STOCKTON, Calif. — Amtrak will begin offering bus-only tickets on some routes in California, following approval of the plan by the agency which oversees San Joaquin train service.
KGET-TV reports the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority voted at a Friday meeting to allow the passenger railroad to sell bus-only tickets on its Bakersfield-Oxnard-Santa Barbara and Bakersfield-Lancaster-Victorville, Calif., routes. The move became possible when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last year ending the requirement that trips by Amtrak bus include at least a partial rail trip.
Other routes are likely to be added, but the authority said the service would need to be phased in over time.
One thing California has now is a proliferation of intercity buses. To get into the intercity/intrastate bus service all you have to do is get a bus and insurance. Result bus companies come and go all the time now.
Intrastate for profit transportation in California has been deregulated since the early 1970’s.
Yes, back in the early ’80’s when CalTrans Division of Rail rolled out its connecting bus program in an effort to get more passengers on the San Diegans, and San Joaquins, Greyhound protested. Instead of bidding on operating some of the routes, they lobbied our legislature to prohibit anyone from buying an Amtrak ticket, which without a train portion of ones itinerary. Shows you how strong of a lobby they had. Today Greyhound is on life support.
A few years ago the law was amended to permit the sale of bus only tickets, if ones destination was a place which was not served by commerical intercity bus operators. I believe only Lebec, on the Grapevine (north side truck stop on Tejon Pass, I-5) is the city currently in the Amtra”stations”.
For those not familiar with our connecting bus program, it has been very successful. It contributes about 1/3 more passengers on the San Joaquins, Surfliners, and Capitols. The routes, however, have to break even. So, every now and then additional frequencies are added, or cancelled; and sometimes new routes are added, or rerouted.
So, why would someone in Santa Barbara want to a bus to Bakersfield? The combined bus and connecting San Joaquin trip to the Bay Area is about two hours faster than taking the once a day circuitous, and slower teack, Coast Starlight up the coast.
Yes, Eric Schneider, Greyhound, is on life support. Instead of embracing and bidding on running the connecting bus services to our state supported trains, they lobbied our legislature to prohibit Amtrak from selling bus only tickets. The only legal stop (due to subsequent legislation) up to now was at Lebec, the truck stop north of Tejon Pass (aka the Grapevine). That did stop some people in Santa Barbara from taking bus to Bakersfield. They would buy, and not use, a train ticket to Wasco, the first stop north of Bakersfield. This should bring a few more riders. I believe there at least four buses from SBA to BFD every day. Once of the reasons, I believe this route is profitable for the SJJPA is that I can get the bus and the train about two hours faster to the Bay Area, than up the coast line on the circuitous Coast Starlight.
Oh, for thosr not familiar with California’s connecting bus program, the routes have to break even. About once a year service us either added, or subtracted; and occasionally a new route added.
When I lived in California, Greyhound was the service for bus only rides. The parallel Amtrak buses had to include train so that there wasn’t the appearance or reality of competition against Greyhound.
Now with Greyhound service severely curtailed across the country (but I don’t know about CA) perhaps that is changing.
WisDOT has established Thruway bus service between Milwaukee and Green Bay and it is possible to buy a bus only ticket between bus stations because Greyhound has totally abandoned the route.
I’m going to assume that Greyhound or some other company does not offer direct service between Santa Barbara/Oxnard and Bakersfield. Most likely they would require a routing via Los Angeles. So, yes, there might very well be a market. And Amtrak’s buses will be going anyway, and will most likely not be full, so why not sell tickets and fill seats?
I’m not seeing the benefit here, unless someone thinks there’s a need for bus service specifically between those points.