The Union Station Bus Terminal hosts the most intercity buses, but you can catch one at more than 34 stops around the region.

WAMU/DCist / Jordan Pascale

Peter Pan, Megabus, Greyhound, Virginia Breeze, The Jet, Go Bus, Washington Deluxe.

It sounds like a verse from “We Didn’t Start The Fire” but it’s also just a fraction of the intercity bus companies that operate in the Capital Region.

The regional Transportation Planning Board took stock of the region’s intercity bus operators as part of a federal requirement that began in the 2010s. They visited bus stops, researched companies through social media, news articles, and posted schedules. The work offers a glimpse into the ever-changing number of private carriers that can ride you out of town.

Planners identified 15 different bus companies that serve more than 50 locations on the East Coast without having to transfer. The buses are often cheaper — albeit slower and sometimes more unreliable — than Amtrak and airlines, but popular with younger riders and other people on a budget. Tickets range from $25-45 one way and as high as $179 for premium travel.

Planners Andrew Meese and Pierre Gaunaurd compiled the research and say it highlights the economic impact and equity of the buses.

“A lot of our affordable intercity connections are by bus,” Meese told the Planning Board this week. “So we want to understand those connections to rural and other areas that are not necessarily easily connected by other means unless you have a private automobile.”

The most popular trips, however, are buses to New York City with more than 200 bus trips there every Friday. Baltimore came in number two with 59 bus trips on Fridays.

While Union Station has by far the most trips originating out of the region, there are more than 34 places you can catch an intercity bus.

You can get an intercity bus at 34 bus stops across the region, according to Transportation Planning Board research.

Here’s the full list of current bus providers:

  • BayRunner
  • Best Bus
  • FlixBus
  • Go Bus
  • Greyhound
  • Peter Pan
  • Megabus
  • OurBus
  • PandaNY
  • The Jet
  • TripperBus
  • Vamoose
  • Virginia Breeze
  • Wanda Coach/Starline Coach
  • Washington Deluxe

Those buses will take you to dozens of locations as far-flung as Chicago and Miami with the top 5 destinations by trip total being New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, and Richmond. Other trips are seasonal to beach towns like Dewey Beach in Delaware and college towns like Charlottesville.

One-seat destinations you can get to by intercity bus.

Planners first did this study in 2016. The motorcoach industry experienced a steep decline in passenger numbers during the pandemic, leading some companies like Rapid Overland Xpress (which ran a Pentagon City to Virginia Beach bus) to suspend operations. Companies are also struggling to hire drivers. As of February, intercity bus ridership had returned to 70-75% of pre-pandemic totals and was back on the rise.

Greyhound offers the most trips with more than 200 a week, followed by FlixBus, OurBus, Peter Pan, Best Bus, and Vamoose.

Some are premium travel-focused like The Jet, which offers “hover seats” free beer, wine, and snacks. Others are geographic-specific services like the state-managed Virginia Breeze. Others like Best Bus and Vamoose almost solely focus on the D.C. to NYC market.

Here’s a list of all the stops in the region and where you can get to from them.

Filed Under: intercity bus travel, Transportation Planning Board, union station,