California Shuttle Bus
Encyclopedia
California Shuttle Bus is a transportation company providing passenger service in California.
The service was initially launched as a $40 one-way service between the Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2008, the company started offering $5 trips but the prices are now in the $25-40 range, the $5 fares coincided with the cessation of Megabus service from LA to the Bay Area.
The company has progressively upgraded their services and now runs large 47-seater charter buses once a day. California Shuttle Bus offers a daily "noon" bus everyday except for Tuesdays and Saturdays. The company also offers a "midnight" bus on major holidays. Their buses have GPS tracking so that customers and their friends can call the office to find out more accurate estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) based on traffic conditions as the bus approaches the drop-off locations.
or Amtrak Throughway Buses, the former its main competitor, although due to its success other players have entered the market. In Northern California major stops include the Bayfair BART Station, San Jose Caltrain Diridon Station, San Francisco Caltrain Station
, and Downtown San Francisco, and Powell Street Station
. In Southern California major stops are at Union Station
, Santa Monica
, and the 7th St./Metro Center and North Hollywood Metro Stations. The company's bus stops are located at major transit centers, hotels, and downtown areas; this is done for "convenience" so that people can pick more local stops to get picked up at, and the company also tries to find "nicer" bus stops that are safe and comfortable for their passengers to wait and get picked up/dropped off. The company also has marketed itself as safer than flying due to perceptual terrorism safety concerns with regards to flying.
It has been called a "cheap alternative for students" and although originally envisioned to attracted upmarket travels from long waits at airports it has attracted mostly backpackers, senior citizens, business people, and bargain hunters. Patrons may pay a higher fare to guarantee that their adjoining seat is empty for their comfort.
History
The company launched its services in 2003.The service was initially launched as a $40 one-way service between the Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2008, the company started offering $5 trips but the prices are now in the $25-40 range, the $5 fares coincided with the cessation of Megabus service from LA to the Bay Area.
The company has progressively upgraded their services and now runs large 47-seater charter buses once a day. California Shuttle Bus offers a daily "noon" bus everyday except for Tuesdays and Saturdays. The company also offers a "midnight" bus on major holidays. Their buses have GPS tracking so that customers and their friends can call the office to find out more accurate estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) based on traffic conditions as the bus approaches the drop-off locations.
Service
The shuttle offers "reliable and convenient" bus services between Los Angeles and San Francisco/San Jose areas comparable to GreyhoundGreyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
or Amtrak Throughway Buses, the former its main competitor, although due to its success other players have entered the market. In Northern California major stops include the Bayfair BART Station, San Jose Caltrain Diridon Station, San Francisco Caltrain Station
San Francisco 4th and King Street Station
San Francisco 4th and King Street or 4th and King station or Caltrain Depot is the northern terminus of the Caltrain commuter rail line that serves San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley, and is a major regional transit hub...
, and Downtown San Francisco, and Powell Street Station
Powell Street Station
Powell Street Station is a Muni Metro and Bay Area Rapid Transit station near the intersection of Market Street and Powell Street in downtown San Francisco, California. The station is located along the Market Street Subway and extends underground from Fourth Street to Fifth Street. Hallidie Plaza...
. In Southern California major stops are at Union Station
Union Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
, Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, and the 7th St./Metro Center and North Hollywood Metro Stations. The company's bus stops are located at major transit centers, hotels, and downtown areas; this is done for "convenience" so that people can pick more local stops to get picked up at, and the company also tries to find "nicer" bus stops that are safe and comfortable for their passengers to wait and get picked up/dropped off. The company also has marketed itself as safer than flying due to perceptual terrorism safety concerns with regards to flying.
It has been called a "cheap alternative for students" and although originally envisioned to attracted upmarket travels from long waits at airports it has attracted mostly backpackers, senior citizens, business people, and bargain hunters. Patrons may pay a higher fare to guarantee that their adjoining seat is empty for their comfort.