In the 1820s, the first horse drawn buses were being used to ferry travelers between destinations. By the 1830s, English engineers pioneered the first regular intercity local bus services using steam-powered coaches. From there it was a short jump to train travel and even the first commercial airliners.
The first passenger train trips in the 19th century were terrifying journeys, with the travelers fearing for their lives the entire way. They simply had no frame of reference for any vehicle that could move that quickly, and their eyes could barely process the visual information of the landscape streaming past the windows. Of course, humans adapted.
Here in the 21st century, more passengers are leaving trains and airplanes behind for their local bus services, preferring the ease of bus travel and the lower costs that come with it. In fact, between 2011 and 2012 bus travel was the fastest growing form of transportation in the United States, and today more than 751 million passenger trips are taken on motorcoaches and charter buses each year.
So why the 21st century resurgence in local bus services? Most importantly, bus travel has come a long way since the first horse drawn coaches traversed England. Today, motorcoach buses offer reclining seats, air conditioning, bathrooms, wheelchair accessibility, DVD players, and seats that won’t give you a back ache as soon as you sit down. So while air travel may be necessary for certain kinds of international trips, charter bus rentals provided by local bus companies are becoming the preferred transportation option for virtually all forms of group travel.
Plane travel has become famously hellish, with tiny seats and growing hidden fees, while train travel costs just as much at a fraction of the speed. Fortunately, it’s possible to both travel in comfort on board a bus while also saving money, which is why millions of people arrange local charter rentals for their group transportation needs, from private sightseeing tours to corporate retreats.
No matter the occasion, chances are you won’t find a more convenient, comfortable, and cost effective form of transportation than you will aboard local bus services. So if you’re looking to book transportation for a tour group, church trip, or any kind of organization in 2016, then it’s time to rediscover the benefits of charter bus travel.
