SleepBus, The New (And Fun) Way To Get Between L.A. And San Francisco
Now, all your sleeping-on-a-long-bus-trip dreams have come true—at least, if you’re going from L.A. to San Francisco or vice-versa. Introducing SleepBus.
SleepBus started in late April and a one-way trip is just $48 (for now—it’s expected to go up to $65), cheaper (and more fun, I think) than a flight. Instead of grappling with getting a bus seat to lean all the way back, you get your very own twin-sized bed. You can drink tea and socialize with other passengers in the lounge area, or you can sleep. (The sleep pods remind me of the Sleepbox, which we wrote about here and you may see at airports soon.)
Here is a pic from the first SleepBus voyage.
Sign. Us. Up.
Whatever route you choose, seven hours later, you’ll either be in San Francisco or Los Angeles. The bus leaves both destinations at 11 p.m. For instance, you can depart from the Caltrain station in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood at 11 p.m. and arrive at the Santa Monica Pier at 6 a.m. However, passengers can stay sleeping until 9 a.m.—a huge perk, if you ask me—at which time they need to get off the bus. (Even with red-eye flights, you don’t get to stay on the plane to get extra sleep!)
“It would basically be like you teleported to L.A.,” said Tom Currier, founder and CEO of SleepBus.
And, you can make new friends in the process.
The SleepBus also provides free coffee, tea, and water, free WiFi, a reading light, power outlets, and sheets (from mattress startup Casper). Of course, there is a bathroom on board, too. SleepBus is working to enable pets on board, as well, and children under 10 can bunk up with their parents for free. (Though if I were a kid, I’d want my own bunk!)
Each “bus”—aka a Volvo truck complete with sleep pods—can transport 12 passengers at a time. You can bring three suitcases and also your bicycle, if you feel so inclined. (Why not?)
So far, SleepBus passengers seem to be big fans, at least according to Yelp.
“Just got off the bus this morning to a beautiful San Francisco day! I slept through the night and woke up in SF. It definitely beats sitting in an uncomfortable greyhound chair with the possibility of sitting beside a stranger. It was also 25% the price of a plane ticket for that day… There are toilets on the bus that are clean and flush down… The beds were clean, comfortable and spacious… I highly recommend it and would ride with then again.” ~ Dani K.
“With SleepBus, I basically got dropped off at SOMa, boarded the bus, had my tea, fell asleep and woke up at the Santa Monica pier overlooking the ocean with espresso to start my day. It was like a time warp and I woke up in a pleasant confusion of how did I end up in this beautiful place so effortlessly.” ~ Theresa C.
The only problem? Demand is so high, SleepBus cannot take anymore reservations at the moment and is in the process of getting 10 more buses made, their website states. They hope to have them up and running by August 15.
You can sign up for updates from SleepBus, find them on Facebook, and watch more about the bus ride here:
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