FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - New overnight bus service between Santa Monica and San Francisco
Old Apr 19, 2016, 7:46 pm
  #1  
calwatch
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: ONT
Programs: AGR, UA, AA
Posts: 476
New overnight bus service between Santa Monica and San Francisco

http://www.sleepbus.co/

Here's an article about it: http://www.inc.com/tess-townsend/sle...la-for-50.html

It appears to use custom configured tractor trailers and stacks people in three-high pods, although the article says they use Volvo sleeper coaches. The "bus" departs at 11 pm nightly and arrives at 6 am, with sleepers getting evicted at 7:30. The cost is $48 to start and $65 permanently.

The Santa Monica location is a bit out of the way from most of Los Angeles, but might be good for Silicon Beach, and would have good connections to LAX via the Flyaway and to Downtown via the Expo Line when that opens in May. The San Francisco location at Caltrain is also less than ideal, but is connected to Silicon Valley and SFO/SJC that way so could be useful for open jaws.

One issue I could see is the unbalanced demand. You might get good demand Thursday, Friday, and Sunday nights. Many times the Night Coast bus (San Jose to San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara and continuing on via the Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles) sells out. Recently the 2 am San Joaquin bus from LA-Bakersfield has sold out as well on these nights, as my friend who made an unexpected trip to Disneyland discovered (no overnight northbound options other than the Greyhound local through the Central Valley). The other nights will have very few riders.
calwatch is offline