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

ridecabin.com

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

#121

Post by ummwhat »

AndyMcConachie wrote: post #94
ummwhat wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing that kills this niche is booking a sleeper car ticket on the capitol corridor. Amtrak does all this but better. Train is quieter, there's a full dining car with meals cooked in a legit kitchen, more space to walk around, fantastic view in the observation car. Only thing they don't do right is advertising. Did you know the sleeper car comes with 3 meals a day? I didn't. On reflection the other issue is that…

I love taking Amtrak, but my god the food is terrible.

I took the California Zephyr all the way to Chicago and then continued my rail trip on to New York. While the dining experience differs depending on the route, I can tell you first hand that on my way to Chicago I was slamming back steak and clams. Couldn't believe it was included in the ticket. And also complimentary coffee. They don't tell you this, but the sleeper ticket is actually first class. I initially thought I was being gouged for the privilege of not trying to sleep in a chair.

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

#123

Post by kalleboo »

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #46
wahern wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> the Shinkansen was built in the early 1960s

Only the first line was built in the 1960s.

The latest lines to be built are the Hokuriku Shinkansen (completed 1997-2015), Kyushu Shinkansen (built between 1991-2011) and the Hokkaido Shinkansen (construction strted 2005, still under construction). And of course the maglev Shinkansen has now started construction.

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

#124

Post by mmjaa »

projektfu wrote: post #116

I’d be satisfied with executive-class buses like they have in Mexico. Comfortable seats and useful timetables. I’m a veteran of overnight train service between Chicago and Pittsburgh. One thing I noticed is that cheap flights are still a huge waste of time. If you fly out Friday night, you spend all evening in airports, risk getting bumped off an overbooked flight, and arrive tired at a hotel you have to pay for as w…

I've taken similar train rides as you describe, albeit all over Europe.

Trains are a delightful way to travel - and as well, get some good work done. Some of my happiest code was written while castles and rivers and villages scrolled by on the window ..

In my opinion the 'long slow travel .. while sleeping/working' method of getting around is far more preferable to the 'jet age tin-can' mode, no matter how far and fast. I'd happily take a train anywhere in the world, were such a thing feasible ..

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

#125

Post by a3n »

cardiffspaceman wrote: post #53
seandougall wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I've seen buses in the high speed lane and if they keep up with the flow of traffic I don't mind.

I've seen signs that say no trucks in the left lane, buses ok. Buses can usually accelerate better than trucks. And trucking companies often govern their trucks. My company governs us to 65mph.

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

#127

Post by a3n »

hollerith wrote: post #38
est31 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And China has access to cheap workers, and in China's hybrid capitalist/socialist economy they are able to do unprofitable projects. Most of their high speed rail routes are unprofitable.

The US is able to do large unprofitable projects. E.g., the Apollo program, the space shuttle.

Wars.

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

#128

Post by kyralis »

bdauvergne wrote: post #118

There is only 600 km between the two cities (I'm french distance between SF and LA was unknown to me before :) ), a normal train (200 km/h, with TGV it would be 2h and some) would take a bit much than 3 hours; with google map I only see fields, desert and mountains for nearly 550 km, why sleep in a bus ?

Because Republicans hate public transit. (And, to be fair, we rather suck at infrastructure for a variety of complex reasons, which explains part of the Republican resistance to such projects.)

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

#129

Post by gizmo385 »

chiph wrote: post #114
parsimo2010 wrote: post #84

The claim that their bus is 1.6x smoother than a train is impossible, and indicative of marketing taking priority over honest metrics. How is 1.6x smoother impossible? Imagine a maglev train has bumps with a peak amplitude of 2 cm. Then 1.6x of that is 3.2 cm. So to be 1.6x smoother they would need their cabin to reduce bumps to -1.2 cm, which is impossible. The truth is often the inverse of this, such as, “maglev tr…

They may have licensed the Bose Ride system, which is sold to commercial truck drivers to smooth out bumps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_G9GCpWAcM Edit: Looks like Bose has sold it to Clearmotion: https://www.clearmotion.com/active-suspension-seat

The website refers to the cancellation technology as "their proprietary technology" so I'm not sure if it's licensed.

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

#130

Post by gizmo385 »

z2 wrote: post #45
dangerboysteve wrote: post #34

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."

> optimal way to drive

Isn't it basically just a straight interstate shot for the vast majority of the trip between SF and LA?

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