The Deals on the Bus Go Round and Round

With travel between European countries involving less red tape than it used to (at least mostof the time), a new budget bus service that starts this spring continues the trend. It enables travelers to buy one ticket to cover a circular route around Europe. They can get on and off as they choose and travel for up to three months.

The 49-seat motor coach of the Eurobus Co. begins its itinerary in Amsterdam and goes to Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Munich, Innsbruck, Venice, Florence, Rome, Nice, Milan, Zurich, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Hamburg and returns to Amsterdam.

Passengers can get off where they choose. Another bus passes each pick-up point every two days. If you have made a reservation seven days in advance, you are guaranteed a seat. If not, you’ll have to wait on standby and hope there’s a seat available.

The buses have video machines, air conditioning and a courier with a telephone who will be able to make transportation bookings and hostel reservations en route .

The buses will drop off and pick up at specific hostels, but, even with the courier, the bus service can’t guarantee beds will be available. It takes each bus eight days to circle the route. Overnight stops are made in Munich, Florence, Nice, Zurich, Vienna, Prague and Hamburg.

One of the main advantages of this type of service is that it will get you right to the door of budget accommodations.

The company says it Plans to test a message service to enable families at home to send emergency messages to the reservation center in Munich, which would then be forwarded to couriers on the segment of the route where the traveler is likely to be.

The main disadvantage to this style of travel, compared to the popular unlimited travel rail passes, is that passengers have far less flexibility. They have to follow the schedule and direction of the buses. Eurobus ticket-holders can go around the circle as often as they want, but travel is always in the same direction.

There is also the risk of signing up to travel with a new, unproven, coach service. The tickets are being marketed through student/youth travel bureaus. However, some agencies are adopting a wait-and-see policy.

For youths (under 26) and full-time students with International Student Identity Cards, the fare is $250 for a two-month ticket, or $325 for a three-month ticket. For those who don’t qualify as students or youths, the fares are $325 for two months and $400 for three months.

The buses are scheduled to operate every two days now until Oct. 31. A tip if you go: Take a look at your map before you board and see if sitting on one side is more likely to offer more interesting viewing.

If your local student travel bureau is not selling Eurobus tickets you can purchase them through the Canadian student travel service, Travel CUTS. They can be contacted at 187 College St., Toronto, Canada M5T 1P7; telephone (416) 798-2887.