Before the semester’s end, students taking bus trips from Gainesville will be able to sit back — or lie down — and enjoy the ride.
RedCoach, the newest long-distance bus line coming to Gainesville, features 27 leather “bed-seats” per bus along with flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet and vending machines.
The date the buses will start traveling to and from Gainesville has not been released.
Depending on the departure and arrival locations, one-way ticket prices will range from $45 to $165, and two-way prices will range from $81 to $297. RedCoach will transport students, families and businesspeople to and from six locations across the state, as well as to and from Atlanta.
Traditional long-distance buses have between 48 and 54 upright seats. Gatorbus, GMG Transports, Miami Bus Service and American E-Tours all make trips to and from Gainesville. They charge between $20 and $65 for a one-way ticket and between $40 and $80 for a round trip.
“Instead of being able to sell many seats for more money, we remodeled the layout of the bus for ultimate comfort,” said RedCoach administrative assistant Maria Piva.
Todd Morrone, coordinator for risk management at UF’s Department of Environmental Health & Safety, said giving people so many comfortable features is consistent with good ergonomic thinking, which involves fitting an environment to the individual, rather than fitting the individual to the environment.
Despite these luxuries, Silvana Vargas, a civil engineering junior, said she would not take a RedCoach bus because she cannot afford the line’s prices.
Vargas said she usually takes a bus from Gainesville to South Florida about four times each semester and looks for the cheapest alternative.
“It’s not great not having the leg space, the comfort and all the added features for that whole distance, but I don’t have the money to spend for that luxury,” Vargas said.
