Surface Transportation: Availability of Intercity Bus Service Continues to Decline.
Abstract
Except for regional bus firms, Greyhound Lines, Inc., is the only remaining nationwide provider of scheduled, regular-route intercity bus service, and it filed for bankruptcy protection in June 1990. This event climaxed decades of industry decline, which the Congress had hoped to reverse by passing the Bus Regulatory Reform Act of 1982. Concerned that Greyhound's bankruptcy could leave a segment of the population without intercity public transportation, the Chairman, Surface Transportation Subcommittee, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, asked GAO to (1) assess the magnitude and causes of the industry's decline since 1982, (2) identify the social and economic implications of this decline, (3) examine state programs that support intercity bus service, and (4) identify policy strategies for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to consider as it develops guidelines to address intercity bus needs. From the 1960s through the early 1980s, the intercity bus industry experienced ridership losses and higher operating costs-a combination that led to declining profits. Increased competition from rail and air transportation made it difficult for the bus industry to retain its share of the common carrier intercity travel market, which fell from 30 percent in 1963 to 12 percent in 1981. The Bus Regulatory Reform Act of 1982 diminished the roles of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and state agencies in regulating the industry and gave bus firms greater freedom to set fares, enter markets, and discontinue unprofitable service. Regulatory relief for the bus industry in 1982 did not address the causes of the industry's decline: Shrinking rural populations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA298450
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office