The Trailways Transportation System is an American network of approximately 70 independent bus companies that have entered into a brand licensing agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.

History

The predecessor to Trailways Transportation System 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 Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...

had grown so quickly in the 1920s and 1930s that the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

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 II as the Interurban Transportation Company of Alexandria. During the 1950s and 1960s, consolidation among bus operators resulted in four of the five original Trailways members becoming part of a new company, Continental Trailways, which eventually operated the majority of Trailways routes. In 1968, under the leadership of major stockholder Kemmons Wilson, Holiday Inn acquired Continental Trailways, which remained a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

of Holiday Inn until 1979, when Holiday Inn sold Trailways to private investor Henry Lea Hillman Sr., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the years during which Trailways was a subsidiary of Holiday Inn, television commercials for Holiday Inn frequently showed a Trailways bus stopping at a Holiday Inn hotel. Regular route bus ridership in the United States had been declining steadily since World War II despite minor gains during the

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

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 had changed its name to Dial Corporation. Under the new ownership in 1987, led by Currey, Greyhound Lines later acquired the former Continental Trailways company, the largest member of the Trailways system, effectively eliminating a large portion of 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. Greyhound later acquired Carolina and the intercity operations of Southeastern. Most of the survivors diversified into charters and tours. File:Santa Fe Trailways bus circa World War II.JPG, A Santa Fe bus used to transport workers to defense plants during World War II File:Closing of the Jerome Relocation Center, Denson, Arkansas. Students of the Denson High School who a . . . - NARA - 539641.jpg, Japanese-American youths are transported to the Rohwer War Relocation Center aboard a Missouri Pacific Trailways bus, 1944 File:Trailways Bus Terminal; Petersburg, VA - 003.jpg, The Petersburg Trailways Bus Station in Petersburg, Virginia is listed on the National Register of Historic Places File:Trailways sign in Warrensburg, New York.jpg, Trailways sign in Warrensburg, New York File:Continental Trailways bus at MSI in Chicago, 1968.jpg, Continental Trailways bus outside the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, 1968

Current members

Today Trailways members are spread across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. They provide charter bus 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 also offer motorcoach charters and tours in competitive markets. , Trailways members are: * Abbott Trailways – Roanoke, VA * Adirondack Trailways – Hurley, NY * Amador Trailways of CA – Sacramento, CA * Amador Trailways of NV – Reno, NV * AmericanStar Trailways – Pismo Beach, CA * AS Midway Trailways – Baltimore, MD * Arrow Trailways of TX – Killeen, TX * Birnie Trailways – Rome, NY * Burlington Trailways – West Burlington, IA * Capital Trailways of AL – Montgomery, AL * Capital Trailways of GA – Columbus, GA * Capital Trailways of Huntsville – Madison, AL * Cavalier Coach Trailways – Boston, MA * Coastal Georgia Trailways – Brunswick, GA * Colonial Trailways – Mobile, AL * Cross Country Tours Trailways – Spartanburg, SC * Dakota Trailways – Spearfish, SD * David Thomas Trailways – Philadelphia, PA * Dean Trailways of MI – Lansing, MI * Elbo Trailways, the Netherlands – Heino, Holland * Excursions Trailways of IN – Ft. Wayne, IN * Excursions Trailways of OH – Ottawa, OH * First Class Trailways – St. Petersburg, FL * First Priority Trailways – District Heights, MD * Flagship Trailways – Cranston, RI * Fullington Trailways – Clearfield, PA * Gentry Trailways – Knoxville, TN * Gold Line Trailways – Tuxedo, MD * Great Canadian Trailways – Kitchener, Ontario * Harlow's Trailways – Bismarck, ND * Heartland Trailways – St. Joseph, MO * Huskey Trailways – Festus, MO * Huskey Trailways of Columbia – Columbia, MO * Kobussen Trailways – Kaukauna, WI * Kobussen Trailways of West WI – Bloomer, WI * Lancaster Trailways, the Carolinas – Lancaster, SC * Lancaster Trailways of Charleston – Lancaster, SC * Lancaster Trailways of Myrtle Beach – Myrle Beach, SC * Louisiana Trailways – Marrero, LA *

Martz Trailways Martz Group is a bus company headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, operating intercity commuter buses, charter buses, and tours. The company operates Martz Trailways, which is a part of the Trailways Transportation System. Martz Trailways ...

– Wilkes-Barre, PA * Mississippi Trailways – McComb, MS * Mississippi Trailways of Madison – Madison, MS * Mlaker Trailways – Davidsville, PA * National Coach Trailways – Fredericksburg, VA * New York Trailways – Hurley, NY * NorthEast Trailways of ME – Lewiston, ME * Northwestern Trailways – Spokane, WA *

Orange Belt Trailways Orange Belt Stages was a bus company based in Visalia, California, affiliated with the Trailways Transportation System. The company was incorporated on November 30, 1935, and operated scheduled service in California as well as charter services. T ...

– Visalia, CA * Pacific Coachways Trailways – Garden Grove, CA *

Pine Hill Trailways Trailways of New York is one of the largest privately held transportation companies based in New York State. It employs over 450 people and carries passengers more than 80 million miles annually. TrailwaysNY, as it is known, operates over 150 tr ...

– Hurley, NY * Prairie Coach Trailways – Dell Rapids, SD * Prairie Coach Trailways of ND – Fargo, ND * Prairie Trailways – Chicago, IL * Precious Cargo Trailways – Newbury, OH * Red River Trailways – Shreveport, LA * Salter Trailways – Jonesboro, LA * Samson Trailways – Atlanta, GA * Southern Trailways of AL – Jackson's Gap, AL * Seitz Reisen Trailways of Germany – Ruhmansfelden, Bayern-Regen * Sun Travel Trailways – Beaumont, TX * Susquehanna Trailways – Williamsport, PA * Thrasher Brothers Trailways – Birmingham, AL * Utah Trailways – Salt Lake City, UT * VIA Trailways of AZ – Tempe, AZ * VIA Trailways of CA – Merced, CA * Viking Trailways – Joplin, MO * West Point Tours Trailways – Vails Gate, NY * West Valley Trailways – Campbell, CA

References

External links

Trailways website
{{Authority control * American companies established in 1936 Companies based in Fairfax, Virginia Cooperatives in the United States Franchises Intercity bus companies of the United States Transport companies established in 1936 Transportation companies based in Virginia

History

Current members

See also

References

External links