As Christmas gets closer, millions of Americans are traveling to visit friends and family. With flights facing delays, cancellations, and crowded airports, more people are choosing buses as a reliable and affordable way to travel.
Trailways.com, a private company that runs bus routes across the United States and Canada, says holiday travel is up about 10% on most routes this season. On some routes that used to be mostly covered by plane, like Montreal to New York City and Montreal to Toronto, bus travel has grown by as much as 40%.
Alex Berardi, a senior executive at Trailways, said travel data from November and Thanksgiving shows that more people are choosing buses over planes, especially on longer routes.
“We saw a significant increase over last year, especially on longer city pairs,” Berardi said.
“Trips like New York to Toronto were up a lot, and that’s probably tied to what happened with airlines. A lot of people just aren’t excited to fly right now.”
Other intercity bus companies surveyed reported holiday travel increases of 10% to 20% this season.
Berardi said that when people consider long security lines, travel to and from airports, delays, and extra costs, taking the bus often feels like the better choice.
“For international travel, you’ve got to be at the airport at least two hours early, then 45 minutes getting there and another 45 minutes once you land,” he said. “By the time you add in food and other expenses, it gets expensive fast. Buses are increasingly competitive on both time and cost.”
A better experience
Industry experts say technology and improvements in passenger comfort have also increased the appeal of bus travel.
Matt Hotchkiss, a motorcoach equipment finance specialist at Wells Fargo, said online booking platforms and mobile apps have made bus travel far easier and faster for consumers.
“Booking a bus trip today is nothing like it was 20 years ago,” Hotchkiss said. “Online booking and mobile apps have removed friction from the process, and modern coaches now offer amenities that travelers expect.”
Those amenities include free Wi-Fi, charging ports, reclining seats with footrests, and food and drinks onboard – features that have helped change how people think about bus travel.
“Bus travel today is modern, comfortable, and convenient,” Hotchkiss said. “When you’re traveling between major population centers that are 300 miles or less apart, the travel time can be about the same as flying, and it’s often much cheaper.”
Hotchkiss said problems with flights during recent government shutdowns led more people to try bus travel, and many of them have kept using it since then.
“Even if you take that extra spike away, inner-city travel has been positive year over year since COVID,” he said. “And we expect that trend to continue.”
According to data from the American Bus Association, intercity bus transportation accounted for 22.7 billion passenger miles in 2024, generating roughly $30 billion in direct spending by scheduled service travelers on accommodations, dining, and other expenses.
“Increasing ridership on scheduled routes can also pay dividends for charter companies when those bus travelers are thinking about plans for future trips. It’s great to see more people being comfortable riding on a bus again after the challenges we had during the pandemic,” said Scott Michael, CEO and President of the United Motorcoach Association.
More positive signs
Technology-focused companies are also changing intercity travel by using buses from partner companies instead of owning their own fleets, which helps bring more travel options to cities across the country.
“Technology is changing how people shop for travel,” Berardi said. “The companies that connect directly to consumers and make booking seamless are going to win.”
Hotchkiss said strong demand for travel is expected to continue into 2026, partly because of major international events.
“With events like the World Cup and other large-scale sporting events coming to the U.S., demand for transportation is only going to increase,” he said. “It’s a very positive time for the motorcoach industry.”
Despite lingering challenges, both executives said the resilience of the bus industry has been proven repeatedly.
“The coach industry has gone through economic cycles and a once-in-a-lifetime disruption with COVID,” Hotchkiss said. “Yet we’re still financing the same companies today that we were 20 years ago. That says a lot about the stability and strength of this industry.”
