Some 50 million people relied on intercity bus travel in 2023, estimates Joseph Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University. That’s more passengers than Amtrak carried that year, and unlike the federal government-owned railroad, most bus lines are privately held and often family-run.

While overall ridership on intercity buses recovered to about 90% of pre-pandemic levels last year, the industry has seen both ups and downs so far in 2024. On the down side were a bankruptcy and the potential closure of Chicago’s bus terminal; positives have included route growth, increasing state and federal support and collaborations with Amtrak. Read on for these and other developments in intercity bus transportation in 2024.