UO BUS SERVICE A HIT.

Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald The Register-Guard

Students Sarah Pearson and Erica Laing settled into the plush seats of a chartered bus headed to Portland on Friday, relieved that their exams were behind them and their winter break was ahead of them.

The roommates and sophomores at the University of Oregon were trying out Better Bus, a student-run bus service between Eugene and Portland. They said they were hoping for a more comfortable ride than what they usually get on Greyhound.

"We always take Greyhound, but it's terrible," Pearson said.

"Yeah," Laing chimed in. "There was a dude that threw up once."

That shouldn't be a problem on Better Bus, where the only cookies to be tossed - so to speak - are of the homemade chocolate-chip variety.

A hallmark of Better Bus service is the milk and cookies that owners Jonah Fruchter and Jered Parkin, both UO seniors, hand out during an onboard movie.

Better Bus showed "Speed," a 1994 action film about a bus hijacking during its first trip at Thanksgiving break.

On Friday, it showed "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," the 1987 film starring Steve Martin and John Candy. The plot revolves around Martin's character's desperate attempts to travel home to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

Snacks and entertainment are just a couple of extras that differentiate Better Bus from the competition, Fruchter and Parkin said.

Another difference: The bus serves only UO students and picks them up next to campus.

"That's part of the appeal to our market," said Fruchter, a political science major.

"It's a friendlier environment," said Parkin, who is majoring in accounting and psychology.

The two young entrepreneurs launched the service during Thanksgiving break. The bus makes two stops in Portland: Washington Square Mall in Tigard, or a Max light rail line 15 minutes from the Portland airport. The ride costs $25 one-way or $45 round-trip - slightly higher than Greyhound's rate.

Fruchter and Parkin almost turned a profit on Better Bus's first trip. It transported 21 students, just one shy of the 22 required to make a profit.

But the pair said they were expecting that.

"The first time was about getting our name out," Fruchter said.

"Proving to people that we were legitimate," Parkin added.

But this time - with 29 passengers - the businessmen were clearly in the black.

Fruchter and Parkin declined to say how much they invested in their business, but they described it as more of an investment of time than of money.

They both pitched in to cover the cost of chartering the bus and buying the snacks. Their advertising budget is less than $100. They've relied mostly on handing out bright green fliers to students on campus.

Two additional trips are planned this academic year: Martin Luther King holiday weekend in January and spring break.

They said they'd like the service to continue after they graduate, but that would most likely require either selling to, or partnering with, younger students.

Better Bus charters its buses through Oregon Coachways, which provides the bus, fuel, driver and insurance.

Better Bus didn't appear to be chipping away at Greyhound and Amtrak's business. Both depots were busy Friday with student travelers.

Employees at the local depots referred questions to corporate media contacts, who did not return telephone calls from The Register-Guard.