Essentially, OurBus partners with private bus companies that generally serve the tour or character service markets, assembling intercity travel rates that are often cheaper than not only other bus companies, but also rail providers like Amtrak. Users can access intercity bus fares via OurBus’ website or mobile app. OurBus’ platform includes routes offered by several dozen charter bus companies, with OurBus handling tech support, marketing and ticketing.
For example, a trip from Miami to Tampa, Fla. on May 17 will take a little more than five hours and cost $22, according to a search on the OurBus site. That same 280-mile trip traveled via Amtrak will require about the same length of time, but cost $46. Also, a trip on May 16 traveling from Austin, Texas to Dallas will take 3.5 hours and cost $5 through OurBus. This same trip with Amtrak will take nearly six hours and cost at least $30.
OurBus currently connects a number of major cities in the United States – largely on the East Coast – but increasingly in other locations along the Atlantic seaboard like Florida and also in Texas. As with other travel booking sites, OurBus users enter which cities they’re traveling from and to. The site then presents available dates along with fare prices. One element that makes the service different from a more traditional intercity bus companies like Greyhound is that the route, time and price may be altogether different the next month or even the next week.
“If you make a reservation, you’ll know when your departure is leaving. But that doesn’t mean that same bus will be in the same location every day,” explained Axel Hellman, cofounder of OurBus, and heads up business development, scheduling and marketing.
Using online platforms to book travel affords OurBus increased flexibility, company officials said.
“Basically, in the old days you’d go to the bus station, look at the time-table, that says, oh, the bus will be here at 3 o’clock,” said Hellman. “Since everything happens online or on the app, basically what that means is schedules can change.”
OurBus is based in New York City and launched in 2016. Hellman described the company’s business model as “putting a new face on an old industry.”
