The "dirty dog" gets a makeover

New luxe non-stop Greyhound route from AUS - HOU boasts Wi-Fi, leather seats andplenty of perks

For the better part of a century, the Greyhound name has been associated with low-cost, no-frills travel. But with its new premium Express service, launched in late 2010, the fabled bus line is hoping to redefine America's notions of what it means to travel by land.

On Thursday, the Dallas-based company announced it will be adding a special non-stop Greyhound Express route between Austin and Houston that features free Wi-Fi, power outlets, leather seats, guaranteed reserved seating and extra legroom. The service will start March 28.

In the past year, the company has experienced a 20 percent jump in its overall ridership with nearly two million passengers taking advantage of the new upscale service, which is currently available throughout the Northeast and the Midwest.

“Considering the expense of flying, driving or taking a train, Greyhound Express offers customers a more affordable travel option," said Greyhound president Dave Leach.

Greyhound Express wants to combine affordable prices with luxurious amenities typically found in more expensive modes of transportation, the company says.

All tickets will be available online, where travelers can to take advantage of discount pricing with select fares starting as low as $1. As with any airline trip, passengers can print boarding passes from home or picked up by way of a self-serve kiosk at the terminal.

“Considering the expense of flying, driving or taking a train, Greyhound Express offers customers a more affordable travel option," said Greyhound president Dave Leach in a statement. “Customers will be able to travel in style to more major cities with more frequency across a significant portion of the United States — a revolutionary service our competitors simply don’t offer."

Certain bus stations throughout the United States will get the royal treatment with private Express waiting areas and dedicated guest services associates. As of yet, it remains uncertain whether the Houston terminal is on the makeover list.

"Our legacy service may stop in a multitude of different towns over the course of the trip," Greyhound spokesperson Maureen Richmond told CultureMap Thursday, noting that the current Austin-Houston route can include as many as five stops along the way. "The trip from Austin to Houston on Greyhound Express doesn't stop once."

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Defensive Driving

Austin-based Tesla faces new probe focused on remote driving feature

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2.6 million Teslas.

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday, January 7 that Austin-based Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.

The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. That investigation covers 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

One driver filed a complaint after a crash while using Tesla's “Actually Smart Summon” technology and NHTSA is looking into another three similar incidents based on media reports, the NHTSA said. The agency is looking into 12 total incidents reported by users of the technology.

Each of the vehicles failed to detect posts and other parked vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Regulators say the vehicles struck objects because the users had "too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”

Shares of Tesla Inc. slid more than 4 percent in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

Musk has complained that U.S. regulations are too onerous and are holding back the development of self-driving cars. Ethics experts are worried that once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Musk will push him to ease oversight of Tesla, which just suffered its first decline in annual sales in more than a decade.

Musk donated an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign and is a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, vetting cabinet nominees and meeting with foreign heads of state. Trump has put Musk in charge of an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, that will recommend where to cut government expenses and staff at federal agencies and reduce regulation.

The NHTSA said it will look into the top speed that Teslas can reach when users deploy its “summons” technology, as well as restrictions on public roads and line of sights requirements. It also said it expects to check for any “connectivity delays" with the app that could result in increased stopping distance.

Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual says that its “summons” feature is designed for use only in parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads.

The new probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

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