Get Surfshark VPN at surfshark.deals/winginit - Enter promo code WINGINIT for a special deal for the holidays: 85% off + THREE EXTRA MONTHS for free! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope, like me, you've had time to spend time during the holidays with people close to you. Here's to a super 2023 and a taste of something different this today's video! I took Napaway just after US Thanksgiving between Nashville and Washington DC, and what did I make of this remarkable, unique American sleeper bus? Find out in today's video!
"Bus stations in the U.S. aren't the most pleasant places to hang out" is the most kindly worded euphemism I've ever heard for how sketchy U.S. bus stations are.
My parents dropped me off at the Boston Mass bus station, circa 1987 or so. I was 17. Headed to Florida to see family. I was promptly robbed of my few bags, placed under the bus. Showed up in FLA with nothing.
What an informative vid for me, who has family in Nashville! I can see taking the NE Regional or Acela train to Union Station, then Lyft to the Napaway spot in DC and straight on to my home town. Genius!
I did exactly this! I got on the Acela in Boston at 7:15 AM, and arrived in Nashville about 26 hours later, with enough time to walk around DC and visit a museum. I had a hard time sleeping on the bus, but it was probably because I'm a stomach sleeper and the seat is much better designed for back or side sleepers.
I did an overnight sleeper between La Paz(Bolivia) and Uyuni rtn in Oct. Like you I found it extremely comfortable and I slept very well. Its not something I had thought about before or even knew existed but will certainly consider it again. If you take into account that you are not paying for two separate things - a hotel room for the night and transport then it makes great economic sense
We absolutely need something like that in Canada, there's so much appetite for it here especially with Greyhound's complete exit from the market (which has been replaced by sporadic unreliable bus service & ride sharing) thereby leaving us with prohibitively expensive trains and planes. Sadly though there would be so many barriers to entry, including Canada's notorious red tape and sunk costs. I'm pretty sure Transport Canada and the provincial governments will find a way to ruin it, like they always do.
Cool review. I hope napaway makes and gets another bus. Those butterfly seats have been an idea for years and the seats are extra comfortable as the offset means no rubbing shoulders. A daylight and night service would get more out of their asset. I would love to see those seats on a train with the option to buy one or two seats so you have the option of bed or seat.
I've been thinking for a while that Amtrak should make their coach class seating 100% lie-flat on long-distance trains (to steal a *ton* of customer from airlines), but this would provide a way for them to implement both options with the same rolling stock. A flexible pricing structure is also a very interesting way to implement things. I imagine it could result in a lot of passenger conflict though, especially if empty seats are available but people aren't allowed to move around. Booking on a a "guaranteed two seats" versus "guaranteed one seat" option or scheduling such that everyone has two seats would likely be a better option for trains at least.
Great review! The change in mindset is that (assuming you get a good sleep) you wake up and you're at your destination as opposed to waking up at 4am to get to the airport.
I mean most business travelers (which is bulk of DC/NY travel) would rather have a night at home. Acela or the DCA-LGA shuttles with CLEAR can easily get you into central DC or Manhattan by 9am without getting up at 4am. No clue who these services are geared toward (other than travel vloggers!).
Sleeper buses appeared in China in the 1990’s, so nothing new in terms of the concept. However, Napaway have improved the experience compared to the Chinese.
I love this. This is better than spending the night in a hotel and the next day traveling by bus and plane. Travel while you sleep! Finally a decent sleeper bus with a flat bed. This is the best value traveling over land. I love the comfort of sleeper trains and overnight ferries/cruiseferries, but they're few and far between. A sleeper bus route can be created anywhere there's a road between destinations.
@@Paul_Lucas I mean the great thing with these seat designs is that it's flexible, allowing the bus to work for both day trips and night trips. With this seat design they could do something like a roundtrip or one way trip during the day and a one way trip during the night. I'm sure they could compliment night trips with day trips
Shame we don't have that level of comfiness on UK buses. Longest trip I did on a bus was Edinburgh to the south of France on a package tour and comfortable it was not. 24 plus hours made a then (still) supple teenage me cranky! Couldn't do it now!
What a great way to travel! This would work well on the west coast running between Vancouver Canada through Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica to San Diego.
Very nice video...enjoyed watching. Didn't know this was a thing...sleeper buses in the US. Notice that the first driver was a woman! Thanks for posting!
