WORCESTER - Getting to the Big Apple just got a little bit easier, as startup transportation company OurBus launched nonstop bus service between Worcester and New York City on Friday.

“It’s once a day but hopefully we’ll look at adding schedules as the ridership increases,” said OurBus co-founder and transportation planner Axel Hellman.

OurBus is a roughly 3-year-old startup based in New York City that currently has about 20 intercity and commuter routes, according to Mr. Hellman. Most of the routes are in New York, but routes also exist out of cities including Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, Florida; Washington, D.C.; Austin, and Philadelphia, according to the company’s website.

OurBus is not a traditional bus company per se, however. It doesn’t own any buses or employ drivers, but focuses on scheduling and providing marketing for routes run by other bus companies. Mr. Hellman said this provides the company with flexibility in adding new routes quickly.

Friday, about 10 people hopped on the inaugural bus from Worcester to New York City, Mr. Hellman reported. Before Worcester, the bus stops in Lowell and Methuen. The trip from Worcester to the Big Apple is estimated to take 3 hours and 15 minutes, which the company said is shorter than other bus service that stops in Hartford between the two cities.

The bus leaves from Franklin Street outside Union Station and arrives at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Gate 21, in New York City. Departure times from Worcester are noon Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m. Sundays, according to the website. Departure times from New York City are 6 p.m. weekdays, 12:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays.

Fares between Worcester and New York City cost $15 each way on weekdays and $20 on weekends. Tickets are electronic and can be ordered through an app or online.

Asked what enticed the company to come to Worcester, Mr. Hellman said the answer was simple.

“Worcester was the largest city in New England that didn’t have a direct bus connection to New York,” Mr. Hellman said.

JetBlue Airways Corp. offers daily flights between Worcester Regional Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and takes just more than an hour. Prices for a nonstop flight are being advertised for $143 round trip, according to the JetBlue website.