Metro Magazine, April 2019

24 METRO MAGAZINE COM APRIL 2019 MOTORCOACH INTERCITY BUSwith the Trailways Golden Eagle service of the 1960s which too featured motorcoaches with small galleys and hostess service But many of todays operators have also added frequent traveler programs and digital entertainment systems to the mix To illustrate how rapidly todays premium operators have expanded we created an interactive map available on the Chaddick Institute website of these carriers which shows how their amenities differ Another area of rapid innovation in bus service is the growing sophistication of state governments in creating and expanding branded intercity bus systems with Colorados Bustang network and the Virginia Breeze being among the best known examples Several new Bustang routes added last year have helped to create a more interconnected network that reaches many parts of Colorado while a second Virginia Breeze line was added on Fridays between Blacksburg to Washington D C which returns on Sunday afternoon Greyhound has also emerged as a national leader in this area having recently leveraged its collaborations with state government to add new routes in Alabama Kansas and Illinois With little new funding for Amtrak these services have become a focal point for state transportation departments added Matthew Jacques a co author of the DePaul study Rural service is also benefitting from increased experimentation Greyhound for example dropped its Reno to Salt Lake City route last year after forging an interline agreement with Amtrak allowing its customers to make transfers to the California Zephyr the Amtrak train that follows a nearly parallel route see Figure 1 Many of the new subsidized routes receive support from the Federal Transit Administrations 5311 program which offers subsidies for service to places with populations under 50000 State governments have A PUSH FOR PREMIUM Perhaps the most underappreciated development of late is the push by bus lines to add a touch of luxury to their services to attract passengers from airplanes and trains particularly Amtraks Acela service Since the start of 2018 the number of distinct brands offering first or business class service has grown to 17 with BestBus Prime Catskill Carriage LINE by Trailways of New York and Washington Deluxes Lux Bus all of which link various destinations in the Northeast to New York making their first runs last year Among the largest of these is Vonlane which operates intrastate routes in Texas and features an onboard attendant and tables available for business meetings The Dallas based carrier using 22 seat buses added service last year between Fort Worth and Houston complementing its existing Texas Triangle service Currently Vonlane is widely seen as an industrys leader in premium bus service In New England Concord Coach stands out having added a trip to its popular Plus brand between Concord and Nashua New Hampshire and New York Featuring a two by one seating layout one seat and two seats on opposite sides of the aisle rather than the two by two seating on conventional bus services and providing onboard snacks and drinks this business class has developed a loyal clientele Concords new roundtrip runs Fridays and Sundays departing from New Hampshire in late morning and returning in the evening increasing the carriers Manhattan service to four trips each way on Fridays and Sundays roughly half of which operate to Portland Maine Like Concord most of the premium carriers utilize two by one seating and offer snack or food service Seven have on board attendants Long time observers of motorcoach travel may see similarities Amtrak5B421111311115A5ASan FranciscoSacramentoFresnoOaklandRenoLas VegasLos AngelesSan DiegoBullhead CitySt GeorgeSalt Lake CityFlagstaffPhoenixTusconSan Jose NOTE Intermediate stops not shown FIGURE 1 NOTABLE NEW ROUTES IN THE SOUTHWEST AND CALIFORNIA 1 New Flixbus service 2 Megabus service introduction and discontinuation 3 New Coach Run and Flixbus service 4 Salt Lake City Express expansion 5A BoltBus service discontinuation Greyhound announces selected frequency additions 5B Greyhound local service elimination with new Amtrak connection in its place