If I needed to get from Nashville to Washington DC and had 11 hours to burn I might give this a go just to see what it's all about, but if I were a banker and the CEO of this company came to my bank to apply for a loan, I would reject the application. This business model is not economically viable over the long term. The $125 fare per seat can generate a gross revenue of no more than $2250 per one-way trip, and the 11 hour travel time means that there can only be one round trip per day. That's nowhere near enough to offset the operating costs (e.g. taxes, license/permit fees, fuel, maintenance, payroll, website hosting, etc.). This service will haemmorhage money and the company will be out of business in 12-18 months.
Re your comment about airline and sleeper train beds, if you want to try a really comfortable and wide bed on a train at a reasonable price try the cheapest sleeper accomodation on VIA's 'Canadian" - a lower berth. This throwback to an earlier time of Pullman Sections consists of two opposing double seats folded down and together at night with a good thick matress placed over the seats. You get to sleep on alongside the window, and a curtain separates the bed from the aisle. Meals are included, the only downside is the relative lack of privacy vs a private room. An upper berth is even cheaper and just as comfortable, but somewhat claustrophobic as there is no window.
The private "second-class" bedroom on the Canadian is a great compromise between price and comfort. I took the trip in April and it was the best trip of my life. The bed was long enough for me (I'm 6'6"), quite comfortable, and the bedroom has a door and en-suite bathroom. The meals were fabulous and the "Park" car at the end of the train a joy. Way better than any bus.
This company needs some serious investment to get more buses and more advertisement exposure over the country, it sounds amazing, the cost is too and it has the potential to be really successful. If I was rich I'd seriously consider investing in it.
I’ve been on sleeper buses all over China for decades. Napaway have improved greatly on the concept in terms of comfort. It’s surprising that other countries haven’t caught on until now.
@@toemblem Except for the 2 hours at the airport before the flight, then 2 hours to dc, then another 30 min to an hour to get out of the airport, then you have to actually get to dc since Reagan isn't in the city. Buses like this allow you to leave one night, spend the day in your destination then leave that night. Vs flying which costs you plane tickets and 1 to 2 nights in a hotel ontop. There are a lot of routes something like this would work very well in the USA.
@MrGeforcerFX nobody, that's in the know, calls it Reagan. It's called National and it is the only airport in DC. Dulles and BWI are the ones outside of the city. You can't see DC in a day so the rest of what you said does not apply.
@@toemblem i'm not going to dc for a day to "see" dc, i am going to that area for a football game, or maybe a concert is in town, or I have a wedding to go to. DC is still just a city, so other things can be going on.
This is a cool idea, and they seem to offer a very decent product, but I don't think this model is sustainable over the long term. The $125 fare seems rather low and not enough to offset fuel costs and employee wages. I reckon the fares will rise considerably over the coming months. I also don't think there's enough demand for long distance coach travel in the USA - Americans want to get from A to B as quickly as possible, and there's also a stigma about long haul coach travel in the USA that it's a low-class means of travel and classist stigmas are difficult to overcome.
Welcome to DC, you should try out the Virginia commuter train, VRE. I have ridden it into DC for over 20yrs. It’s a great way to DC get from outer suburbs of DC, it’s cheaper then Amtrak.
literally never heard of this concept before till this vid. In america, are you really taking a bus if you dont feel a bit sketched out lol? thats awesome the bed is superior to aircraft and trains....esp coming from you, who travels as much as you do.
At 08:14 you're near Wytheville, VA...fun fact, Interstates 81 and 77 run concurrently for a few miles between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell. It's the only time concurrent interstates run in opposite directions in the USA (I-81N and I-77S are concurrent and signed together, and of course the opposite I-81S and I-77N in the other direction.)
I took a Greyhound instead of flying from Kansas city to Tampa Bay for the experience but I'll never be making that mistake again what the hell was I thinking
It is always interesting to learn about bus travel in the United States or Europe. Here in Brazil buses are very comfortable and popular because we have no railroad infrastructure and air travel is very expensive.
Luxe busses have come a long way, beds, privacy suites, some have meal service. I hope the trend continues because I'll take one of these over Amtrak Business any day, and leagues cheaper than a Roomette. May take longer by bus, but cheaper than train, and more convenient than flying. And if you have the right kind of seat, you won't even care. You're right though about the bus stands for a lot of these 3rd party buses, they should really work out a deal for a hotel, or other lobby that is more convenient, and safer.
