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June 19, 2008
New $5 Bus Service from LA to SF
California Shuttle Bus, a self-proclaimed "upscale" transport connecting Los Angeles and the Bay Area, has announced a new $5 service for those of us who would like to get from LA to SF without the hassle of high gas prices and expensive airfares. The new prices take effect beginning next Monday; the shuttle company is also offering expanded hours and pick-up/drop-off services for certain Westside neighborhoods. From the press release:
"We have noticed increasing demand for our services as the rising oil prices have made travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco more expensive," said Kazuhiro Nakagawa, founder of California Shuttle Bus. "We believe that our shuttle bus concept is the most economical and environmentally-friendly solution to traveling between these two areas, and we hope that our new price structure and expanded services offer our customers the best in price, convenience, and social responsibility."This is all very well and good, but bus service, even the "upscale" kind, is not the most comfortable or efficient way to travel. However, given the ever-increasing expense of other forms of travel these days, maybe movin' to the back of the bus will be the hot new trend for intrastate travel.
Photo by Spacing Magazine via Flickr.
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All I have to say is FINALLY!
Living on the East Coast you could easily catch buses from Manhattan to Boston for $15 from 2 different competing companies. They each had buses leaving on the hour, and during busier times of day, every half hour almost around the clock!
Thank goodness someone brought this type of service to California. I know an easy and cheap way was needed to get between SF and LA. Trains don't get you all the way there, and greyhounds take FOREVER...and express bus is exactly the answer!
So excited to try this out!
Next all we need is a $5 bus to and from Vegas! Although, I'm sure someone, somewhere has thought of that, or comes close, I just haven't found them.
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It's about time a Fung Wah-style bus service comes to the L.A.-S.F. route. It's a great way to travel between large cities (I can travel from Boston to D.C. with less than $60) and they're not a bad travel option. I'm ready to try this one out as well.
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I was a Megabus rider when that service was available, so it is nice to see that another company is taking up where they left off.
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Sweet! If they make a route to Vegas I'd be even happier.
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We've already had Chinatown bus service for years, I take it to Vegas on a regular basis (although the SF route isn't as convenient/frequent): www.gotobus.com.
There's also the new Megabus (www.megabus.com), but they don't have LA-SF service yet.
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Megabus came and left Komorinoko. They offered service to San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Vegas but ridership was not high enough so they got out of California at the beginning of this month.
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http://www.megabus.com/us/
"California
Due to lower than expected customer numbers, Megabus.com will not longer be serving cities to and from Los Angeles. Megabus.com thanks it's customers and apologizes for any inconvenience."
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I wonder if this service will hold up unlike Mega Bus.
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I looked at the California Shuttle Bus website but it says starting at $5. When I went to make reservations it was $19-$39 depending on the day, I tried 3 or 4. I think $5 is too good to be true.
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Having rode the mega bus, which boasted $1 tickets to LA and SF...
this is AWESOME! It was super conveniant, cheap as fuck, and well...
with airlines becoming more and more something too expensive to consider reasonable, we had all start getting used to long distance travel by bus.
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i concur with BekkaTeerlink, i tried all number of combos of dates and times and was never able to have CA Bus come up with less than $19 for LA to SF.
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Like Megabus, it's probably a certain set of seats that are avail for $5. I'm sure they go fast. Still, $19 is good. I'll take that!
Though, I've always wanted to take the Amtrak Coast Starlight to SF, even if it does take way too long (10 or so hours).
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Yup! Crock o' shit.
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"I looked at the California Shuttle Bus website but it says starting at $5. When I went to make reservations it was $19-$39 depending on the day, I tried 3 or 4. I think $5 is too good to be true."
The price doesn't change til next Monday.
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I checked earlier today for dates that I am going to travel to SF in September and was quoted the $5 price (departing from the Hollywood station).
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I just put in a random date (7/22/08) from Hollywood Station to SF and I got $5.00 fare as well...
Probably most likely on weekdays and/or with plenty of advance, but those fares do exist.
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Carrie got the details wrong in her original article. If you look at the press release and the web site, they clearly state "starting at $5". The web site clearly explains most seats are $39, once the bus starts filling up. You can find the cheaper tickets. That's still quite a bit less than a person driving alone would spend on gas (not counting wear and tear on the car, which more than doubles the expense), or flying (a couple years ago, maybe - not now). Sure, it's a promotional gimmick - but I hope it works out for the company.