ABSTRACT
The history of the long-distance or intercity bus industry in the USA has been neglected by academics, whether as historians or as transport analysts. Most academics have either dismissed motor coaches as being of minor importance in transport history or have resorted to generalizations about government transport policy or to images and myths in popular culture concerning Greyhound dogs and unsafe bus terminals. Neither of the two major bus carriers, Greyhound and Trailways, have an accessible corporate archive. Both have changed ownership and moved headquarters during the course of their existence and these alterations, rather than fire damage, have resulted in the loss of data. Trade periodicals fall into three categories which are sometimes indistinguishable: those which have been published by the industry itself, those which have been published commercially for sale to the industry and to interested persons, and those which have been produced by bus enthusiasts primarily for bus enthusiasts.