I was stuck in Port Authority in NYC for 11 hour's back in March of 2015 due to an ex boyfriend booking my bus ticket from Ogdensburg, NY to Mystic Connecticut instead of New London, Connecticut Mystic didn't have a bus station but New London train station does and had to have my Mom western union me the extra money for the ex boyfriends screw up on the bus ticket.... All in all I was fine made friends with this guy who works for Adirondack's Trailways who bought me a slice of pizza and a few beers and a few throw aways kept me company and helped me get through the time till my bus came finally... Paul you always make my day or night with your videos you are such a pleasant person and very smart and informative with your travel vlogs, keep up the good work as always 👍🏻☺️👍🏻 Cheer's 🍻
We did the sleeper bus from Edinburgh to London, I was asleep before leaving Edinburgh and woke up going down Finchley Road in London. I think the service was cancelled.
I've been watching Japanese travel videos. Japan is so far ahead of America in the travel industry that we're insignificant. Not worth $125, in my opinion. Not worth anything.
Wow. I love this!!! I would sleep like a rock on this bus!!! I do hope they keep going and expand!!! 125 from DC to Nashville is an inexpensive way to get a great nights sleep and wake up to an awesome city!!! I wonder now. Was it 125 for all of those seats or just that one?
That bed looks far better than air New Zealand business class! Give quantas a run for its money too, wish they had these busses in Australia ,3days Brisbane to Darwin sitting up was horrid then I followed that up with 3 1/2 days to perth,arrived nerves shattered and stunk like a homeless man
Prevost H345 best motorcoach for the trip. For the passenger its a very smooth coach..and for a driver like myself its like a cadillac. The faucet in the lavatory is kinda rare these days, most customers order without it and just stock with hand sanitizer.
I've taken that trip many, many times in my life. I live about 10 miles from Dulles Airport. My father's side of family is in Knoxville, and my ex-wife family in Nashville. The section of Interstate 40 from Nashville to Knoxville can be eventful. Driving through Knoxville is always and adventure. Not until you get onto I-81 outside of Bristol Va that I really start to enjoy. To me, the best part of the trip. I-66 east to DC is nice until you get past exit to Dulles at Rt. 28. East of that, disaster. I avoid it at all cost. Now that bus looks like a great option. Especially for budget constraint. I agree they need to improve pick-up and drop offs. Thanks for the review. Hopefully you had/have an enjoyable holiday season ! Safe travels.
If you want something like that and also Queensland Rail Travel has a train called the Spirit Of Queensland and it is the only train in the world to have comfortable railbed seats a seat by day and a bed by night definitely worth buying and also the the name of the train tells you it’s location it’s In Australia Queensland
Those privacy screens are a great idea for the Coach class of Amtrak and I could see an intermediate class between Coach and Sleeper that has this kind of configuration with seats that become fully flat
Better yet, just make all of Coach class lie-flat and deal with the increased costs of new rolling stock / slightly longer trains with the *massive* influx of customers the service would get, given the insane prices airlines charge for lie-flat seating.
Definitely looking forward to taking this one day, thanks for the video! I hope they expand to Atlanta eventually since I have family there and would love to have an alternative to flying.
They're filling a big gap in the marketplace that's exacerbated by Amtrak's reluctance to lower their sleeping car prices while not adding sleeping cars to their trains. I wish we could see more of these luxury coaches in the US, even in daytime markets, as Greyhound is a pretty miserable experience.
I noticed that couchettes are not available on Amtrak at all (either a seat or a private room), and are very few in number on Via Rail. These are the most affordable night option in Europe. But it looks like the new Nightjet fleet by OeBB is also doing away with them...
We have one of those buses over here in California. Leaves Santa Monica pier around 8:00 am, arrives at San Francisco next to the pier, around 5:00 pm. Cost per person was $200.00 in that year (one way), 2012 ( I think). I would like to use their service by the end of 2023. Thanks for the video Covina Ca
How do the drivers get to work 11 plus hours? I drive entertainment buses ( bands on tours) and we max out our on duty drive time at 10 hours which is tightly regulated by the dot.
what about safety..?? when you're in a vehicle aren't you supposed to wear a safety belt..?? are you able to put a belt around you and your bedding whilst on the move or did you find no need for it..??
