Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The term 'bus' is derived from the Latin word 'omnibus', meaning 'for all',
and thus from its inception the bus was perceived as an open access form of
transport available for the population of any given city. A bus is a large vehi-
cle designed to carry passengers on a fixed route (sometimes with deviations
on passenger request), and operating to a schedule. There are several varia-
tions. Minibuses (mainly 16-20 seat vehicles) are often used for scheduled
recreational services on roads where larger vehicles cannot operate, and for
demand-responsive services which have to be booked in advance. Bus services
tend to be sub-categorized into urban and inter-urban, the latter also tending
to serve intermediate rural areas.
Coaches are built to a more comfortable specification and are used for
tours and transfers (say between airports and hotels). They are also used
for scheduled transfers between railway stations, city centres and airports,
and on intercity routes, where comfort is required for the longer duration trip.
In some parts of the world, such as North America, coaches are referred to as
buses, and this may cause some confusion in terminology. In this chapter we
maintain the distinction between these two forms of passenger transport.
Coach travel can be divided into three sectors (Cooper et al, 2008). First
there are scheduled, regular long-distance routes, such as the Greyhound serv-
ices in the USA, which have been in existence since 1914. The Greyhound
coach network has remained a significant brand in the USA for nearly 100
years. The network serves many rural destinations that do not have nearby
railheads or airports, and is thus associated with exploration and slow travel
(Walsh, 2000). These long-distance services are typically relatively inexpen-
sive, and passengers trade comfort and time with cost. However, in some
countries, for example, Turkey and China, coach travel is relatively fast, and
is considered a superior option to train travel.
Second, Cooper et al (2008) identify another category as the coach tour.
This is traditionally attractive to an older demographic group, but often
attracts people of a higher socio-economic status than scheduled routes. Coach
tours are attractive to this segment as they provide a break from driving, offer
scenic views and the chance to socialize with others, all key components of
slow travel. There has been something of a renaissance in adventure travel by
coach for the younger age group, such as the OZ bus travelling overland
(mainly) between Europe and Australia, and a new service between Europe
and the USA via Alaska. The third sector is hire coaches. These are typically
used for destination transfers, but there is also a significant market for private
tours. Cooper et al (2008) suggest the size of the coach market is significantly
under-appreciated. For example, in 2000 an estimated 860 million passengers
used coaches in the USA. Of these, the vast majority (90 per cent) were car-
ried by private hire vehicles.
The travel experience
The discussion in the literature focuses mainly on bus travel, principally in
relation to shorter bus trips in urban areas rather than longer intercity routes.
There has been more written up regarding the determinants of service quality
