Friday Roundtable: Intercity Bus Routes

Map of intercity routes in the United States (University of Illinois)

The Urban Traffic & Economics Lab at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has created GFTS (General Transit Feed Specification) data and a map of routes from 72 intercity bus operators in North America. An interactive version of the map is available here. The United States is often criticized for its lack of a fast, frequent, and direct passenger rail network. This map of intercity bus routes shows a more extensive system, though one's experience on these routes may vary. The Northeast, Midwest, and central Florida stand out with denser networks than the rest of the country.

The full methodology for this work is outlined in the study, but it is worth highlighting how the authors defined intercity bus". Their criteria included:

1. Connects distinct metropolitan areas (excludes suburban/urban commuter services).
2. Tickets can be purchased independently (excludes Amtrak Thruway services that connect between rail trips).
3. Uses over-the-road buses (excludes many rural and tribal services operated with vans or transit buses).
4. Operates regularly most of the year (excludes seasonal/charter services).

Most Washington cities have sub-par intercity bus coverage. The major corridors (I-5, I-90) are served by several daily routes and most smaller cities have at least one daily route. These services are complemented by four (soon to be five) routes subsidized by WSDOT.

Route Name	Cities Served	Daily Trips
Apple	Omak, Wenatchee, Ellensburg	2
Dungeness	Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Seattle, SeaTac International Airport	3 (including 1 express trip between Port Angeles and Seattle)
Gold	Kettle Falls, Deer Park, Spokane	2
Grape	Walla Walla, Touchet, Pasco, Yakima	3 (2 daily round trips between Pasco and Yakima)
Wheat (starting service Spring 2026)	Spokane, Moses Lake, Pasco	2

Map of intercity bus routes, including the WSDOT subsidized routes. (WSDOT)

A few areas in the state are missing any bus service or direction connections to nearby communities. WSDOT recognizes this and shared a set of recommendations in the 2024 Travel Washington Intercity Bus Program Study Update. Most of these recommendations have since been partially implemented.

• Recommendation (pg. 170): New route between Pasco - Ellensburg via Yakima
  • Current Status: The Grape Line now has two daily round trips between Pasco and Yakima
• Recommendation (pg. 171): New route between Pasco - Spokane via Moses Lake
  • Current Status: Will start service in a few months as the Wheat Line
• Recommendation (pg. 172): Increase to three daily round trips on the Apple Line (up from 1 daily round trip)
  • Current Status: Now has two daily round trips
• Recommendation (pg. 173): Gold Line extension from Kettle Falls to Republic
  • Current Status: No update
• Recommendation (pg. 174): Increase to three daily round trips on the Dungeness Line (up from 2 daily round trips)
  • Current Status: Now has a third daily round trip (operated as an express)

This is an open thread.