A new intercity bus service that will allow travelers to go from Memphis to Nashville and back will be making its first trip on Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, May 27, 2023, and Sunday, May 28, 2023, BizBus will depart from Memphis to Nashville at 7:00 A.M., and from Nashville to Memphis at 12:00 noon.
BizBus is a new bus service that will offer comfortable seating, Wi-Fi and an onboard attendant. The one-way fare is $49.99, and according to BizBus, the fare is priced competitively with FlixBus and Megabus.
Jonathan Toles is the founder of BizBus and said that the idea was a result of his traveling experiences. Toles said that during his time as a TSA officer, he heard travelers voice their frustrations about regional travel.
“If you wanted to go from Memphis to Nashville, there’s no direct flight,” said Toles. “It was so frustrating. You could hear people’s frustrations. That’s when I first got interested in this.”
Toles said that when he was a TSA officer, he wanted to provide the best service, and he wanted people to feel comfortable and excited about their travels. And as a Memphis native, Toles said he believes that it’s a city that lacks professional services. Some big cities naturally have businesses that are “hospitality first,” he said, while mid-sized cities such as Memphis and Nashville are often overlooked.
“Here now we have an opportunity for people who don’t like to fly, or are too exhausted to drive, to connect those two cities,” said Toles. “Memphis is my heart. I want the people of Memphis to experience business-class travel, and not just the big market cities.”
According to Toles, the use of buses as a means of transportation has been overlooked. He said he believes that buses are given the perception of an “unsafe” and “uncomfortable” experience with “horrible customer service.”
“With that in your mind, you don’t even think about a bus,” said Toles. “But the statistics suggest a bus is actually the best way of intercity, highway travel between 200 and 400 miles for one-way trips.”
A study entitled by DePaul University called “Ground Transportation Gaps: Evaluating Recent Setbacks in Amtrak and Intercity Bus Travel and Service Expansion during an Era of Lower Cost Fuel,” said that “intercity bus and rail travel is most viable on trips within the 100-400 mile range. These trips can generally be traversed on a ground-travel mode in about two-to-eight hours, a distance which can be uncomfortable when driving, particularly with heavy traffic,” the study said.
Toles said that people need to realize that there is an alternative. “Now we can save on the environment, the consumption of carbon dioxide, It’s actually safer, less accidents. You don’t have to worry about fatigue, no TSA, no layovers, no delayed flights, no cancellations. You can arrive 15 minutes before your trip’s departure, and you can go where you need to go. BizBus provides a business-class experience and you can ride like a Kardashian.”
BizBus currently does not have its own coach buses, but they have contracted with companies such as Tennessee Limousine Services to “provide a clean bus with leather seats and a professional driver.” Travelers will also be provided with on-board attendants, light meals and refreshments, pillows and blankets, and complementary alcoholic beverages.
“We’re changing the concept of business-class experience without necessarily having to break the bank,” said Toles. “You can have quality, and everyone wins.”