If you're thinking about working on the LimoLiner, Mathias notes, "There are six seats in the back with fixed tables; you want to get one of those, for a nice stable service. You do , of course-anything that moves may be ."

"Every seat is huge, with lots of work space and AC power for your laptop," echoes Andover, Mass.-based telecommunications engineer Andrew G. Malis. "Even though they provide WiFi (based on a 3G card in their own router), I use my own Verizon EVDO rev A adaptor, so I don't have to share bandwidth with the other riders."

I just tried the LimoLiner myself, to New York and back, and I share Mathias' and Malis' sentiments. There's more room than any other travel option, except maybe the first class car on the Amtrak Acela. Connectivity is free, and it worked along most of the route. Boarding was quick; the busses left on time. The company is looking at expanding to other city pairs, and there may be other companies offering similar service.

The one-way fare on the LimoLiner is $89; you may find discounts. On the non-rush-hour trip back from New York I just took, it was four hours and five minutes from boarding to getting off. You can pre-select your seat. (If it's just you, I recommend the single-seat aisle, unless your trip timing means you'll have the sun in your eyes or on your laptop screen.)

So you have choices worth checking out, and you can apply the same metrics to your own geography. My own conclusions so far: Cut-rate busses like BoltBus are the cheapest, but they are harder to work on. A business-class train like the Amtrak Acela is better (I haven't tried Internetting on one). And a business/first-class bus like the LimoLiner bus is the best for space and amenities, and possibly more productive than the train.