Revving up
Luxe Fort Worth bus service Vonlane gets back on road to Austin for $99
In time for summer weddings, graduations, and all the other in-person gatherings Texans missed out on in 2020, Dallas-based luxury bus operator Vonlane is resuming routes among some of its most popular cities. Fort Worth passengers will finally be able to ride the "private jet on wheels" to Austin and back again, beginning May 2.
Also resuming May 2 is the route between Houston and San Antonio.
Service between Fort Worth and Houston will return April 1, the company announced earlier this month.
"Welcome back, Fort Worth and San Antonio," they said in a March 29 email to customers.
Service to both cities had been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 outbreaks and then Winter Storm Uri, the company says. Vonlane hasn't run the Fort Worth-Houston and Houston-San Antonio routes since the middle of December 2020. And passengers haven't been able to travel between Fort Worth and Austin since July 2020.
Routes to Oklahoma City still have not been restored.
A quick check of the schedule online shows it's possible to book one-way and roundtrip travel from the Fort Worth Hilton to the Austin Hyatt Regency, and vice versa, beginning May 2. Departure times from both cities are 11 am and 3 pm, and the journey lasts three hours.
Fares are $99 each way.
Fort Worth routes to and from Houston are $105 each way, with departures at 10:45 am 3:30 pm daily beginning April 1. (Schedule can vary on weekends.)
Buses depart in front of the JFK Tribute at 916 Main St. in downtown Fort Worth, and passengers may use valet service across the street at the Hilton Fort Worth, 815 Main St., or self-park in a nearby garage.
Vonlane buses are operating with a number of COVID-19 protocols, including blocked seats for social distancing through March 31. After March 31, face masks and temperature checks will still be required, and they'll continue to use an EPA-approved disinfectant for deep cleaning between trips, a spokesman says.
Vonlane launched its high-end bus service in 2014 to cater to business travelers. Each bus, which holds fewer than two dozen passengers, features amenities like Wi-Fi, satellite TV and radio, snack and drink service, sleep masks, and leather seats.
Reservations can be booked online, and may be canceled and fully refunded up to 24 hours before departure.
Last year, Vonlane also introduced charter service and parcel shipping service. Packages can be shipped on board scheduled routes for a flat fee of $75 per item. More details are here.
