Upfront Ventures Backs Landline in Bid to Revamp Regional Bus Travel
Landline raises $3.85 million to connect rural Midwestern communities to airports through a partnership with Sun Country Airlines. The startup aims to make short-haul bus travel a seamless alternative to flying.
Upfront Ventures leads a $3.85 million funding round into Landline, a Los Angeles-based startup that operates a bus network in the Midwest. The company partners with Sun Country Airlines to offer travelers a fixed-price ticket that seamlessly connects rural bus pick-up points to final flight destinations.
Founder David Sunde explains that Landline focuses specifically on short-haul trips to airports rather than long-distance routes. The startup deliberately avoids competing with legacy services like Greyhound by targeting rural communities that lack convenient existing bus access to air travel hubs.
Landline strives to elevate the perception of bus travel in the United States by providing the same level of reliability that passengers expect from an air carrier. Although the transportation market is massive and ripe for disruption, the author remains skeptical about the startup's ultimate potential at this early stage.