One little concern I have with the bus operator is that she’s using Google Maps. While it’s not a bad app, it’s a terrible app for Commercial vehicles like buses when you enter NY. Interstates start with I-## and then there’s I-H-## for Hawaii, I-A-## for Alaska, & I-P-## for Purto Rico For some reason. It’s best for bus operators like her to use Garmin like truckers & other commercial vehicles, or TruckMap for IOS & Android mostly because of NY. But it is alright where she was destined to go. I-81 in Virginia has a ton of rest areas since there’s 325 miles of I-81 in just Virginia alone. I dub it Virginia Thruway or Truckers Thruway due to so many trailers bypassing I-95 due to Excessive Tolls. I actually love the seat you chose to do Driver POV Videos. I would want to have the Outlets. Of course there’s a ton of traffic at the capital of the US. But that’s rush hour for ya. There’s also a luxury bus you can take from there in DC to NY. I think it was for $99 one way and it might have went up a bit. You got a PREVOST X3-45 model bus from Canada. That noise at the back of the bus is the motor & engine of the bus. The sinks automatically shut after a little bit of the time.
That's the main trouble with coach travel. However well appointed the coach may be, the waiting facilities are often just a bus stop by the side of the road.
One of the ironies of the United States is that in the land of capitalism, nearly all public transport (Greyhound & other coach operators excepted) is provided by the public sector (as are virtually all U.S. airports). But the public sector, in this case the City of Nashville and the District of Columbia, should be more supportive of private initiatives such as Napaway that provide travel choice with access to public facilities (noting that these can be pretty sketchy in parts of the U.S. - but hopefully not as bad as the Parc de Bercy bus station in Paris).
Get Surfshark VPN at surfshark.deals/winginit - Enter promo code WINGINIT for a special deal for the holidays: 85% off + THREE EXTRA MONTHS for free!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope, like me, you've had time to spend time during the holidays with people close to you. Here's to a super 2023 and a taste of something different this today's video! I took Napaway just after US Thanksgiving between Nashville and Washington DC, and what did I make of this remarkable, unique American sleeper bus? Find out in today's video!
Do you have to go through security like at an airport?
Just in case noone pointed it out? Those water taps turn themselves off.
If you’re interested in railroad travel you should give the Spirit Of Queensland a try and also nice video mate
Hi Paul Lucas it's Katelyn Naismith here please can you do a napaway in Newcastle next
"Bus stations in the U.S. aren't the most pleasant places to hang out" is the most kindly worded euphemism I've ever heard for how sketchy U.S. bus stations are.
Sad, but true.
Wow, that's quite an understatement!
Bus stations the world over are sketchy. Nobody in their right mind would want to spend time there.
My parents dropped me off at the Boston Mass bus station, circa 1987 or so. I was 17. Headed to Florida to see family. I was promptly robbed of my few bags, placed under the bus. Showed up in FLA with nothing.
Look at Cleveland or Chicago. Nuff said.
6:54 Can I just clarify you get a *thick* mattress pad? 😂
I would say that the word “suite” is used in the loosest way possible.
Leaving aside the bus stops, the bus is surprisingly good. The bed feature is amazing. Much much better than a greyhound. I would travel with Napaway
What an informative vid for me, who has family in Nashville! I can see taking the NE Regional or Acela train to Union Station, then Lyft to the Napaway spot in DC and straight on to my home town. Genius!
Right! With more service like Napaway, the distance between Amtrak routes just might be shortened for those of us who live off the beaten path.
You wouldn’t even have to take Lyft. I think the stations like 2 metro stops away
That’s does work, except, exempt the rideshare and use DC Metro public transit. Cheaper ride.
I did exactly this! I got on the Acela in Boston at 7:15 AM, and arrived in Nashville about 26 hours later, with enough time to walk around DC and visit a museum. I had a hard time sleeping on the bus, but it was probably because I'm a stomach sleeper and the seat is much better designed for back or side sleepers.
I did an overnight sleeper between La Paz(Bolivia) and Uyuni rtn in Oct. Like you I found it extremely comfortable and I slept very well. Its not something I had thought about before or even knew existed but will certainly consider it again. If you take into account that you are not paying for two separate things - a hotel room for the night and transport then it makes great economic sense
Buses are essential in South America. Air travel is expensive and we have no rail infrastructure.
Unusual review. Good accommodations. A nice change from the rush of airports and airplanes. Thank you Paul. Merry Christmas🎄🎄🎁🎁😀
You know Trains exist, right? They have been the alternative to Airports and planes for decades
We absolutely need something like that in Canada, there's so much appetite for it here especially with Greyhound's complete exit from the market (which has been replaced by sporadic unreliable bus service & ride sharing) thereby leaving us with prohibitively expensive trains and planes. Sadly though there would be so many barriers to entry, including Canada's notorious red tape and sunk costs. I'm pretty sure Transport Canada and the provincial governments will find a way to ruin it, like they always do.
Thanks Paul. I hope you are enjoying Xmas 2022 and I look forward to many more of your great videos in 2023.
love the idea of sleeping on a bus - think you forgot to edit your voiceover at around the 7 minute mark!
