Pay $1 for Rides to the Beach This Summer

You can escape to Crane Beach, Newport, and more, thanks to Boston-based startup Skedaddle.

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With Uber, cabs, the T, and even your own two feet, getting around Boston is pretty manageable. But when it comes to leaving town—especially during the dog days of summer—it’s not as simple. Renting a car just to go to the beach is expensive, but now, a startup called Skedaddle wants to change that with its low-cost bus service.

Launched two years ago in Boston, Skedaddle is trying to eliminate “clunky and cumbersome” travel, according to founder and CEO Adam Nestler, to make getting out of the city accessible, affordable, and enjoyable. It’s launching $1 service to Boston-area beaches this summer, beginning Saturday, June 3 with a trip to Crane Beach.

As long as enough people buy tickets, you and your squad (or just you and a good beach read) can head to Crane Beach, Duxbury, Newport, and other spots for a lazy, low-budget Saturday in the sun. Most beach-bound buses depart around 8 a.m. from downtown Boston and get back to the city sometime around 4:30 p.m. the same day.

Skedaddle takes crowdfunding to the road to make their system work. First, a user “starts” a trip, including details about where they’d like to be picked up and where they want to go. Then, nine more riders must sign up at least 48 hours before the trip for it to become a reality. Once a trip has 10 riders, it’s good to go. The charter buses have a limit of 54 seats per trip.

In addition to these services, Skedaddle offers routes in New York and other cities, plus rides to events like concerts outside the city and occasionally trips to the Cape. And if you need a charter bus of your own, they can help out with that, too. While this summer’s focus is on beach trips, Nestler says in the fall, Skedaddle hopes to take college campuses by storm. “For us it’s really about allowing those students, while they’re in school, to take advantage of the experiences and things that the Greater Boston area has to offer,” he says.

At it’s core, Skedaddle is about experiences. “I think it’s really important for people to have unique experiences outside this city,” says Nestler. “We wanted to remove all the friction of traveling and allow people to be able to really just touch a few buttons and ride somewhere.”

Ready to grab your beach blanket and skedaddle? Check out the full schedule of $1 beach rides here.