[The] long-term goal should be to use public transportation centers as bus terminals.
What we’ve seen so far is working very well to the benefit of local residents and local economies. Like in Boston’s South Station, it’s working well, and the city is investing further and upgrading that [terminal]. And also last year we moved into Los Angeles Union Station.
It’s also important [that] states extend support for bus terminals and public transportation centers. Almost all airports are regulated and, in many cases, managed by state authorities, maybe in a public-private partnership. We expect a similar setup going forward for the public transportation centers, where it is regulated and ideally managed by states, and where we provide purely bus operations. Ideally, that’s the long-term goal.
While one company CEO sees “robust growth,” another major operator declared bankruptcy, and states have entered the picture to increase service.
Some 50 million people relied on intercity bus travel in 2023, estimates Joseph Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University. That’s more passengers than Amtrak carried that year, and unlike the federal government-owned railroad, most bus lines are privately held and often family-run.
While overall ridership on intercity buses recovered to about 90% of pre-pandemic levels last year, the industry has seen both ups and downs so far in 2024. On the down side were a bankruptcy and the potential closure of Chicago’s bus terminal; positives have included route growth, increasing state and federal support and collaborations with Amtrak. Read on for these and other developments in intercity bus transportation in 2024.

Three years after acquiring Greyhound Lines, Flix North America’s CEO opines on how states can support bus operators. Read the full article ➔

“Public policy will gradually swing in the industry’s favor,” the Chaddick Institute’s 2024 Intercity Bus Review predicts. Read the full article ➔

Both states are looking to expand their intercity bus services using federal and state funds. Read the full article ➔

City leaders and bus operators are scrambling to find a short-term solution to handle the more than 500,000 yearly bus riders. Read the full article ➔

The company has struggled to recover from the plummeting ridership and driver shortages sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full article ➔

The bankrupt bus operator told New Jersey’s public transportation corporation it would end service on 20 routes on Aug. 16. Read the full article ➔