Gee thanks! I'd never heard of Napaway until now. Please continue to educate me on transit around the world.✌
Cool review. I hope napaway makes and gets another bus. Those butterfly seats have been an idea for years and the seats are extra comfortable as the offset means no rubbing shoulders. A daylight and night service would get more out of their asset. I would love to see those seats on a train with the option to buy one or two seats so you have the option of bed or seat.
I've been thinking for a while that Amtrak should make their coach class seating 100% lie-flat on long-distance trains (to steal a *ton* of customer from airlines), but this would provide a way for them to implement both options with the same rolling stock.
A flexible pricing structure is also a very interesting way to implement things. I imagine it could result in a lot of passenger conflict though, especially if empty seats are available but people aren't allowed to move around. Booking on a a "guaranteed two seats" versus "guaranteed one seat" option or scheduling such that everyone has two seats would likely be a better option for trains at least.
Great review! The change in mindset is that (assuming you get a good sleep) you wake up and you're at your destination as opposed to waking up at 4am to get to the airport.
I mean most business travelers (which is bulk of DC/NY travel) would rather have a night at home. Acela or the DCA-LGA shuttles with CLEAR can easily get you into central DC or Manhattan by 9am without getting up at 4am.
No clue who these services are geared toward (other than travel vloggers!).
Sleeper buses appeared in China in the 1990’s, so nothing new in terms of the concept. However, Napaway have improved the experience compared to the Chinese.
@@seanpratherfulthis doesn’t do DC to NY. It’s DC to Nashville.
@@kevinstfort oof! My bad, I thought it was DC/NY.
Overnight buses and overnight trains could be great for getting cars off highways.
Did you change driver ? I saw a woman driver at the beginning and a man on arrival ? If so, it is a very safe way to do for a long night drive.
Paul i must say that i miss your tripps and adventures videos very much!
I love this. This is better than spending the night in a hotel and the next day traveling by bus and plane. Travel while you sleep! Finally a decent sleeper bus with a flat bed. This is the best value traveling over land. I love the comfort of sleeper trains and overnight ferries/cruiseferries, but they're few and far between. A sleeper bus route can be created anywhere there's a road between destinations.
$125 per seat and only 18 seats means only just over 2 grand per trip, assuming all sold out. Difficult to make money from that.
I guess it depends what they do with the bus for the rest of the time. I wonder if they do charters with it?
@@Paul_Lucas I mean the great thing with these seat designs is that it's flexible, allowing the bus to work for both day trips and night trips. With this seat design they could do something like a roundtrip or one way trip during the day and a one way trip during the night.
I'm sure they could compliment night trips with day trips
Shame we don't have that level of comfiness on UK buses. Longest trip I did on a bus was Edinburgh to the south of France on a package tour and comfortable it was not. 24 plus hours made a then (still) supple teenage me cranky! Couldn't do it now!
What a great way to travel! This would work well on the west coast running between Vancouver Canada through Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica to San Diego.
I had the same thought, they actually have a form on their website to suggest routes and I suggested Boise - Portland - Seattle - Vancouver.
This channel is the best UA-cam has to offer. Happy Holidays everyone! 🎉✌
Very nice video...enjoyed watching. Didn't know this was a thing...sleeper buses in the US. Notice that the first driver was a woman! Thanks for posting!
A bit like a panty liner 🤭😂 But seriously, a great review of an interesting service.
If I needed to get from Nashville to Washington DC and had 11 hours to burn I might give this a go just to see what it's all about, but if I were a banker and the CEO of this company came to my bank to apply for a loan, I would reject the application. This business model is not economically viable over the long term. The $125 fare per seat can generate a gross revenue of no more than $2250 per one-way trip, and the 11 hour travel time means that there can only be one round trip per day. That's nowhere near enough to offset the operating costs (e.g. taxes, license/permit fees, fuel, maintenance, payroll, website hosting, etc.). This service will haemmorhage money and the company will be out of business in 12-18 months.
Re your comment about airline and sleeper train beds, if you want to try a really comfortable and wide bed on a train at a reasonable price try the cheapest sleeper accomodation on VIA's 'Canadian" - a lower berth. This throwback to an earlier time of Pullman Sections consists of two opposing double seats folded down and together at night with a good thick matress placed over the seats. You get to sleep on alongside the window, and a curtain separates the bed from the aisle. Meals are included, the only downside is the relative lack of privacy vs a private room. An upper berth is even cheaper and just as comfortable, but somewhat claustrophobic as there is no window.
