Live data from Hacker News

Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

ridecabin.com

41–50 of 175 posts

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#41
post #15

It's twice the price of a flight, and with planes you can pick between 3 major airports in SFBA and 5 in LA, which are probably closer to the locations you're really going between.

Isn't only twice the price pretty good for a brand new, unscaled service? Particularly compared to a century old industry that has had ages to optimize.

Sure, if you're looking at it purely from an academic perspective, it's not terrible. but from the prespective of a person who needs to get from LA to SF and is deciding what mode of transport to take, the excuses for why it's more expensive aren't very relevant.

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#42
post #32

Wow, it's almost like there's demand for a high-speed, non-driving land route between LA and SF. If only we had a fixed route land vehicle that could provide a smooth, direct route that had enough space for people to do things like sleep, rest, and use the bathroom. Maybe I'll call this idea 'a high-speed train' and propose that California build one between LA and SF... oh wait.

It doesn't even have to be high speed if they fill it with sleeping berths.

Check out Amtrak's Coast Starlight https://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#43

Wow, it's almost like there's demand for a high-speed, non-driving land route between LA and SF. If only we had a fixed route land vehicle that could provide a smooth, direct route that had enough space for people to do things like sleep, rest, and use the bathroom. Maybe I'll call this idea 'a high-speed train' and propose that California build one between LA and SF... oh wait.

> Wow, it's almost like there's demand for a high-speed, non-driving land route between LA and SF. We'll see, it's not like this service has proved viability yet. As other's have pointed out, this is about twice the price of an hour and 40 minute flight. While some commenters are arguing that there are some folks who would take it to skip the hassle of the airport, I think pretty much the only people who would take t…

Which is ironic considering the relative risks here.

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#44

Wow, it's almost like there's demand for a high-speed, non-driving land route between LA and SF. If only we had a fixed route land vehicle that could provide a smooth, direct route that had enough space for people to do things like sleep, rest, and use the bathroom. Maybe I'll call this idea 'a high-speed train' and propose that California build one between LA and SF... oh wait.

> Wow, it's almost like there's demand

Demand was never the biggest problem.

No major region or state in the US can do high-speed rail as easily or cheaply as Texas and they're still struggling to push through comparably modest roadblocks there. They're looking at more than a decade on a very simple line just from Dallas to Houston. It looks increasingly like the Texas line has a good chance of being constructed. However if it was that difficult for Texas, California can forget about it (unless the Federal Government gets involved and becomes belligerent, which I would favor).

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/high-speed-rail-proj...

If it were as straight-forward as spending a reasonable sum of money and building the rail, the US would already have numerous prominent high-speed rail routes.

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#45

I'm thinking a Wework on wheels. We're not a bus company we're a tech company!

Yeah, this part is what got me:

> "... Over the course of hundreds of trips, our software has mapped an optimal way to drive for your comfort. Combining this unique dataset with real-time tracking of vehicle stability, speed and location, Cabin Drive instructs each driver how to safely drive for optimal ride quality based on route and road conditions."

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#46
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because China can tell you “hey you don’t live here anymore” and plow right through neighborhoods and farms. Our property rights in the US are pretty absolute.

Japan has even stricter property rights and they manage to do better than us. See, e.g., https://japantoday.com/category/features/opinions/eminent-do... From a legal perspective eminent powers can be exercised quite efficiently. They haven't been exercised efficiently in California because of politics. HSR officials spend far too long haggling with farmers and pay much more than a court would require in an attempt to…

To be fair, Japan has long had extensive rail lines, so it's not like they had to raze thousands of homes to cut the Shinkansen tracks. Also, the Shinkansen was built in the early 1960s, when Japan was quite a bit smaller population-wise and less built up.

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#47
post #18
post #15

It's twice the price of a flight, and with planes you can pick between 3 major airports in SFBA and 5 in LA, which are probably closer to the locations you're really going between.

2x the price and 4x the duration. I think the innovation is that instead of dealing with the hassle of going to the airport, going through security, and sitting in a cramped seat, you just spend a good night's sleep traveling.

Don't underestimate that hassle when comparing durations. I once dropped my spouse off at OAK, drove down the 5, and picked her up at BUR. She had time to eat dinner at the airport, but otherwise she really didn't get there much before me.

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#48
post #36
post #27

> During our one-year pilot, road turbulence was a frequent guest complaint. Cabin G2 introduces our proprietary bump-canceling technology, Cabin Cloud. Beneath select cabins, a suite of sensors, electric motors and control algorithms instantly respond to road imperfections by moving a guest’s bed up or down to control the vibration. The technology transforms a bump that would take a passenger out of the deepest slee…

Yeah, I-5 is smooth as hell and getting smoother by the day. But I believe buses feel bumps in the pavement to bridge transitions

A bus would likely have to stay in the right lane, which is still pretty torn up by truck traffic in big stretches.

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#49
post #14

I tried a sleeper bus in China and to be frank I was scared to death the whole ride. Now traffic in the US is safer but by no means perfect. It just takes one idiot to take out a bus full of sleeping passengers. I don't think I could sleep.

Whether you're sleeping or awake, can you do anything about an accident while you're riding in the bus?

I'm not comfortable while awake either. The point is that I won't be able to sleep, so there's no point in taking a sleeper bus.

Re: Cabin releases 2nd-gen fleet of sleeper bus from SF to LA and back

#50
Before the era of ride sharing, many people dismissed inter-city transports like this one as impractical. But now, with Uber/Lyft, it's not at all unreasonable to take a luxurious sleeper between SF and LA and get where you need to be quite easily. Not having to deal with a TSA strip searches, no multi-tools, 23" or smaller carryons, and now "pay extra to carry on, pay extra to reserve a seat". Buses and trains are sounding better and better, and this tech savvy system sounds really good, especially once they can bring the price down to a competitive level.
Post reply on HN