There’s a startup that’s looking to revolutionize the way that people travel between cities in Europe, while offering a high level of comfort (thanks to JonNYC for flagging this). Will this catch on, or does this sound better in theory than in practice?
I like the concept of Twiliner. I mean, spending the night in a flat bed on a bus sounds sort of charming, in a way. But here’s the thing — I think it sounds better in theory than in practice, at least for those of us who are light sleepers.
I think I’d book this envisioning “oh great, I’m going to get eight hours of sleep.” But then I’d probably end up waking up every 15 minutes, between the movement, the stops, other people snoring, etc. If you’re a deep sleeper, then maybe this is the perfect solution for you. But we’re all different in that sense.
The challenge here is that Twiliner is going after fairly price insensitive customers who value comfort, but who don’t want to fly.
If I were a business traveler and had an important meeting the next day, I’d realistically rather take the last flight of the night to my destination and spend a night in a proper bed at a hotel, rather than chancing on it being able to get sleep on a bus.
Bottom line
Twiliner is launching an innovative luxury bus service, which will initially operate as of November 2025 between Zurich and Amsterdam. While Europe already offers good air and rail connectivity, Twiliner thinks there’s a need for comfortable overnight transportation between cities, since that’s not currently offered.
I have to give Twiliner credit for coming up with a unique concept. It just seems to me like a fairly niche offering, given the price point. I hope this works out, though as someone who is a light sleeper when not in my bed at home, this concept probably isn’t for me…
What do you make of the Twiliner concept? Would you book this bus service?