The private "second-class" bedroom on the Canadian is a great compromise between price and comfort. I took the trip in April and it was the best trip of my life. The bed was long enough for me (I'm 6'6"), quite comfortable, and the bedroom has a door and en-suite bathroom. The meals were fabulous and the "Park" car at the end of the train a joy. Way better than any bus.
This company needs some serious investment to get more buses and more advertisement exposure over the country, it sounds amazing, the cost is too and it has the potential to be really successful. If I was rich I'd seriously consider investing in it.
06:54 I know the feeling. 🥴
Bloody voiceovers 😂
@@Paul_Lucas My voiceover recordings are often times 2x the length of the video itself. 😭
I’ve been on sleeper buses all over China for decades. Napaway have improved greatly on the concept in terms of comfort. It’s surprising that other countries haven’t caught on until now.
Caught on to what? You can take a SWA flight from Nashville it DC for under $100 (cheaper than this bus) and be there in 2 hours.
@@toemblem Except for the 2 hours at the airport before the flight, then 2 hours to dc, then another 30 min to an hour to get out of the airport, then you have to actually get to dc since Reagan isn't in the city. Buses like this allow you to leave one night, spend the day in your destination then leave that night. Vs flying which costs you plane tickets and 1 to 2 nights in a hotel ontop. There are a lot of routes something like this would work very well in the USA.
@MrGeforcerFX nobody, that's in the know, calls it Reagan. It's called National and it is the only airport in DC. Dulles and BWI are the ones outside of the city. You can't see DC in a day so the rest of what you said does not apply.
@@toemblem i'm not going to dc for a day to "see" dc, i am going to that area for a football game, or maybe a concert is in town, or I have a wedding to go to. DC is still just a city, so other things can be going on.
This is a cool idea, and they seem to offer a very decent product, but I don't think this model is sustainable over the long term. The $125 fare seems rather low and not enough to offset fuel costs and employee wages. I reckon the fares will rise considerably over the coming months. I also don't think there's enough demand for long distance coach travel in the USA - Americans want to get from A to B as quickly as possible, and there's also a stigma about long haul coach travel in the USA that it's a low-class means of travel and classist stigmas are difficult to overcome.
With 18 beds per bus and 1 bus per day, there doesn't need to be that much demand. The ticket price does probably need to be higher though
You’d be surprised how more people are open to alternative modes of transportation.
Can't see me ever doing that because I get car sick with the constant stop start turning of road vehicles. Train for me.
Nice review Paul and welcome to my home of Washington DC. I expected to see a "Ding" as you boarded the couch. Maybe next bus trip?
Bus and Train, in the United States, is changing for the better. People are getting FRUSTRATED with the airlines.
Very interesting. I did 5 days on a Greyhound bus across Canada back in the 1980's. This looks a whole lot more comfortable!!
Happy New Year
Welcome to DC, you should try out the Virginia commuter train, VRE. I have ridden it into DC for over 20yrs. It’s a great way to DC get from outer suburbs of DC, it’s cheaper then Amtrak.
Strewth, never thought I would see somewhere slightly worse that the Greyhound Bus Station in Nashville! Sleeper bus is an interesting concept though…
Nashville Soccer Club will be playing in DC this summer. I hope Napaway schedules the bus accordingly for that weekend.
Looks like they had a driver change between Nashville and DC?
Imagine that is the Knight Bus from Harry Potter.
Japanese buses have private roomettes. So nice. Wish we had them in America.
I first saw these types of buses on japan travel channels. I hope it catches on in the US! If this was an option vs a flight i would take a bus
literally never heard of this concept before till this vid. In america, are you really taking a bus if you dont feel a bit sketched out lol?
thats awesome the bed is superior to aircraft and trains....esp coming from you, who travels as much as you do.
At 08:14 you're near Wytheville, VA...fun fact, Interstates 81 and 77 run concurrently for a few miles between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell. It's the only time concurrent interstates run in opposite directions in the USA (I-81N and I-77S are concurrent and signed together, and of course the opposite I-81S and I-77N in the other direction.)
You should try the JetBus next. Its great.
I took a Greyhound instead of flying from Kansas city to Tampa Bay for the experience but I'll never be making that mistake again what the hell was I thinking
It is always interesting to learn about bus travel in the United States or Europe. Here in Brazil buses are very comfortable and popular because we have no railroad infrastructure and air travel is very expensive.
