Get on the (curbside) bus: The new intercity bus

Abstract

Curbside buses are intercity buses that pick up and drop off on city streets and corners instead of bus terminals. These new buses have only been operating for 15 years but have quickly revitalized and transformed the intercity bus industry, leading to the first increases in ridership in 50 years. Using a passenger intercept survey of both curbside and established carriers, such as Greyhound, I address two basic questions about this new mode: Who uses curbside buses? And what is the effect of curbside buses on competing modes? The findings indicate that curbside buses appear to be attracting different passengers than established carriers. After using curbside buses, passengers are less likely to use Amtrak for intercity trips, but the buses have no effect on their likelihood to drive. a

Preferences for long-distance coach transport: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment

“…Findings with respect to age remain inconclusive. This is also suggested by targeted studies on the demographic profile of coach travellers, some of which focusing on the recent Megabus phenomenon or curbside buses 1 in the US (Steer Davies Gleave, 2009;Sperry et al, 2014;Klein, 2015;ARAFER, 2017). Many of these conclusions seem rather similar to the general transit literature and studies on what attract people to transit in general (Polat, 2002;Taylor and Fink, 2003).…”

An Assessment of Intercity Bus Services in Illinois

“…In another paper, Klein (2015) discussed who is riding curbside intercity buses and how these new services are changing travel behavior. The author conducted an intercept survey and focus groups with intercity bus passengers in New York and Philadelphia to examine the demographic composition of the different sectors in the bus industry.…”

Getting Business People on the Coach: A Stated Preference Experiment for Intercity Long Distance Coach Travel

“…In the early 21 st century, the democratization of the internet opened the way for the curbside bus model. The possibility of online sales and promotion made the presence in bus terminals less important, which brought down entrance costs resulting in more competition and a new market dynamism (8).…”

“…In most cases, coach users travel alone to meet friends or family or for leisure purposes. People traveling for business reasons only make up between 3% (UK) and 18% (Spain) of the clients (1,8,(12)(13)(14). In the next section, we review the literature, considering why and under which circumstances travelers in general, and business travelers in particular, prefer to use a coach over any other transport mode.…”