To some, the idea of a luxury bus might seem like an oxymoron. To Alex Danza, it might be just the thing urban Texans are looking for.

After a successful stint operating service between Dallas and Austin, Danza, the founder and CEO of Vonlane, is expanding his fleet and offering trips between Houston and Dallas starting Monday. One-way tickets on buses replete with amenities are $69, with service aimed at business travelers.

The company is one of a handful looking for a foothold in the growing market of ferrying people among Texas' metro areas. Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio all are growing, freeways are strained to capacity and more people are looking for more choices as business increases among the cities. Plans for a privately funded high-speed train between Houston and Dallas are in the works, but even optimistic projections have its opening day six years away.

Travelers in the Houston and Dallas areas are eager for more options.

"If all those are modes are successful, then it shows you how strong both of those markets are and how there are opportunities to serve it," said Patrick Jankowski, vice-president of research at the Greater Houston Partnership. "By adding another choice, it is an example of how the market has matured and how strong the markets are."

Danza started Vonlane last year. When he talks about its competitors, he doesn't mention other bus companies.

"It's flying and driving," Danza said during a recent swing into Houston on one of the company's buses. The vehicles - customized to the company's specifications - feature free Wi-Fi, satellite television and radio and an attendant offering drinks and amenities more common on first-class flights.

Danza said the Dallas-based company is targeting something unique to Texas: four metro areas, each about 200 miles apart, with frequent travel between them.

"The people I know, I think they have thrown their arms up about flying," Danza said.

Those who avoid airline trips because of the time and expense can drive, he said, but that is also time consuming and unproductive. He said trips between Dallas and Houston are a good example.

"People are passionate about how much they hate driving between those two cities," Danza said.

Choice with value

When he set out to create the service, he said, he knew people wanted another choice but would insist on good value.

Vonlane's buses have 16 seats, large and capable of fully reclining without bothering the person in front or behind. Drinks and food are catered by the same company that stocks refrigerators on private flights out of Love Field in Dallas.

In Houston, departures and arrivals will be at the Sheraton North hotel near Bush Intercontinental Airport. Eventually, Danza said, Vonlane could expand to offer service between all of the four major metro areas. He said though he's had inquiries, he isn't certain luxury bus service would work to other places, such as Midland, Lubbock and El Paso.

So far, the Dallas-Austin service has attracted mostly business-focused clientele. About 60 percent of travelers are men and women traveling for work, Danza said, with many making twice-monthly round trips. The bus gives them ample time to catch up.

Some unexpected groups also have latched onto the service, he said. Some seats are being filled by elderly people, traveling to visit family, who want to avoid the hassle of walking through airports and waiting in line at security checkpoints. College students returning home to the Dallas area from Austin also are hopping on.

"Mom and Dad would rather buy them a ticket at the last minute and bring them home instead of driving to see them," Danza said.

The buses also rely on existing highways, unlike what might be Vonlane's fiercest competitor - the high-speed rail project planned between Houston and Dallas - when and if it gets built. Texas Central High-Speed Railway is awaiting clearance from the Federal Railroad Administration, and it's facing opposition from state and local officials and some landowners in rural areas.

Plagued by rumors

The railway company is hosting a series of community meetings this month that officials said are aimed at dispelling some of the rumors about the project.

"I don't mind people being opposed to us, I understand that," said Robert Eckels, president of Texas Central. "What bothers me is people being opposed to us for things that are not true."

Plans for the train call for it to be separated from roads and for access to be restricted. Critics say that will leave properties cut off and potentially close roads.

Eckels said some of those concerns are unfounded. The company will work with landowners to preserve access, likely by building crossings beneath the tracks, which could be constructed on berms in the same way freeways are separated from local street traffic.

Eckels said no state or county roads will be closed, though he is careful to note a city or county could choose to close a road as a result of the project. Recently, 14 Texas legislators wrote to area congressional leaders urging them to oppose any federal approvals for the company.

As the bullet train project inches along - with months of environmental analysis, political maneuvering and years of construction looming - demand for more transportation among the metro areas grows.

Jankowski of the Greater Houston Partnership said travelers benefit from having more options.

"The more choices I have as a consumer, the happier I am," he said. "All of them will have to compete and the market sets the price for the service offered."