ABSTRACT
In the first quarter-century of its existence the long-distance bus industry in the USA developed from a struggling, disconnected set of lines, a pioneering experiment, into a reasonably well-organized network of routes which had become an integral part of the nation’s transportation system. he public carriers faded proportionately during the 1950s and early 1960s and only increased their share subsequently because of the growing popularity of air travel. Buses certainly fared better than their traditional rivals, the railroads, in their efforts to find a niche in the late twentieth-century transport pattern, but their role prior to deregulation in 1982, though valuable, was limited. Any examination of the modern bus industry must start with the impact of the Second World War. During these years the public carriers played an important part in keeping the nation moving. Yet this growth in activity was achieved under duress and despite numerous shortages in vehicles, spare parts, fuel and labour.
