BoltBus adds Hollywood pickup for Northern California routes

BoltBus passengers heading to Northern California now can board in Hollywood, a new location. The low-cost bus operator added that stop to its daily round-trip service between Los Angeles and San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.

The new stop picks up riders at 5951 Hollywood Blvd. BoltBus runs two round trips daily and four round trips on weekends between the cities. In Northern California, buses stop at Diridon Station in San Jose, the Greyhound Station in San Francisco and the West Oakland BART Station in Oakland.

Discount bus operations in the United States have grown more year-over-year than train and air service. In 2014, bus companies increased the number of daily routes by 2.1% while the number of airline flights fell 3.5%, according to a study released Monday by DePaul University.

“City-to-city bus express carriers have nearly doubled their service offerings since the start of the decade and now account for about 1,066 daily operations,” the report says.

Big players such as BoltBus (owned by Greyhound), Megabus and Greyhound Express lure travelers with tickets as cheap as $1. They offer perks such as free Wi-Fi, power outlets in seats and comfortable leather recliners.

BoltBus even offers a rewards program: Take eight trips and receive a free one-way ticket.