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Home » Culture » Travel

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Bus trips rediscovered by young, hip

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  • NEW YORK - AUGUST 04: Passengers prepare to load a BoltBus before leaving Manhattan for Washington DC August 4, 2008 in New York City. Greyhound has been profiting since May from the low-cost service, BoltBus launched earlier this year, with service between New York and Washington DC, Philadelphia and Boston. With fuel prices skyrocketing, bus services have seen an increase in ridership. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
  • getty imageS
Passengers wait to board a Boltbus bound from New York City to the District. Tech-savvy younger riders have become an important market for the intercity buses, which offer free Wi-Fi.

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By Gabriella Boston

The bus -- previously the antithesis of urban chic -- has become just that. Intercity buses that take the young and hip between destinations such as New York and the District have gained huge market share, while air and car travel are hurting. Intercity buses saw a 9.8 percent increase in departures between 2007 and 2008, while miles traveled by car went down 3.3 percent and miles traveled by air went down 8 percent in the same period. (Train travel saw a 3.3 percent increase.)

Experts cite a confluence of four factors behind the transformation: digitally connected youngsters, inner-city revitalization, new bus design and online ticketing, says Joseph Schwieterman, a professor of public service at DePaul University who specializes in urban transportation issues.

"Young urban dwellers don't have any particular attachment or affinity for the car," Mr. Schwieterman says. "For them, the intercity buses have become almost an extension of the public transit system. They're a low-cost, flexible way to go from Washington to New York."

The tech-savvy young (30 and younger) have become one of the most important markets for intercity buses such as Megabus and Boltbus. (Yes, we know you've seen them downtown; their bright, bold branding is hard to miss.) Both bus lines provide plug-ins for digital devices and free Wi-Fi - which certainly doesn't hurt their appeal to this younger demographic.

Both companies started their Washington-New York City routes in spring 2008, and both report bigger-than-expected ridership expansion.

"We're continuing to see phenomenal growth in the market," says Dale Moser, chief operating officer and president of Megabus, which saw more than 420,000 riders in its first year between the two major cities. "People are looking to stretch their dollar."

Both Boltbus and Megabus offer at least one $1 ticket per departure. (The highest-priced tickets go for $20 to $25 one way, depending on the company.) "If you get the guaranteed $1 fare, you get to travel for less than the price of a cup of coffee," says Abby Wambaugh, spokeswoman for Boltbus and its parent, Greyhound. "You can't beat that."

The buses also have found favor with 30- to 55-year-old women going with friends to shop or see a show, Mr. Moser says. These women have cars; they just don't want the hassle and cost of driving them.

"They do the math, and they know that parking alone costs about $26 a day," he says. "By taking the bus, it leaves them money to spend on other things."

The riders Mr. Moser calls the "silver surfers" constitute the buses' third major market segment. These are retirees on fixed incomes.

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