It's no secret that reliable, comfortable, we-wouldn't-mind-taking-that bus service has rocked the East Coast travel scene. BoltBus and Megabus have become major players, but old stand-by LimoLiner, which has been at the comfortable coaches with WiFi game for years, is adding some amenities this month to stay competitive.

First on the list is free red or white wine for weekday passengers on the 6 pm bus out of Boston and the 6:15 pm bus out of New York. Meanwhile early morning departures will now include a fresh squeezed OJ with breakfast. And safety-obsessed travelers might appreciate the seat belts that are be installed at every seat on the LimoLiner fleet.

Of course the biggest perk in the announcement from the company is that its advance purchase fares will continue to be $49 each way through January 2009. While that's a couple bucks more than you'd pay on one of the other guys, the LimoLiner only seats 28, making for a cozier trip.

Would the new perks make you consider LimoLiner, or are you a hardcore fan of another East Coast bus line? Fill us in.

Related Stories:
· LimoLiner [Official Site]
· From 2006: LimoLiner, Part II [Jaunted]
· Buses coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-11-17T17:14:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/11/224452/82

Whenever we have out-of-town family come visit NYC, they always swear they want to see the hip goings-on in Brooklyn, but somehow their trips always seem to end before they leave Manhattan.

Now there are no excuses: A new shuttle service is literally grabbing tourists up at Manhattan cultural sites and dragging them out to BK. For free.

Non-New Yorkers may not understand why a free service is needed merely to get people from one borough to the next, but if you've ever met a Manhattan resident you know that for them, Brooklyn might as well be as far away as Bombay.

The Heart of Brooklyn Connection, a partnership of the borough's major cultural sites, runs the free Sunday service, which picks up passengers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Bryant Park and drops off at the Brooklyn Museum, Botanic Gardens, Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Public Library.

And, Brooklynites, don't start bitching that you're losing out to Manhattan folks yet again. Heart of Brooklyn also has a Saturday service that picks up residents of various far-flung Brooklyn neighborhoods (Williamsburg, Red Hook, Bay Ridge) and takes them to the museum and park as well.

Related Stories:
· Heart of Brooklyn Connection [Official Site]
· Brooklyn Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Heart of Brooklyn]]]> BS 2008-11-12T10:30:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/22/16574/004

There's lots of grim bus news today, from allegations that organized crime outfits tried to extort Chinatown bus operators in New York to word that a passenger leapt from a moving coach on I-5 in California.

If there was any good news, it's that Megabus is expanding service in the Northeast. Newly unemployed bankers rejoice?

Related Stories:
· Feds Bust Alleged Crime Ring [WNBC, via]
· Man Jumps from Moving Bus [BC]
· Support for "Tim's Law" in Canada Bus Beheading [Canada.com]
· Teen Attacked on Milwaukee Bus [WISN]
· Megabus' Expanded Northeast Offerings [Official Site]

[Photo: wrestlingentropy]]]> pbb 2008-10-22T17:00:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/7/144054/088

Remember earlier this summer when horrified bus passengers in Canada watched as a guy allegedly stabbed and decapitated his 22-year-old seatmate? Well, a Manitoba court determined that the suspect in the case, Vince Weiguang Li, is mentally fit to stand trail.

While Li, who's been charged with second-degree murder, will see his case return to court on November 6, a defense attorney says there's more to it than just this psychiatric assessment:

I agree that he is fit to stand trial, but the issue is whether he is criminally responsible for his actions. My position would be in court that he's not criminally responsible for his actions and he did not know what he was doing was wrong.

It will be for a court to determine whether that's correct or not.

Related Stories:
· Canada Bus Beheading Suspect Can Stand Trial [AP, via Google]
· Staycation Travel: The Ultimate Bus Horror Story [Jaunted]

[Photo: Stephen Rees]]]> pbb 2008-10-07T15:05:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/1/164027/641

Our Southern Africa embed Jill Nawrocki recently ducked out of Namibia for a field trip to South Africa.

Sure, renting a car offers a lot of freedom, but it also invites headaches and hassle. Plus, when you're traveling alone (or, like me, with just one other person) the cost of the vehicle--let alone the fuel--can be prohibitive. Luckily South Africa has an answer: Baz Bus.]]> Jaunted 2008-10-01T17:00:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/27/165455/473

With all our coverage of other buses, you'd think the only advances in the industry were happening between Boston and DC. But we're happy to report on Oxford Tube, a cheap-but-classy way to commute between London and the original college town.

Buses are souped up BoltBus style, with plenty of legroom, power outlets, WiFi and "washrooms." Early morning departures on weekdays include a light breakfast, which is a nice touch, even if the grub isn't award-winning. The bus even prints up a quarterly on-board magazine called iON, which you can browse online, too.

Despite the perks, the Tube isn't too pricey. One-way trips are £13 ($24), and if you're coming back the same day or the next, a round-trip is just £16. If you want to stay longer than that, a round-trip is still a reasonable £20.

Related Stories:
· Oxford Tube [Official Site, via]
· Buses coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: paolo margari]]]> pbb 2008-08-27T17:00:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/13/17117/5574

The cheap-but-classy coach line BoltBus will now start stopping in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, connecting it to New York seven times a day. Buses will stop at the Cherry Hill Mall, about 20 minutes from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.

Since the route was just announced today, there are still plenty of $1 tickets available. Meanwhile, there's lots of other cheap bus news out there.

Related Stories:
· The Walkmen "Bus a Move" [NY Press]
· Megabus: The Cheap Seats to Chicago [Star Trib]
· Bus Travel Grows as Fuel Soars [AP, via WaPo]
· BoltBus and Megabus Hog the Street [City Paper]
· A BoltBus Bathroom Briefing [Jaunted]

[Photo: kenudigit]]]> pbb 2008-08-13T17:15:10-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/