Pros: Quiet. Clean. Thoughtful touches. Friendly service.
Cons: Bumpy ride. Spotty WiFi.
Vamoose Bus offers an economy version and a business class. In early April, I took the more expensive ($83 one-way) Vamoose Gold Bus to New York from Bethesda, Md. — an affluent Washington suburb — on the recommendation of a colleague. As a D.C. resident, it wasn’t ideal to Uber almost a half-hour north to catch the bus, but for me that was only 10 minutes longer than driving to Union Station, where the other buses depart. The company also leaves from Arlington, Va.
There was helpful signage at the departure location and an attendant handing out complimentary full-size water bottles for customers.
I boarded the sleek black beauty to discover a pristine interior, plush leather and lots of open seats. My fellow passengers took some work calls but maintained a courteous volume throughout the trip. The bus was bouncier than you’d expect from its appearance; I switched seats mid-trip and found one closer to the back that somehow felt a little smoother. Worse, the WiFi was not dependable for a service marketed toward business travelers. Sometimes it had speeds capable of uploading a high-resolution file; sometimes it was so bad that I couldn’t open an email.
Last word: Overall, Vamoose Gold was my favorite. It was nice enough to justify the price difference compared with Megabus but isn’t as expensive as the Jet.
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