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I’m always a little startled when, after mentioning our Outlook for the Industry Bus Industry reports, people ask whether it is mainly about Greyhound. My temptation is to say, “Of course not!” but I realize that, for them, Greyhound may be synonymous with the intercity bus industry. I’m guilty of a similar linguistic simplification when I use “let’s go out for a Coke” when I mean any soft drink. Greyhound has been part of the scene for over a century, has enormous brand recognition, and is often in the news. A less charitable explanation for the question is that bus travel is so far from some people's lived experience that they haven’t given a minute’s thought to it in years.
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Yet intercity bus travel has attracted more media attention in the past few months than at almost any other time that I remember. This has been mainly due to the difficult circumstances created by the closing of traditional bus stations, most, but not all, involving Greyhound. The drumbeat of press coverage, while hurting the sector’s image, has had the important upside of fostering public appreciation for its vital role in mobility. More local government officials are becoming cognizant of how constituents depend on long-distance bus services, and federal agencies are taking notice. There’s much more to do, but this is encouraging. | |
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For a reminder of the industry’s vitality and breadth, check out the news below from the South region, as it was presented in our Outlook report released two weeks ago. If you haven’t seen it or merely skimmed it before, take a few minutes to review these highlights. You’ll see why long-distance bus travel is so deeply interwoven into the American fabric. And don’t miss our free webinar this Thursday from 2 – 2:45 p.m. CT (3 p.m. – 3:45 ET). We expect more than 60 attendees. So, grab a “Coke,” er…soft drink, and catch up on the latest happenings in intercity bus travel.
Look for our next Intercity Bus E-News edition in April.
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Joseph Schwieterman, Ph.D. | Intercity Bus E-News Editor
Professor & Director, Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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Intercity Bus Service's Vitality in the South Notable News presented in our 2024 Outlook report
The South, especially Florida, is recovering faster from the pandemic than most other regions, according to industry leaders with whom we have spoken. RedCoach’s traffic in Florida now exceeds pre-pandemic levels and is as much as 25% greater at certain times. The group is considering extending its network, which now runs as far north as Tallahassee, to Atlanta, GA. FlixBus appears to be seeing the benefits of a significant expansion of its Miami –Tallahassee service (via both Orlando and Tampa) made in 2022.
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On the busy Orlando – Fort Lauderdale – Miami, FL, corridor, the competition facing Greyhound, FlixBus, Megabus, Jet Set Express (which emphasizes hotel pickup) and RedCoach intensified last autumn when Brightline Florida opened its Orlando extension. From endpoint to endpoint, Brightline’s 16 daily trains in each direction are about an hour faster than express buses. Brightline’s typical “walk-up” fare at $119 in economy class is roughly twice the bus fare, so the most price-sensitive travelers will likely stick with buses. RedCoach, which offers business- and first-class service, closely monitors Brightline’s fares and service.
| In other parts of the South, several niche-oriented carriers made significant moves. Luxury provider Vonlane entered the Memphis – Nashville, TN, route, which previously lacked scheduled ground options except for Greyhound and Hispanic operator Tornado Bus. Vonlane offers meals and beverages served by an onboard attendant, mirroring the Atlanta-Nashville service the group launched in 2022. Perhaps in response, Groome Transportation expanded its ATL–BNA Airport Shuttle, which links airports in Atlanta and Nashville. Running via Chattanooga and operated using passenger vans, the 253-mile shuttle runs 12 –13 trips each way daily. | |
FlixBus has built an extensive network in the Southeast through its operating partner, Eagle Bus. It now has direct service from New York to Atlanta and New York to Orlando, FL, via Washington, DC, Richmond, VA, and Raleigh, NC. These lengthy routes expand connections to several dozen other routes and have a pickup option in New York’s Chinatown neighborhood. Also, Flixbus began service from Chicago to Memphis and Nashville, TN, last year, while Megabus dropped its Memphis service, once provided over several routes.
Traffic on the bus routes supported by North Carolina’s transportation department is growing. The state has expanded the number of daily roundtrips in the system from 9 to 12 since 2021. Two new federally subsidized routes are part of the mix. Bus miles of service have expanded by 50%, and ridership on existing routes has increased by 37% over the past year, according to state officials. Mid-State Express, a service operated by Sunway Charters that links Winston-Salem and Fayetteville, with stops in Lexington and High Point, is among the state’s relatively new offerings. Its Charlotte to Wilmington (via Fayetteville) run is its best-performing subsidized route in terms of ridership, cost per trip, and subsidy per trip.
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Delta Bus Lines, which links Memphis and Baton Rouge, LA, is benefiting from Delta Rides, a rural mobility collaboration. Delta Rides serves 22 counties in Mississippi and is part of Connect MS, a state-funded initiative to provide reliable transportation to Mississippians with limited options. Delta Rides brings many riders to Delta Bus stations in Clarksdale, Cleveland, Greenville, and Natchez and serves as a ticket agency for the carrier, which is a Greyhound interline partner. The collaboration is notable for not shutting down during the pandemic (partially to serve those with dialysis appointments) and was a presenter at a recent Rural Transportation Assistance Program conference.
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Among the most positive stories from 2023 was the new Atlanta Greyhound Station. Airport-style seating with power outlets, USB chargers, armrests with cupholders, and cushioning add to passenger comfort. Used by Greyhound, FlixBus, and Southeast Stages, the station is a prototype for other cities. The station has adjacent rapid transit connections to downtown Atlanta and Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. FlixBus also has a downtown stop in the city.
Less favorably, Greyhound temporarily withdrew from Jackson, MS, due to problems at Jackson Union Station. This briefly made Jackson the largest metro area on the U.S. mainland not served by the National Interline Bus Network, a system allowing for “through ticketing” between several dozen lines. By late 2023, however, the problem was resolved, and Greyhound returned. The Chattanooga (TN) Greyhound Station closed in autumn, and the stop was moved to a service station in Wildwood, GA, 10 miles from the city center. The closing of the Louisville (KY) Greyhound Station and relocation of service to 1211 W Broadway proved less problematic. Despite being outside of downtown, the new facility shows the potential for moving stations to mini-malls with indoor waiting rooms and ticketing and using the parking lot for staging. This arrangement, while far from perfect, is convenient and orderly.
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Bus stations in North Carolina remain a challenge. Intercity bus and Amtrak stations in both Raleigh and Charlotte remain a significant distance apart, although planning is underway to eventually bring them into close proximity. Charlotte’s Greyhound Station is a temporary structure on the city’s future Gateway Center site, which is the planned terminus of NC by Train Amtrak service. However, plans for creating an intercity bus facility at Gateway Center are murky. The more immediate concern is finding another interim location to allow Gateway’s construction to begin. A proposal to move operations to a parking deck in University City, an outlying neighborhood, has reportedly raised neighborhood concerns.
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Will traffic recover to pre-pandemic levels? Why are we optimistic about the future of public policy regarding intercity bus travel?
We provide answers and insights in our 2024 Outlook, which is organized by geographic region for easy browsing and will be available at this link.
Register now for our free webinar from 2- 2:45 p.m. CT on Thursday, February 22 by clicking here. To reach the study team, reply to this email.
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