More Americans are gravitating towards bus transportation due to hassles at airports across the country. According to The Wall Street Journal, travelers have grown weary of the long lines, ridiculous delays, and misplaced luggage. Now, they are turning to buses to resolve their travel woes.
Bus travel reigned supreme back in the day. From the 1950s to the early 1980s, intercity motor coach services were the dominant form of travel, according to the Department of Transportation. When airplane travel started becoming less exclusive in the 1960s, planes became accessible for more than just jet-setters. Buses didn’t become obsolete. However, long rides on sometimes unsanitary motor coaches seemed silly when swanky planes were waiting on the runway.
Now, Americans are running back to motor coaches hoping for less stress and anxiety while traveling. Willing to take a longer ride in exchange for peace of mind, many travelers are saying the switch is worth it.
Worth The Ride
Traveling by bus is a much slower travel experience. There aren’t any fancy flight attendants or first-class hot meals. Despite other mishaps that come along with bus travel, it seems to be worth the ride.
The owner of Greyhound and Flixbus told The Wall Street Journal that their ridership increased by 63 percent each year for the Fourth of July weekend, and 70 percent over Memorial Day weekend. Airline travel only increased by 11 percent during the holiday weekends, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration.
While some travelers have been patient with airline issues, many have reached their breaking point. To accommodate the return of traveling by bus, motor coach companies are stepping up their game and providing excellent services at a low cost.
Tired of Airport Hassles
Bus companies are turning up the perks when it comes to giving travelers a different experience. While there are still more traditional companies, many are stepping outside of the box to attract a new clientele. These luxury bus companies are setting a new standard.
Described as a premium sleeper coach service, Napaway provides travelers with full beds and workstations in private suites on each bus. There’s also a passenger lounge and WiFi to make travelers as comfortable as possible. According to a Washington Post reporter, Natalie B. Compton, an 11-hour trip on Napaway from Washington, D.C. to Nashville only cost her $125 and wasn’t as hectic as airport travel.
“Instead of sucking up half your day getting to and from airports, you could travel overnight and wake up in downtown Nashville. It’s like taking a redeye, but with the ability to have a full night’s rest,” Compton said in her Post article.
Beyond airport hassles, travelers are recognizing there are some destinations airlines aren’t flying into.
When Latrice Gardner needed to travel from Dallas to Killeen, TX, she realized there weren’t many flights that flew directly to her destination. Since she was only going a short distance, Gardner chose to travel by bus instead. She reached her destination in a little under 4 hours.
“I was going just a short distance so that’s really why I didn’t fly,” Gardner said.
Although the route to Killeen has since been canceled, Gardner says she would travel by bus again, especially for shorter trips.
More Options Than You’d Think
Travelers have more options than they think when it comes to bus travel. Luxury motor coach services like Napaway, Vonlane, and The Jet provide top-notch, one-way trips at a fraction of the cost of a flight. For the frugal traveler, traditional bus companies like Greyhound, Megabus, and Boltbus provide routes across the country.