaps competitors will come along offering
the same level of service and will connect all of their cities giving
passengers a seemless travel experience.

	Vonlane personnel told me that they looked into buying smaller
busses to use on short hall routes  such as between San Antonio and Austin
and between Dallas and Fport Worth. The vehicles they considered were found
not to be ADA compliant. All I can say to that is "Why complicate the
issue?" Until they develop markets to offer non-stop service between San
Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth it may be necessary to allow passengers to
connect to these cities via Austin or offering through service to these
cities via Austin giving us total access to their network and to comply with
the ADA. I'm not sure if any new developments have occurred but will check
their Website for the latest.

	The price isn't so bad considering what you get. We'll look forward
to traveling to Houston with them or to other Texas cities from San Antonio
once they launch direct service to these destinations, arrive at an event
hotel, check in, and go directly to your room and get ready for a wonderful
event. Try doing that with Greyhound, Megabus, etc. If anyone hears of
luxury bus services similar to Vonlane we want to know about them. All the
best.

Peter Donahue

-----Original Message-----
From: TravelAndTourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jana Jackson via TravelAndTourism
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2018 10:29 PM
To: 'NFB Travel and Tourism Division List'
Cc: Jana Jackson
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] The Vonlane Difference

Oh, my word, what a great idea!  I don't think the price-tag is
unreasonable, given the level of service they provide.  I hope that services
like this will absolutely take over this segment of the transportation
industry!  I hope your experience is a positive one!  Thanks for sharing!

Jana

-----Original Message-----
From: TravelAndTourism <travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
Peter Donahue via TravelAndTourism
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2018 9:23 PM
To: 'NFB Travel and Tourism Division List' <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
Subject: [Travelandtourism] The Vonlane Difference

Hello Jana and everyone,
	If you travel by bus help may be on the way if it hasn't arrived in
your area yet. Several years ago a new luxury bus service called Vonlane
began operation in Texas. Currently it operates in Austin, Dallas, Houston,
and San Antonio. Their service is definitely a cut above Greyhound, Megabus
and crew but at a premium price. We're talking about fewer passengers per
bus (About 26 in the main bus area) plus a conference room in the back that
seats six. Think of Vonlane and luxury bus services like it as a "Private
jet on wheels." Rather than pick you up curbside like Megabus or in filthy
dirty terminals like Greyhound Vonlane contracts with several hotel chains
to serve as their terminals Hence before you board the bus you could have a
steak and eggs breakfast or save your appetite for after you're on board.
These busses have travel attendents who provide the same services as airline
flight attendents. After boarding they'll hang up your coat and help you
store your belongings as well as serve sandwitches, snacks, and drinks
brought right to your leather reclining seat complete with your own
entertainment center.

	Vonlane's service was designed for business travelers who want to
avoid the hassles of airtravel but want to make unproductive time
productive. Since their current cities are within 3 or 4 hours of each other
this is a much valued service. Being a cut above the likes of Greyhound and
Megabus premium service will come with a premium price. Vonlane currently
operates a route between San Antonio and Houston. The last time I checked I
believe that the one-way fare was around $80.00 per person. On the surface
this may ssound steep but practicallity must rule in some circumstances. For
example we have an event that occurs in Texas each October. Let's say for
the sake of argument the event called "Pursuit" is held in Houston at the
Grand Hyett Vonlane's Houston terminal it would make more sense just to pay
the extra fare and be brought directly to your event venue instead of
fighting Greyhound and Megabus wars and receive the kind of treatment some
of us have received from these carriers. And once you arrive at the
Greyhound and Megabus stops in your destination city there's the task of
getting from these terminals to your final destination. If Pursuit 2018 is
held at the Houston Gramnd Hyett we'll have to have our own Vonlane
experience and will be able to share what we find out with other blind
travelers.

	The only issue we have with Vonlane is that not all of their cities
are connected to each other. For example we can only use them to get to
Houston from San Antonio and back but not to Austin. Austin is only 2 hours
away. Vonlane claims that such a route would be unprofitable for them to
operate with their current equipment. They've failed to produce evidence to
prove their claim nor have they considered that San Antonians may wish to
travel from here to Dallas and Fort Worth and wouldn't mind their making a
stop in Austin to drop off and pick up more passengers before reaching
Dallas or Fort Worth to make such a route profitable and so those wishing to
travel by bus between all of these cities who are willing to pay the price
can have a far superior experience to those offered by Greyhound and
company. Vonlane passengers wishing to travel between Dallas and Fort Worth
also face the same dilemma. It's our hope that Vonlane and other luxury bus
services will connect all of the cities they serve to grow their served
destinations and to offer over-the-road bus passengers a superior
experience.

	If you want to learn more about Vonlane here is their Website:
http://www.vonlane.com

	All the best.

Peter Donahue

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