Good news for overheated Washingtonians: the Beach Bus is back.
Low-cost intercity bus company DC2NY is once again offering service from Washington to Rehoboth and Dewey Beach this summer.
The Beach Bus, which launched in 2010, is back for a second season after a successful inaugural test run. DC2NY co-owner Richard Green estimates the line carted between 1,500 and 2,000 people to the shore last summer. In fact, the service has been so successful that DC2NY is considering extending the season through the end of September.
“It’s great for a family that doesn’t have a car,” Green says of the bus. “Maybe they don’t know Rehoboth, but they want to have a beach experience. They get in by 11 in the morning and leave at 7:30 PM.”
A round-trip ticket on the Beach Bus costs $78, and the bus picks up at both Dupont Circle and Union Station before dropping passengers off behind the fire station in Rehoboth Beach and at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Dewey. Green argues the bus, which typically takes between two hours and 15 minutes to three hours, is often faster than a car.
“Even in traffic a bus makes it to Rehoboth faster because they are permitted to use the bus lane on Route 1,” he says. “Our first two Fridays they didn’t leave Union Station until 6:05 PM, and they were in Rehoboth by 8:45.”
The Beach Bus currently departs DC on Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings. Return trips depart from the beach Saturday and Sunday evenings. Monday buses are added on holiday weekends so travelers don’t have to cut their trip short. At this time, however, Green has no plans to add regular service during the week.
Currently, DC2NY is the only bus company to run a line from Washington to Rehoboth and Dewey. We’ve reached out to Megabus and Bolt Bus to see if they have any plans to launch similar routes, and will update if and when we hear back.
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