How much would you pay for a commute on a fancy bus?

[CHamilton]

A $6 commute with Wi-Fi, USB ports, and coconut water

San Francisco-based Leap aims to create a comfortable lounge, on wheels.

SAN FRANCISCO—In a city replete with not only local buses, and the famously-hated tech company buses that shuttle hundreds of workers daily 40 miles south, a new startup is set to debut a private luxury commuter bus line, charging $6 for a roughly three-mile ride.
At its Wednesday launch, Leap will only operate four buses (with one more in reserve) during commuting hours, focusing on giving rides from the Marina neighborhood in the city’s north, going southeast to downtown in the morning, and the reverse in the evening. There’s no fixed schedule—the buses are just constantly rolling at 10 to 15 minute intervals, and passengers can check the iOS or Web apps to see when they will arrive....

Leap is betting that riders are willing to pay nearly three times what a ride on a local Muni bus costs, and a fair bit less than what a taxi (or its newer cousins, Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar) would charge for a similar journey. What makes it worth that price? Free Wi-Fi, comfortable seats (limited to just 27, no standing passengers), USB ports, plus food and drinks.

 

[TinCan782]

Bar stools, what appears to be unsecured chairs...ought to be interesting in a collision. :hi:

I'd probably stick with standard bus or better yet, a train!

 

[railiner]

Really? You need all that for a three mile ride?

San Francisco has evolved into a niche world of its own....I also read the piece on the private Silicon Valley buses...I had no idea of that, either...

 

[railiner]

Bar stools, what appears to be unsecured chairs...ought to be interesting in a collision. :hi:

I'd probably stick with standard bus or better yet, a train!

Good point....regulatory bodies that I am familiar with would never permit such a dangerous practice...wonder how they get away with it?

 

[jebr]

...how long is this commute? Three miles, even in most city traffic, wouldn't be more than 10-15 minutes.

I could see this being useful on longer commutes (say, an hour or so, or even 30 minutes) but for a three mile commute? What's the value?

 

[tp49]

Considering the alternatives (the overly crowded outbound at least to Van Ness Ave, 30 and 45 lines) I could actually see a market for this. Given that the 30/45 have a stop every couple of blocks or so and takes about 30-45 minutes to get from Market Street to the Marina this is more like a private version of a "30x or 45x." Also during peak hours the crowding on the 30/45 could make this service highly desirable for folks working in the financial district.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

forget the fancy water . I would love to have a OBS on EVERY city bus. let the driver drive and some one else deal with bike loading and fare and route info and * the knowledge * of the city they are in !

 

[railiner]

A second employee on a bus carrying 27?

On a three mile trip?

Rather extravagant IMHO....

How can they make a profit with that business model?

 

[fairviewroad]

I'm guessing they are counting on selling a lot of food/beverage products on board. Also, their fuel costs should

be relatively low given the low mileage of the route. Still, it's hard to see this working out.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

No, thanks!

 

[CHamilton]

San Francisco's New Luxury Bus Startup...

 

[jis]

I guess it will depend a lot on the total run time and how that compares with cheaper alternatives. For such a short ride food and drink should not particularly matter. I think Wi-Fi on transportation vehicles is generally overrated, since I can almost always get way better performing internet connection using my own data service. In many cases the collective Wi-Fis are barely usable.

 

[Paulus]

So these buses aren't wheelchair accessible it turns out. Every Bay Area lawyer probably just caught the scent of blood in the water.

 

[chakk]

Sounds more to me like they plan to compete against taxis or Uber, instead of the Muni buses. And, in those cases, $6 would be a good bargain alternative fare.

 

[CHamilton]

Transit, disrupted: My cushy ride with a San Francisco bus startup

 

[CHamilton]

All aboard San Francisco's startup bus craze

 

[CHamilton]

Luxury bus startup Leap suspends service after regulators crack down

 

[Ryan]

Still, it's hard to see this working out.

Congrats, you win the "I saw this one coming before anyone else!" award...
http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/09/san-franciscos-luxury-bus-startup-finally-folds-selling-off-last-3-vehicles/

Leap Transit, the venture-backed private bus company that served on-board coconut water, has officially gone bankrupt.

While the San Francisco company quietly filed its Chapter 7, or liquidation, papers on July 15, it wasn’t noticed until the San Francisco Examiner reported that the company’s remaining buses are set to be auctioned off next month. Amongst Leap's creditors are investors, lawyers, and even Kelly’s Truck Repair, of San Leandro, California.

 

[fairviewroad]

Still, it's hard to see this working out.

Congrats, you win the "I saw this one coming before anyone else!" award...

 

[CHamilton]

The Last Bus Startup Standing: Chariot

 

[Palmetto]

A second employee on a bus carrying 27?

On a three mile trip?

Rather extravagant IMHO....

How can they make a profit with that business model?

They can't.