Luxe busses have come a long way, beds, privacy suites, some have meal service. I hope the trend continues because I'll take one of these over Amtrak Business any day, and leagues cheaper than a Roomette.
May take longer by bus, but cheaper than train, and more convenient than flying. And if you have the right kind of seat, you won't even care.
You're right though about the bus stands for a lot of these 3rd party buses, they should really work out a deal for a hotel, or other lobby that is more convenient, and safer.
Vonlane operates out of ncie hotels, which allows them to use it for catering and a waiting space
@@john40539 Good to know!
Really enjoyed your and Jeb Brooks reviews of this. :)
I was stuck in Port Authority in NYC for 11 hour's back in March of 2015 due to an ex boyfriend booking my bus ticket from Ogdensburg, NY to Mystic Connecticut instead of New London, Connecticut Mystic didn't have a bus station but New London train station does and had to have my Mom western union me the extra money for the ex boyfriends screw up on the bus ticket.... All in all I was fine made friends with this guy who works for Adirondack's Trailways who bought me a slice of pizza and a few beers and a few throw aways kept me company and helped me get through the time till my bus came finally... Paul you always make my day or night with your videos you are such a pleasant person and very smart and informative with your travel vlogs, keep up the good work as always 👍🏻☺️👍🏻 Cheer's 🍻
Looks so comfortable and quiet, hope the driver doesn't nod off!
Thanks Paul for your time and efforts on a thoroughly entertaining and informative video. Cheers.
We did the sleeper bus from Edinburgh to London, I was asleep before leaving Edinburgh and woke up going down Finchley Road in London. I think the service was cancelled.
I've been watching Japanese travel videos. Japan is so far ahead of America in the travel industry that we're insignificant.
Not worth $125, in my opinion. Not worth anything.
I struggle with this concept. More expensive than flying and unlike Amtrak there’s no experiential benefit driving up a highway.
Wow. I love this!!! I would sleep like a rock on this bus!!! I do hope they keep going and expand!!! 125 from DC to Nashville is an inexpensive way to get a great nights sleep and wake up to an awesome city!!! I wonder now. Was it 125 for all of those seats or just that one?
That bed looks far better than air New Zealand business class! Give quantas a run for its money too, wish they had these busses in Australia ,3days Brisbane to Darwin sitting up was horrid then I followed that up with 3 1/2 days to perth,arrived nerves shattered and stunk like a homeless man
Prevost H345 best motorcoach for the trip. For the passenger its a very smooth coach..and for a driver like myself its like a cadillac. The faucet in the lavatory is kinda rare these days, most customers order without it and just stock with hand sanitizer.
The Seats Looks Good.Great Work
Seems very good
Lol a 'panty liner' 😆In Japan the over night buses have private rooms but the seats don't seem to fold out to beds.
I've taken that trip many, many times in my life. I live about 10 miles from Dulles Airport. My father's side of family is in Knoxville, and my ex-wife family in Nashville. The section of Interstate 40 from Nashville to Knoxville can be eventful. Driving through Knoxville is always and adventure. Not until you get onto I-81 outside of Bristol Va that I really start to enjoy. To me, the best part of the trip. I-66 east to DC is nice until you get past exit to Dulles at Rt. 28. East of that, disaster. I avoid it at all cost. Now that bus looks like a great option. Especially for budget constraint. I agree they need to improve pick-up and drop offs. Thanks for the review. Hopefully you had/have an enjoyable holiday season ! Safe travels.
If you want something like that and also Queensland Rail Travel has a train called the Spirit Of Queensland and it is the only train in the world to have comfortable railbed seats a seat by day and a bed by night definitely worth buying and also the the name of the train tells you it’s location it’s In Australia Queensland
If only airlines could make same service for economy; simple flatbed with no other frills such silver cutleries or fine China and gourmet meals
The overnight bus trip are awesome
Those privacy screens are a great idea for the Coach class of Amtrak and I could see an intermediate class between Coach and Sleeper that has this kind of configuration with seats that become fully flat
Same here.
Better yet, just make all of Coach class lie-flat and deal with the increased costs of new rolling stock / slightly longer trains with the *massive* influx of customers the service would get, given the insane prices airlines charge for lie-flat seating.
In Australia I thought we were bad but we, qt least have covered areas a huge country would think have everything
Your description of the bed sold me. But, the no Wi-Fi, would have been a real drop for me.
How many on the bus suffer from flatulence is the key. Hope you get on a bus where there are not many breaking wind.
Merry Christmas keep up the amazing work 👏
Thanks, you too!
