JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After decades in decline, a new study reports bus ridership is up.

The news comes as RedCoach starts a new service out of Jacksonville International Airport.

It actually started last month, offering "premium coach service" to destinations like Tampa, Miami, Orlando and Atlanta.

The bus has 27 business class seats that fully recline, Wi-Fi on board and power outlets.

Right now, RedCoach out of Jacksonville offers its best service to Orlando, then on to Tampa. The Jacksonville to Tampa rate for one-way travel Wednesday was $30 on RedCoach. A simlilar trip on Greyhound was nearly $40, but did offer more departure times.

However, to go to Tallahassee or Atlanta from Jacksonville on RedCoach, you have to go to a RedCoach hub in Orlando first.

Kim Hinton, RedCoach account manager, said routes are quickly expanding and that could include more departures out of Jacksonville soon.

DePaul University reported that buses were the fastest growing form of intercity travel last year. That reverses a declining trend since the 1970s.

Source: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=190583&catid=3