USA Bus Lines

When did Amtrak become more expensive than Greyhound and why?

A round-trip from Dallas to LA on Greyhound is about $250, but with Amtrak it's around $500. Amtrak used to be a lot cheaper than Greyhound - What happened? When did this change? I'm planning on going to LA from Dallas in a few weeks, and I see people suggest Amtrak over Greyhound all the time, so this is pretty disappointing.

Public Comments

1. Greyhound uses roads that are maintained by other units of Government. AMTRAK has to maintain their own tracks. I would guess that AMTRAK has a greater number of people on a train and more people means bigger payroll and beni's Just a guess - still would rather ride AMTRAK than take the bus.
2. I haven't ridden on Greyhound in a while, but unless long-distance bus service has undergone a major overhaul, I think this answer would still apply. I assume you'd be using Amtrak's coach class instead of their first-class sleepers. I'll answer based on coach: Amtrak's coach seats are hands-down more comfortable than bus seats. Amtrak's coach seats resemble older airline business-class seats. They have more legroom than domestic airlines' first-class seats and they include both footrests and legrests (I think Greyhound only offers footrests, and personally, I can't sleep without a legrest). I believe Amtrak seats are wider than a typical bus seat. Amtrak coach cars usually do not have armrests between the window and aisle seat. Neither Greyhound nor Amtrak Coach Class covers the cost of food, but long-distance Amtrak trains have both a dining car (full meals) and a lounge car (snacks and light meals like sandwiches and individual pizzas, etc.). If you're a drinker, Amtrak sells beer and wine onboard, while Greyhound does not allow alcohol. I think Amtrak coach cars also have a private dressing room, which can be helpful if you're taking an overnight trip. Amtrak's lounge cars have extra-large wraparound windows where you can go to look out at the scenery, read a book, chit-chat with other passengers, etc. This can be nice if you'd like to get up and stretch and not stay in your seat whenever the train is in motion. I think Greyhound only lets you get up and stretch during rest stops. Sorry if this sounds like a puff piece on Amtrak, but I'd choose it any day over the bus. That said, if Amtrak's coach fare is cost prohibitive, the bus may be a better choice for you. If you have a AAA card, you can get a discount on Amtrak. Be sure to query the AAA Adult rate on the Amtrak website. A sample July 10-17 round-trip ticket from Dallas to LA comes down to $414.90 that way. Also, take a look at http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html for discount codes. Hope you find this info useful!
3. The prices depend on when you plan to travel and also when you purchase the ticket. The fare system has three different rate groups. They start with so many seats at a low price. When those sell out, it moves to the next phase which is so many seats at a higher rate, then when those are gone, the rest of the seats sell at the highest rate. I think you would find it tough to find Amtrak cheaper than Greyhound. anywhere nowadays. To expand on what was mentioned earlier, Greyhound operates on federally funded highways, no expense to them. Amtrak's long distance trains operate on freight railroads tracks. Amtrak pays fees to the freight lines to run on their tracks, plus incentives each year if the individual freight railroads keep them at a certain on-time-performance average. Plus, you have to factor in labor. Buses just have a driver enroute. Amtrak has the engineer, conductor, car attendants, chef, dining car staff, etc enroute. Amtrak's cost are much higher than a bus line.
4. about a month ago, I just went o on amtrak from portland oregon to winona minnesota, and it wa $286 roundtrip. Today it's like $550 to make the very same trip. Being those are both major hubs i would check out flying, it might cost a litle more than 500 but i would guess that you could get there MUCH sooner, i bet that's like 35 hours or so on amtrak. Greyhound, There is not f*cking way i am spending like 1100-1400 miles on some bus.