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Bus Travel in the US--an Overview for Visitors

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Bus travel takes a different role in the car-driven culture ofthe United States than it does in most countries. Because thearea of the US is so vast, flying is often the most attractivetransportation option for traveling between cities and can bepriced quite competitively when factoring in time andconvenience. For shorter distances driving is usually the firstchoice for US domestic travelers. However, for routes that areunder five or six hours, the bus is almost always the mosteconomical and often the most convenient form of travel.Furthermore, as Amtrak (the national rail service) continues tosee cuts in government funding, bus service is often the onlyground transportation option for many destinations. Visitors whoare planning to stick to major cities will most likely findhaving a car to be inconvenient, expensive, and unnecessary.Therefore, taking the bus between destinations is a great option. Many Americans view traveling by bus with some trepidation, and,whether deserved or not, bus service in the US often has thereputation of being rather basic. In truth, the level of servicevaries greatly among bus carriers. Some carriers, like LuxBus inCalifornia or Transfloridian in Florida, offer deluxe buses andfeature services that are rarely even found on airlines today,such as on-board entertainment and complimentary food andbeverage service. Still, standard bus service is generally moreon the budget level and offers few amenities. Food options aremore likely to be a ten minute stop at a roadside fast foodrestaurant than on-board meal service. The bus industry in the United States is dominated by Greyhound,which is the only remaining nationwide bus carrier. Severalother companies such as Trailways and Coach USA are made up ofindependently owned bus companies that share marketing functionsand branding. In addition there are several strong regionalplayers in the bus industry. While these companies compete withGreyhound, they often end up sharing service on routes that donot have enough traffic to sustain two carriers. This is similarto "code sharing" in the airline industry. The most recent development in the U.S. bus industry has beenthe "Chinatown bus" phenomenon. Several years ago a fewenterprising business people in New York's Chinatown startedrunning buses from Chinatown in NY to Chinatown in Boston,charging less than half of what traditional bus companies didand a fraction of what it cost to take the train or fly. Theytargeted Asian immigrants who wanted to shop or visit relativesand needed inexpensive and convenient transportation. Althoughthe buses


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were modern and comfortable, the service was barebones--no advertising, customer service, or bus stations.Customers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus, andpaid the driver upon boarding. For those willing to do withoutfrills, these companies offered virtually the same service asGreyhound at a substantially lower price. Before long, wordspread about the service and all kinds of travelers startedusing these bus lines. They became especially popular withstudents, budget travelers, and people for whom the service wassimply more convenient. Soon more bus companies duplicated this model and startedoffering service in other markets. Now you can find this type ofbus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Washington DC, LosAngeles and San Francisco. At this point the term "Chinatownbus" is used more loosely to describe this sort oflow-cost/low-frills service. Many, if not most, of the company'sdo not have Chinatown as there main location and may not caterto the immigrant population at all. When these companies firststarted operating, concerns were raised about safety standards.There is still controversy within the industry about whetherthese low-cost bus companies are complying with the sameregulations as the traditional companies. Nonetheless, all buscompanies operating in the U.S. must undergo the same inspectionstandards and must comply with the same rules. Finding information about scheduled bus service is not alwayseasy for visitors to the US. Historically bus companies havesold tickets at on-site ticket booths. Many now sell throughtheir own websites as well. Whereas for plane travel there aremany online booking sites that allow travelers to comparedifferent carriers, it is more difficult to find routeinformation for bus service. GotoBus.com is a centralizedbooking site focused on bus travel. It offers search capabilitysimilar to Expedia or Travelocity and sells tickets for manydifferent bus and tour companies. Overall, the bus is a great option for visitors to the US whoare looking for transportation between major US cities. For mostcities, a car is not necessary and will be inconvenient andexpensive. In metropolitan areas there are more choices for busservice today than at any time in the recent past. Particularlyfor shorter distances, it is the best way to go for the budgetminded traveler. About the author: Lila Kahn is the Marketing Manager of GotoBus.com, the leadingonline marketplace for bus tickets and tours in the USA. You canfind out more information about the company and contactinformation for the author at: http://www.GotoBus.com/

Written by: Lila Kahn

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