College junior August Olsen and College senior Samsun Knight founded School Bus Rides at the end of last school year as an alternative way to travel to and from Oberlin over breaks.

Knight said that Wilder Lines buses, which provides a similar transportation service to Oberlin students, often sold out, and he “felt there was room in the market … for somebody to come in and make prices cheaper and life better for everybody around here.”

School Bus Rides will be selling tickets for their inaugural Thanksgiving trip to New York for $135.

“Wilder Lines charges too much,” said Olsen. “The cost to rent a bus allows [us] to operate [more cheaply].”

Knight said that they hope to expand their services to other destinations once they establish a good rapport with the student body.

Dean Ginsberg, OC ’12 and co-founder of Wilder Lines, argues that creating a bus line is not that simple.

“It is not an easy business to be in [because] … there are a lot of laws surrounding coach buses.”

Ginsberg said that safety, reliability and quality of service were of utmost importance to Wilder Lines, which has run buses for over three years. He noted that they went out of their way to “develop long-standing relationships” with high-quality bus companies, use only experienced, senior drivers and have an insurance policy.

According to Ginsberg, there is not much personal money to be made from the business.

“Both [Wilder Lines co-founder] Jack [Kearney, OC ’12] and I have other jobs, and what money we do get goes back into the business,” Ginsberg said.

He said that it’s the “little things” that they have developed over time that makes the Wilder Lines business run like “a well-oiled machine.”

When asked for his opinion on School Bus Rides, he reported that he was “surprised that somebody recreated our business” and admitted that it was “disconcerting for another company to come and offer to keep a price but not really say much about the safety and reliability of their service.”

Wilder Lines will offer a reduced fare for its Thanksgiving trip to match the price of School Bus Rides in order to ensure that people were not simply “enticed by the lower price.” However, in the long run, Ginsberg feels that “it’s not a big enough market for two people” and acknowledges that it will ultimately come down “to the customers and which they prefer.”

For their part, Olsen and Knight agree that their relationship with Wilder Lines is “poor.”

“[Wilder Lines] sent us a cease and desist letter threatening legal action against us,” said Olsen.

Wilder Lines claimed that School Bus Rides’ posters were copyright infringement because they advertised the company as “$40 cheaper than Wilder Lines.”

However, Wilder Lines does not have a copyright on their name, and ultimately no legal action was taken.

Ginsberg was upset by the similarities between the two companies’ posters.

“Something that really bothered us was [that the School Bus Rides’ posters] had a very similar look and feel to our posters, which is a basic, stark connection to … this other company that we know nothing about,” said Ginsberg.

Regardless, School Bus Rides feels that Wilder Lines has “been trying to keep [them] out” of business. However, that’s certainly not going to stop Olsen and Knight from trying. Knight feels that competitive markets provide the best outcomes for society. He said, “Oberlin populace willing, we’re here to stay.”