In previous months, it wouldn’t be uncommon seeing Vonlane’s gray buses crisscrossing Texas’ highways and beyond. However, as the pandemic spread, that sight became rarer, until stopping altogether.
But now, with new policies and safety measures, the luxury motor coach service is reopening routes between Dallas, Austin and Houston, as it looks to bring furloughed employees back on and boost business with creative new service offerings.
“The focus right now is on Texas and getting the Texas business back to where it was or close to where it was pre-Covid-19, and I don’t have a crystal ball to say how long that’s going to take,” Vonlane founder and CEO Alex Danza told NTX Inno. “Let’s get back to where we were, let’s get our routes back and get our capacity back, and maybe start supplementing with some new things in light of this new world.”
Danza said the decision to temporarily shut down service for the past few weeks really began with the cancelation of SXSW. Not only is that a big boost for Vonlane each year, but Danza said it set off a “chain reaction” of other cancelations – and with that more decreases in business.
“We just saw massive amounts of cash just going out the door for a couple of weeks,” he said. “Everybody was so nervous that we just saw the demand go way down, off a cliff.”
Vonlane says it prides itself on being customer-centric. And keeping with that, the company refunded nearly every cancellation that came in. Danza said even trips booked for the summer were being canceled. Eventually, a lack of passengers made it unrealistic to keep running buses where it operates in Texas and Oklahoma. The pandemic also forced the company to put on hold plans for routes between Nashville, Memphis and Atlanta.
So, despite being deemed an essential business, Vonlane paused operations – sending its corporate team to work from home and furloughing drivers and attendants. The company has about 180 employees total. Danza said it was a difficult decision but thinks it may have helped in that it allowed them to take in a little more from the CARES Act stimulus. He added that Vonlane enacted a mix of furloughs and pay cuts. But as routes reopen, Vonlane plans to bring those employee back onboard.
“One thing we're not scared to say, and we’ve been telling customers and employees this, and every business leader needs to embrace this: We don’t know what’s next, we don’t have the answers yet. So, our next step is to look at how things go,” Danza said.
"As a business owner, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do for the greater good."
While Vonlane was temporarily pausing operations, it took the time to deep clean its fleet, as well as develop new polices and safety measures. Riders and employees will be required to wear face masks, which Vonlane will provide to riders who don’t have their own. The company has been firm on this policy, requiring riders to agree during ticket checkout. In addition, the company will be temperature checking passengers before they board. Seating will also be limited to allow for social distancing.
In addition to safety measures, Vonlane is bringing to the forefront services it had previously done on a very limited basis. For the foreseeable future, the company is hiring out its buses for private charter, as well as parcel delivery. Danza said those services were typically only offered when the fleet wasn’t being used for its core service – which wasn’t often.
“As a business owner, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do for the greater good, for our team and for our passengers,” Danza said. “Obviously, necessity is the mother of all invention and right now the necessity is cash flow. [We’re] just trying to think through other ways we can shake the tree to be creative and build the business, and that’s the key right now for every business – you’ve got to get creative right now… to create revenue.”
Vonlane’s corporate employees began returning to the office on Tuesday. While working remotely, Danza said he noticed his leadership style change. He said constant communication, even when the answer to a question was saying “I don’t know,” was important for keeping morale high. He added that he’s heard from customers high satisfaction with the way they are handling their reopening.
As the pandemic hopefully slows and states reopen, Vonlane hopes to bring back more routes, including the planned ones in Georgia and Tennessee. Danza said they are looking at potentially opening the Oklahoma and Fort Worth routes in July.
He said he also sees a little hope on the horizon. Not only with a recent uptick in booking, but also with the Texas Legislature beginning its session in January. With the flurry of activity during the session, Vonlane typically sees a boost in business. In addition, it’s looking at adding some Texas routes it had not previously done due to logistics, like a Dallas to San Antonio route and a shuttle service from Austin to San Antonio.
“We’re focused on the here and now, and what we’ve got to deal with,” Danza said.
