Trailways Transportation System

The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.^[1]

History

The company was founded February 5, 1936, by Burlington Transportation Company, Santa Fe Trails Transportation Company, Missouri-Pacific Stages, Safeway Lines, Inc., and Frank Martz Coach Company.

The system originated with coast-to-coast service as the National Trailways Bus System (NTBS). Greyhound Lines had grown so quickly in the 1920s and 1930s that the Interstate Commerce Commission encouraged smaller independent operators to form the NTBS to provide competition. Unlike Greyhound, which centralized ownership, Trailways member companies became a formidable competitor while staying an association of almost 100 separate companies. In the 1950s, Morgan W. Walker, Sr., of Alexandria, Louisiana became head of the southern division of the company. He had entered the business on a small scale during World War I as the Interurban Transportation Company of Alexandria.^[2]

Regular route bus ridership in the United States declined steadily after World War II, despite minor gains during the 1973 and 1979 energy crises. By 1986, the Greyhound Bus Line had been spun off from the parent company to new owners, which resulted in Greyhound Lines becoming solely a bus transportation company. It was sold off to new owners headed by Fred Currey, a former executive with the largest member of the National Trailways Bus System. (The old Greyhound parent changed its name to Dial Corporation)

Under the new ownership in 1987, led by Currey, Greyhound Lines shortly thereafter acquired the former Continental Trailways company, the largest member of the rival National Trailways Bus System, effectively eliminating a large portion of the bus competition. Although Greyhound negotiated cooperative schedules with Carolina Coach Company and Southeastern Trailways, two of the larger members of the Trailways system, many smaller carriers were effectively forced out of business. Most of the survivors diversified into charters and tours.

Current Trailways members

Today the various Trailways members are spread across North America. They provide charter bus rental service, bus tours and scheduled route services, with some members providing regular route service to areas not served by any other bus company on an interlining basis with Greyhound Lines, each other, and independent companies. Members generally also offer motorcoach charters and tours in competitive markets.

List of members (current and former)

For a complete list of members, please see the Trailways Companies page.

Abbott Trailways, Roanoke, VA

Adirondack Trailways, Hurley, NY

Alpha Trailways, Cincinnati, OH

Amador Trailways, Sacramento, CA

AmericanStar Trailways, Pismo Beach, CA

Anchor Trailways, Nashville, TN

Arrow Trailways of Texas, Killeen, TX

AS Midway Trailways, Baltimore, MD

Atlantic Coast Trailways, Hagerstown, MD

Bieber Trailways of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA

Birnie Trailways, Rome, NY

Bristol Trailways, Bristol, VT

Bristol Trailways of Florida, Orlando, FL

Burlington Trailways, West Burlington, IA

C&J Trailways, Portsmouth, NH

Cantrail Coachlines Inc., Western Trailways, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Capital City Trailways of Georgia, Atlanta, GA

Capital Trailways of Alabama, Montgomery, AL

Capital Trailways of Huntsville, Madison, AL

Capital Trailways of Mississippi, Richland, MS

Capitol Trailways of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA

Carolina Coach Company (Carolina Trailways), Raleigh, NC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Cavalier Coach Trailways, Boston, MA

Central States Trailways, St. Louis, MO

Colonial Trailways, Mobile, AL

Concord Trailways, Concord, NH

Continental Trailways, Dallas, TX

Cross Country Tours Trailways, Spartanburg, SC

Dakota Trailways, Spearfish, SD

Dean Trailways of Michigan, Lansing, MI

Dixon Meyers Trailways, Mt. Morris, IL

Eagle Trailways, Irving, TX

El Camino Trailways, South San Francisco, CA

Elbo Trailways, Netherlands

Empire Trailways, Rochester, NY

Endeavor Trailways, Miami, FL

Excursions Trailways, Ft. Wayne, IN; Ottawa, OH

Express Trailways, Orlando, FL

First Class Trailways, St. Petersburg, FL

First Priority Trailways, District Heights, MD

Flagship Trailways, Cranston, RI

Fullington Trailways, Clearfield, PA

Gentry Trailways, Knoxville, TN

Georgia Trailways, Macon, GA

Gold Line Trailways, Tuxedo, MD

Golden Express Trailways, New York, NY

Gotta Go Trailways, Ft. Worth, TX

Great Canadian Trailways, Ontario, Canada

Heartland Trailways, St. Joseph, MO

Huskey Trailways, Festus, MO; Columbia, MO; Ozark, MO

King Ward Trailways, Chicopee, MA

Kobussen Trailways, Kaukauma, WI

La Chaudiere Trailways, St. Georges, Quebec, Canada

Lakefront Trailways, Cleveland, OH

Lancaster Trailways, The Carolinas, Lancaster, SC

Lion Trailways, Rio Grande, NJ

Little Rock Trailways, Little Rock, AR

Lone Star Trailways, Tyler, TX

Louisiana Trailways, Marrero, LA

Martz Trailways, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Memphis Trailways, Memphis, TN

Miller Trailways, Louisville, KY; Indianopolis, IN

Myers Trailways, Export, PA

National Coach Trailways, Fredricksburg, VA

New York Trailways, Hurley, NY (formerly Empire Trailways of Rochester, New York)

NorthEast Trailways of ME, Lewiston, ME

Northwestern Trailways, Spokane, WA

Orange Belt Stages, Visalia, CA

Pacific Coachways Trailways, Garden Grove, CA

Paradise Trailways, W. Hempstead, NY

Pine Hill Trailways, Hurley, NY

Prairie Coach Trailways, Dell Rapids, SD

Prairie Trailways, Chicago, IL

Rimrock Trailways Billings, MT

Rocky Mountain Trailways, Rexburg, ID

Royal Tours Trailways, Randleman, NC

Salter Trailways, Jonesboro, LA

Samson Trailways, Atlanta, GA

Seitz Reisen Trailways of Germany, Ruhmansfelden, Bayern-Regen, Germany

Sierra Trailways of California, Sacramento, CA

Sierra Trailways of Texas, South Houston, TX

Silver State Trailways of CA, Placentia, CA

Silver State Trailways of NV, Las Vegas, NV

South Texas Trailways, San Antonio, TX

Southeastern Trailways, Indianapolis, IN

Starkville Trailways, Ridgeland, MS

St. Cloud Trailways, St. Cloud, MN

Sun Travel Trailways, Beaumont, TX

Susquehanna Trailways, Avis, PA

Swept Away Trailways, Savannah, GA

Tennessee Coach Company, Knoxville, Tennessee

Thrasher Brothers Trailways, Birmingham, AL

Transportes InterCalifornias Trailways, Los Angeles, CA

Travel Mates Trailways, Harrisonburg, VA

Utah Trailways, Salt Lake City, UT

Viking Trailways, Joplin, MO

VIA Trailways, Tempe, AZ; Merced, CA

West Point Trailways, Vails Gate, NY

See also

• Greyhound Lines
• Southeastern Greyhound Lines
• Dixie Greyhound Lines
• Teche Greyhound Lines
• Florida Greyhound Lines
• Atlantic Greyhound Lines
• Tennessee Coach Company
• Jefferson Lines
• Laidlaw
• Peter Pan Bus Lines

References

External links

• Trailways website
• Bluehounds and Redhounds, the histories of Greyhound and Trailways