In welcome news for Houston travelers seeking alternatives to flying or filling their tanks, Vonlane has ramped up service to a favorite North Texas destination.

The luxury bus operator has introduced two new departures, on peak travel days, from Houston to Fort Worth and Austin (for a total of four daily excursions between each city).

"Good news, early birds! Cowtown just got more accessible with added departure times out of Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth that allow you to have a productive day trip aboard Vonlane," the company said in an August 23 email to customers. "Avoid the overnight hotel stay, travel in first-class comfort, and arrive home rested and caught up on phone calls and emails."

The schedule now looks like this:

Fort Worth to/from Houston: 6 am, 10:45 am, 3:30 pm, 8:15 pm Monday-Friday; modified service Saturday-Sunday.

Fort Worth to/from Austin: 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm Monday-Friday; modified service Saturday-Sunday.

With the newly expanded services, the Dallas-based company says, it has returned to 95 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity. Beginning in October, in fact, travelers can expect up to eight departures each way on Vonlane’s most popular routes, they say — a total of 72 departures on peak days between major Texas destinations.

“Texans are eager to get out and travel across the state for vacation, for work, and to see loved ones, and they are looking to Vonlane for the best travel experience in America,” said Alex Danza, founder and CEO of Vonlane, in a statement. “By increasing our departures to pre-pandemic levels, we’re making it easier than ever for travelers to get away on their own schedule in comfort and style.”

Around Texas, Vonlane’s upcoming schedule will offer the following departures on peak days:

• Houston-Dallas: 8 departures each way
• Houston-Austin: 8 departures each way
• Houston-San Antonio: 4 departures each way
• Houston-Fort Worth: 4 departures each way
• Fort Worth-Austin: 4 departures each way
• Dallas-Austin: 8 departures each way

The company says it hopes to re-launch out-of-state service in November. Pre-pandemic, it operated routes to and from Oklahoma City.

Vonlane launched its high-end bus service in 2014 to cater to business travelers. Each bus, which holds fewer than two dozen passengers, features amenities like Wi-Fi, satellite TV and radio, snack and drink service, sleep masks, and leather seats. Fares start at $99.

In Houston, buses depart in front of both the Hyatt Regency — Downtown (1200 Louisiana St.) and Hyatt Regency — Galleria (2626 Sage Rd.)

Reservations can be booked online, and may be canceled and fully refunded up to 24 hours before departure.