Europe is combining six, 17-seat low-emission minibuses with the concept of Uber to create a new mode of transportation called PickMeUp, Oxford Bus Company’s new “Uber for buses” service. The PickMeUp app and service officially launched in June 2018 as the new public way to travel in Oxford by bus. Residents simply download the PickMeUp app and order a bus to a virtual stop on demand; they set up the pick-up and drop-off points within the app’s chosen zone and add extra passengers as applicable. Users can see their route and estimated time of arrival on the app. The route… Read more »
Blog Posts From Northwest Bus Sales
The Rare Reason More People are Buying Buses
There are several reasons why people are buying buses at record clips right now. As we mentioned previously on our blog, cities are looking to buses once again to expand their mass transit networks as urban centers rapidly grow. In the era of rideshare, people are more often looking for cost-effective ways to transport large groups of people, even if they don’t know one another. Group travel is 2018’s transit trend, and we’re fully behind it. But there’s another reason why more people are buying buses that has recently arisen and it’s one that is so interesting and unique, it’s… Read more »
Bus Travel Popularity Increases in Seattle
When you think of Seattle, you probably think about coffee or the Space Needle, but these days, two other words might come to mind: public transportation. Seattle is experiencing an influx of new citizens and they are all looking to the Metro systems to get them where they need to go. If you are still unsure of how big bus travel really is in Seattle, then all you need to do is look towards the numbers. The fact of the matter is that Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the country with nearly a quarter million new… Read more »
Seattle Leading the Way with Increase in Transit Ridership
When it comes to public transit, the city of Seattle is in a good place. Recent studies have shown that the citizens of the city are utilizing public transport in record numbers. In 2017 alone, the Metro bus system transported a record 122.2 million riders, the Sound Transit Link light rail system carried a record 23.2 million riders, and 9.6 million passengers chose the Metro-operated Sound Transit Express service. When it comes to these popular forms of transport, the people have made their voices heard, and the city has listened. Per King County Executive, Dow Constantine: “People wanted more bus… Read more »
Beat Bus Ride Blues with our Long Distance Travel Tips
Tourist travel by bus allows the entire group to stay together so that you don’t have to worry about waiting around for anyone to catch up or arrive at your final destination. But there can be some challenges that come along with taking long distance trips, and we want to help you conquer them. Beat your bus ride blues with a few of our long distance travel tips below. Designate an Activities Coordinator Sitting on a bus for hours at a time would cause anyone to get stir crazy. That’s why it’s a good idea for groups to elect an… Read more »
Ford Launches New Shuttle Bus Service App
A trial of a Ford-operated, commuter ride-share service app was approved for launch in London this past January. Chariot, the business providing the ride share services through the app, will allow passengers to pay a premium over a regular bus fare price for pre-booked trips running along four routes. As shared mobility services reach all-time popularity levels, vehicle manufacturers such as Ford are turning away from a traditional industry platform and toward a more user-friendly model. The ride-share service is part of an effort to ramp up what Ford calls their microtransit plan. The use of the Chariot app is… Read more »
Trends in Public Transit across the Country for 2018
2018 is the year of public transit’s revival, as cities nationwide increasingly look to limit congestion, cut back on car exhaust, and make their streets more enjoyable for everyone. With the push to go green, focusing new attention on public transit, especially in regards to buses, will be instrumental in future development. The first major trend involves the experimentation of BRT, or what’s known as bus rapid transit. In Indianapolis, work will begin this year on a 13-mile rapid transit line which will run across the city. When done, buses are expected to pick up passengers from stops every ten… Read more »
Pittsburgh Leads Nation in Transit Ridership Numbers
While many U.S. cities find their public transportation systems in decline, Pittsburgh is one of the few cities bucking the trend, according to a recent article in urbanist publication, CityMetric. The Steel City’s public transit system is the 26th largest in the nation, and boasts a usage rate that is a staggering 92 percent above the national average. How has Pittsburgh been able to accomplish this? CityMetric describes a number of combined efforts by Pittsburgh’s local government and port authority to be proactive in addressing, then remedying issues. The article posits that other major cities could benefit by taking Pittsburgh’s… Read more »
Wi-Fi Improves Commute for Bus Riders
Most people don’t enjoy riding the bus to work. Some people do it because they don’t have any other transportation options, while others do it because it’s the quickest way to get from point A to point B in the morning. But very few people actually enjoy waiting for the bus to arrive and then crowding into the bus once it gets there. That could change in the very near future for many people, though, as public Wi-Fi is starting to be incorporated into more and more forms of public transportation. Public buses, in particular, are starting to be outfitted… Read more »
Famous Buses Throughout History
They’ve been in films, on television, and have become a memorable part of the American fabric. Buses are, without question, fixtures of modern Americana. Here we describe a few of the most famous buses in American history. The Freedom Riders’ Bus In defiance of the Jim Crow laws, and at a time when courage was necessary to quell unjustifiable acts of discrimination, a group of 13 students of different races traveled together on Trailways and Greyhound buses headed to New Orleans in 1960. At the time the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of desegregation, and although the Freedom Riders,… Read more »