Travel by Bus is up!

[chargePlus]

Article in the Wall Street Journal indicated that bus travel is up compared to other modes...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124528126290225307.html

- John

[Jeremy]

I used a Megabus service a couple of weeks ago, which was the first time I had been on a commercial coach trip for a number of years. It was an extremely smooth and quiet bus, which is good given that I was on there for 9 hours. I was very impressed with the service in terms of comfort, punctuality and cost (less than 25% of the cost of the train), but there was no way that I had enough space to consider using a laptop - and the bus was full almost the whole way, so I don't see the operator removing seats to give more passenger space any time soon.

Jeremy

[Airbag]

I recieved an e-mail from Greyhound a couple of months ago say they were hiring drivers in many areas. I checked their website recently and they have since stoped hiring drivers. FWIW

[BG6]

I recieved an e-mail from Greyhound a couple of months ago say they were hiring drivers in many areas. I checked their website recently and they have since stoped hiring drivers. FWIW

They probably hire in batches, get them trained up, then go back for another batch.

[BG6]

Article in the Wall Street Journal indicated that bus travel is up compared to other modes...

Sure.  No TSA pawing through your skivvies and sniffing under your armpits!  And if the timing is right, on short trips it's actually faster than flying, because you don't need to be there 2 hours early, then wait 20 minutes for your luggage at the other end or a one-hour flight.

[chargePlus]

I know that when my wife and I travel to Martha's Vineyard to visit with my family, we fly to Boston or Providence, then take Bonanza/Peter Pan from the airport to the ferry-port in Woods Hole. I've made that trip several times since moving to NC, but the first time my wife mad the trip she was very skeptical. She had visions of nasty smelly buses, and didn't believe me when I said that they were clean and comfortable.

Heh, now we own (are owned by) a bus. 

- John

[WEC4104]

In the WSJ article they drew a comparison of traveling by bus or train.  Interesting.   About 10 days ago I had to make a trip to downtown Manhattan (from Phila area).   I really hate taking and parking a personal car there, so I started looking at trains.  I travel Amtrak occasionally and started looking at their service and costs.  Another option is NJ Transit (same stations, same tracks).  They were about half the cost.  I suspected that NJ Transit would be a significant step down, but the cost differential was more than I could ignore, and that's what I chose.

I caught a morning express service out of Trenton, NJ.  I was very presently surprized. I rode on the top level of a double decker car, which was clean and looked like it was build in the mid 90s.  Fit and finish was comparable to most airliners I fly.  Very quiet, and 3/4 full of riders. I'll give the experience a B++.

Coming back, also on an NJ Transist express, I was on a car that looked like it was built in the mid 70's.  Not as clean or quiet, but still acceptable. I'd give the return ride a solid C.

Overall, I'd stay pay a premium to ride the high speed Acela, which I have always thoroughly enjoyed. But I don't think the standard Amtrak service warrants the extra cost.  The guy quoted in the WSJ article goes between Wash DC and NY and compares the bus to Amtrak. I wonder if he has the option of other train services and how he would stack them up against the buses.