Definitely looking forward to taking this one day, thanks for the video! I hope they expand to Atlanta eventually since I have family there and would love to have an alternative to flying.
There is a similar bus to Atlanta called Vonlane, which goes to Dallas.
Great vlog. Merry Christmas and keep the vlogs coming in 2023.🎄
Super video. 8 hours of sleep on a bus is really great. Keep travelling.
Makes me think of "The Big Bus" film. Quick, raise the flags of all nations.
6:58 were you having a stroke lol
They're filling a big gap in the marketplace that's exacerbated by Amtrak's reluctance to lower their sleeping car prices while not adding sleeping cars to their trains. I wish we could see more of these luxury coaches in the US, even in daytime markets, as Greyhound is a pretty miserable experience.
Reg coach train travel is a zoo. Crazy at night anything goes
I noticed that couchettes are not available on Amtrak at all (either a seat or a private room), and are very few in number on Via Rail. These are the most affordable night option in Europe. But it looks like the new Nightjet fleet by OeBB is also doing away with them...
Did the driver had some "sleepdetection device" on his dashboard?
Thanks Paul
Those beds look nice but I need to ride in a sleeper bus with the coffin bunks so I can pretend im on warped tour
Unfortunate they only have 1 route…. 🤦♂️
I like your story telling amazing. I am definitely entertained. I wish they have this kind of bus around California
We have one of those buses over here in California. Leaves Santa Monica pier around 8:00 am, arrives at San Francisco next to the pier, around 5:00 pm. Cost per person was $200.00 in that year (one way), 2012 ( I think). I would like to use their service by the end of 2023. Thanks for the video Covina Ca
That was Cabin. Sadly they have not operated for the last four years.
Thanks Paul have a great Christmas and many thanks for your vlogs.
How do the drivers get to work 11 plus hours? I drive entertainment buses ( bands on tours) and we max out our on duty drive time at 10 hours which is tightly regulated by the dot.
They change drivers enroute.
@@Paul_Lucas ahhh gotcha 👍 safe travels
Are you taking the bus from UK.?
That cheesy wrap ruins the window view.
Ha! I know exactly where you ended up. Used to live across the street. Great video!
Thanks Sheryl and enjoy the holidays!
what about safety..?? when you're in a vehicle aren't you supposed to wear a safety belt..?? are you able to put a belt around you and your bedding whilst on the move or did you find no need for it..??
There are safety belts yes, even when laid down.
Looks good for a bus.
Thanks for the video
Great trip, finally another bus trip report.
Beats flying through Heathrow any day!
One little concern I have with the bus operator is that she’s using Google Maps. While it’s not a bad app, it’s a terrible app for Commercial vehicles like buses when you enter NY. Interstates start with I-## and then there’s I-H-## for Hawaii, I-A-## for Alaska, & I-P-## for Purto Rico For some reason. It’s best for bus operators like her to use Garmin like truckers & other commercial vehicles, or TruckMap for IOS & Android mostly because of NY. But it is alright where she was destined to go. I-81 in Virginia has a ton of rest areas since there’s 325 miles of I-81 in just Virginia alone. I dub it Virginia Thruway or Truckers Thruway due to so many trailers bypassing I-95 due to Excessive Tolls. I actually love the seat you chose to do Driver POV Videos. I would want to have the Outlets. Of course there’s a ton of traffic at the capital of the US. But that’s rush hour for ya. There’s also a luxury bus you can take from there in DC to NY. I think it was for $99 one way and it might have went up a bit. You got a PREVOST X3-45 model bus from Canada. That noise at the back of the bus is the motor & engine of the bus. The sinks automatically shut after a little bit of the time.
more bus journeys please ! great review
Great review Paul. Merry Christmas 🎄
Is that bathroom tap still running?! 😄
I wish that was more widely available across the US. I roughed overnight rides on the Greyhound.
Was there just one driver or was there a spare driver too ?
Must have used 2 drivers as 10 hr max in USA
Hope this business model succeeds so they can add more routes!
That's the main trouble with coach travel. However well appointed the coach may be, the waiting facilities are often just a bus stop by the side of the road.
One of the ironies of the United States is that in the land of capitalism, nearly all public transport (Greyhound & other coach operators excepted) is provided by the public sector (as are virtually all U.S. airports). But the public sector, in this case the City of Nashville and the District of Columbia, should be more supportive of private initiatives such as Napaway that provide travel choice with access to public facilities (noting that these can be pretty sketchy in parts of the U.S. - but hopefully not as bad as the Parc de Bercy bus station in Paris).