Greyhound Bus Lines is ending its 25-year partnership with family-owned Trailways of New York.
The breakup comes less than a year after German-owned FlixMobility, the parent company of FlixBus USA, acquired Greyhound. It’s unclear if Greyhound will dissolve more partnerships with Trailways operators. Most Trailways Line carriers have “Interline Agreements” which allow for the exchange of passengers with Greyhound.
For the public, the breakup means losing the convenience of purchasing tickets for travel on each other’s lines throughout New York State and in major cities such as Montreal and Toronto.
“I believe Greyhound is very strong at marketing and sales but looking at this year’s Passenger Choice Awards it’s clear that Trailways’ hard product is the customer favorite,” said Alex Berardi, president of Trailways.com and part of the multi-generational family that owns Trailways of New York. “Operationally, Trailways of New York is exceptionally strong – that is just one reason we were so surprised to see Greyhound terminate the revenue pool.”
Greyhound: ‘no market changes’
Bus & Motorcoach News reached out to Greyhound for a comment on the issue. The company replied with this statement: “Greyhound continues to operate in the Kingston, NY market with no market changes at this time. We have no further comment.”
Berardi remains confident that quality service is Trailways of New York’s key to success. So much so, that he has discounted fares across New York State by 50% for any Greyhound passenger inconvenienced by a canceled or delayed journey. Replacement travel can be booked at any major terminal at the time of inconvenience.
“Our core competency is being able to control the end-to-end experience, which very few other carriers can do at scale,” he said.
Longtime partners
The partnership of Trailways of New York and Greyhound alone is valued at over $50 million in revenue annually, according to sources familiar with the arrangement. The partnership began in 1998 and placed the two major ground transportation carriers under one alliance along bus routes that include New York to Toronto and New York to Montreal.
Trailways of New York (Adirondack, Pine Hill, and New York Trailways) operates over 150 trips per day to more than 140 destinations in New York, New Jersey, and Canada. Based in Hurley, New York it is the largest and longest continuously operating, privately held, intercity bus carrier in New York State.
Dissolving the agreement between the two companies gives Trailways full control over the end-to-end travel experience for passengers, allowing it to reaffirm its commitment to providing affordable, comfortable and dependable transportation.
“As a family-owned and operated business for almost 100 years, we want every rider to feel cared for, but this wasn’t possible in our partnership with Greyhound,” said Eugene J. Berardi Jr., president and CEO of Trailways of New York, who is Alex’s father. “We weren’t able to operate our routes the way we wanted, but that all changes now.”
Trailways will continue to operate along the New York-to-Toronto and New York-to-Montreal corridors, but with many improvements to the rider experience, including:
- Dynamic scheduling that allows for added buses to meet the demand on popular routes.
- Ticket agents stationed in all major bus terminals to provide on-site customer support.
- Enhanced digital-first online experience due to multi-million dollar investment in Trailways.com and Trailways.ca.
“With travel top of mind and consumers hoping to return to the road, now is the time for us to take back control and reclaim our position as a leading provider of affordable, comfortable and dependable transportation for those wishing to explore along the New York to Toronto and New York to Montreal routes,” Eugene said.
Related:
