Vonlane restarting luxury bus routes to Texas cities to meet spring surge in travel demand

Dallas-based Vonlane was on a growth tear just before lockdown restrictions meant to stem the spread of the pandemic halted travel in Texas. Founder and CEO Alex Danza was prepared to add interstate routes to the luxury bus service he’s commonly referred to as a “private jet on wheels” — an alternative for those who want more legroom and amenities than modern air travel provides. But the company had to cease operations from mid-May through July 2020. When it reopened, Vonlane saw steady demand growth on its routes through the summer but was forced to halt business again when COVID-19 cases spiked in the winter.

In January, as cases started trending downward, the company saw more leisure travel and a “smattering of business travelers,” Danza said. Now, Vonlane is hoping to have all seven of its Texas routes up and running again by May. Vonlane will resume service between Fort Worth and Houston on April 1, and service between Fort Worth and Austin as well as between Houston and San Antonio on May 2. “Part of this is lots of requests from customers to bring these routes back,” Danza said. The luxury transportation company implemented safety standards across its fleet last summer, including face mask requirements and enhanced cleaning of buses. It also limited capacity to 14 people per bus and pulled back to three core routes — Dallas to Houston, Austin to Houston and Dallas to Austin — focusing mostly on leisure travel.