The road to Hamptons luxury is paved with D-list celebrities and daytime drinkers.
A flashy new bus service from a company that used to ferry New York’s elite on $1,000 helicopter tours to the East End began its first weekend run on Friday, with cocktail-sipping reality TV stars, CEOs and nightlife promoters among its passengers.
Wealthy New Yorkers said they paid $195 to $275 for one-way tickets on Blade’s new Streamliner buses to avoid crowded public transportation and the safety risks associated with helicopter travel.
“I don’t like public transport” Gianna Zervos“I thought, OK, I can do this,” the self-described divorced housewife, who appeared on “Hot Yacht Miami,” said.
“I love the luxury of traveling, private jets and helicopters,” he added, sipping a can of gin and tonic, “but it scares me a little bit.”
The luxury bus made its maiden voyage from Manhattan on Thursday to kick off beach season ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
One of the tour’s biggest selling points was that it included free drinks, hot towels, plenty of legroom, and even seats designed to prevent motion sickness.
“Every time I sense a small shock [the seat] “I’ll move with you. So even if you get motion sickness, you won’t get sick here.” Kelsey Elliott A 30-year-old “passenger experience officer” works on the bus.
When The Washington Post took the $195 three-and-a-half-hour trip on Friday, all 19 of the high-tech seats were sold out.
In contrast, tickets for the Jitney Bus to the Hamptons were just $41 each.
But the streamliner’s hefty price tag also came with amenities like a goodie bag filled with essentials for a weekend in the Hamptons, including facial serum and lip gloss.
“I know doing your hair on the beach isn’t easy, so I brought hair clips for all the girls,” Elliott said, pointing to other goodies in the so-called Dopp Kit.
“It makes you feel really special.”
Passengers raised cocktails in tribute to the bus’s journey through gridlocked Long Island traffic.
“This is the nicest bathroom I’ve ever seen on a bus,” an elated Hudson Yards resident, Rich Longo, 46, told a friend.
“It has a normal toilet with a stone over the sink – the kind of toilet you’d find in a hotel,” he told The Post.
At about 10:45 a.m., Elliott announced that complimentary cocktails and rosé wine would be served.
“We’re about 45 minutes away from our first stop. Let us know if you’d like any drinks, especially alcoholic drinks,” she said over the intercom.
Passengers were also provided with cashmere blankets, bagels and hydrogel eye masks.
“It’s like a magic school bus, and it’s exciting,” said Amanda Revkoff, 26, who was building a virtual-reality video game and heading to the Hamptons with a friend.
My friend Vera Reese, 26, who lives on the Lower East Side, said the seats were perfect for dozing off.
“I work in the nightlife industry, so I get home very late, so I’m looking forward to the luxury of being able to take a nap and unwind before I get home.”
Some New Yorkers heading to the beach say they don’t mind paying for a ride on a regular jitney bus because it’s not as luxurious.
“We’re excited about this because Jitney is so small,” said Jeff Ragovin, CEO of technology company Semacio, who lives in East Hampton.
He said the bus’s high-speed Wi-Fi is perfect for working on a laptop.
“I’m Blade. [helicopter] There’s a lot out there. With the weather the last few days and it just rolling out, I just wanted to give it a try. I’ll do a little bit of work on my way back.”
But ordinary travelers waiting for the budget bus on Friday were quick to say the $400 round-trip bus fare was exorbitant.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Ms. Lovely, a 47-year-old nanny from Astoria, Queens, who gave only her first name.
“It’s very expensive. That amount would buy two weeks’ worth of groceries back home,” she added.
“They are [go by] plane.”
But reality TV star Zervos pointed out that the Blade bus was cheaper than taking an Uber.
