LimoLiner, the luxury bus service that has been trying to compete with Amtrak and the airline shuttles for the Boston-to-New York business travel market, has added a feature that stands to make it more attractive to leisure travelers: a Sunday return trip.
When LimoLiner debuted last fall, we took it for a Friday afternoon ride down to Manhattan and took Amtrak's Acela Express back, comparing the two modes in such areas as price, comfort, schedule, service, and amenities. ("No pain, small gains," Travel, M1, Nov. 2, 2003.). Results were mixed, but the advantage when it came to the schedule went to Acela. Weekday business travelers had plenty of options, but weekend revelers drawn to LimoLiner's $69 one-way fare, comfort, and high-tech amenities had to return to Boston some other way if they wanted to be back before Monday afternoon.
No more. LimoLiner now has a bus that leaves Manhattan at 5 p.m. Sunday and is scheduled to hit Boston at 9. That's a little late for the Sunday night lineup on HBO, but when an affordable, comfortable way to manage a New York weekend is at stake, "Sex and the City" can wait.
LimoLiner leaves from the Hilton Boston Back Bay, 40 Dalton St., and drops off at the Hilton New York, 1335 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue at 53d Street). 888-546-5469, www.limoliner.com.
