Entrepreneur plans for Brooklyn-direct bus service to nearby destinations

December 12, 2014 Anna Spivak
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Buckle up, Brooklyn. A brand new bus line, heading direct to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut or Washington D.C., might be rolling through a stop near you in the near future.

Director of Tech Operations at SFX Entertainment and a “serial entrepreneur,” Bobby Ziade got the idea for a bus line that makes trips directly from Brooklyn to popular nearby destinations after realizing that there had to be a more effective way to get to his girlfriend in Allentown, Pennsylvania from Bay Ridge.

“As a New Yorker, I’m not really used to driving a lot,” said Ziade. “I said to myself, well, I live in Bay Ridge; when I go to my girlfriend’s house, which is in Allentown, wouldn’t it be great to not have to drive every time I wanted to come.”

The company, still in its early stages, has started a Facebook page to try to figure out the demand for routes that head non-stop there and back to the above-mentioned areas.

Starting with routes to well-known casinos like Parx Casino in Philadelphia and Sands Hotel and Casino in Bethlehem, Ziade hopes to tackle other areas in New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as D.C. that might be in need of a direct bus line.

“There’s really nothing that exists in Brooklyn, a transit hub that has a bus line, that goes outward to the west,” added Ziade. “Everybody knows the story of how you get out of New York and into New York. It’s generally just Penn Station and Port Authority, which is basically a trip to get there and then wherever you’re going.”

The budding company, which is set to launch within the next six months, is offering the first 1,000 people who like its Facebook page, a chance to receive a two round-trip booklet for 80 percent off (a $125 value).

While Ziade said there is still some “due diligence” to be done like bus sizes, licenses for everything, and real estate scoping, input indicators like the Facebook page will help him get an idea of the interest and demand surrounding the plan.

“In the past, you just did it and hoped people came,” said Ziade. “If you actually have people supporting this on Facebook, if they like the idea and like the Facebook page, it’ll be a great indicator.

“People are a little bit tired of having to go to Manhattan to go everywhere,” Ziade continued. “Brooklyn has more people in it than Manhattan. That was a great point to start, so we put it out there and [hope] for a great response.”

Visit the company’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bklynatlantic for more information.

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