Greyhound connects America. What happens if intercity buses disappear?
The pandemic has dealt a harsh blow to an already struggling industry. But intercity buses provide a vital service and a link to a complex national history.
Jacksonville, Florida
Greyhound got its start in the early 1900s, then grew rapidly; today it serves more than 2,400 locations across North America.
BySonam Vashi
Email
Past national crises often brought good business to America’s intercity bus industry. Ridership saw an uptick during recent economic recessions, and many who were anxious about flying in the years after 9/11 took to buses instead.
But the COVID-19 pandemic, with its social-distancing imperatives and calls for fresh, circulated air, decimated the industry. Bus ticket purchases in December 2020 had declined to a quarter of 2019 sales. (Prior to COVID-19, the bus industry brought in around $15 billion in revenue, according to the American Bus Association.) In 2020, the industry laid off o