urbanSTL

? Three restaurants for 2 train trips a day? Perhaps I'm missing something here: Do people have to cross through the station to get from bus to metrolink? If not, I don't believe people will go inside to get food unless the weather is bad - but then isn't there outdoor cover anyways?

2 trains???



The Gateway Transportation Center serves Amtrak, Greyhound, Metrolink and Metrobus passengers.



Amtrak has 6 outbound trains to Chicago everyday / 6 inbound trains to Chicago everday

Amtrak has 4 or 5 inbound / outbound trains from Kansas City

in addition Amtrak has daily train departures/arrivals from to Texas on the Texas Eagle as well.

According to Greyhound, there are currently 37 buses inbound/outbound to STL daily. Summer service increases but they were not able to tell me number of buses (increase) during summer months.

It's certainly a lot nicer than the Amshack that nearly served 30 years as a "temporary" structure.



Speaking of which, it looks like the STL is ahead of the New South for once. Charlotte is still in the early stages of replacing this with this.

^ I'm sure there's a movement in Charlotte to save the Modernist "before" building.

Greyhound is non-working class, or seasonal working class, at best. How they stay is business is beyond me. It isn't any cheaper than driving, assuming you own a car, and not that much cheaper than flying. Maybe they survive on people that are afraid to fly or drive, or don't have driver's licenses, or, like Amtrak, they are taking Greyhound for the experience or out of some sense of nostalgia - who knows.

If you count ONLY gas, then sometimes driving is cheaper. And granted, if you value your overall time, then you'd have to figure that in too (or, if you hated driving and would rather sleep....).



But I ran a bunch of destinations from STL - Denver, Seattle, Pittsburgh just off the top of my head -- and all were cheaper than the gas-only cost of driving, considering 25mpg and 3.25 gas. Those are the no-discount fares.



Add in wear and tear and it's no question. I'm not saying most people wouldn't rather drive themselves, but it does seem cheaper dollar for dollar.

I looked at some of the short trips like Indy-St. Louis $35 (4.5 hours) and some of the long trips like Pittsburgh-Denver $167 (34 hours). Of course, you can get lower fares on Greyhound for advance purchase (roughly 45% discount/14 days). But using your numbers, it would cost about $31 in gas to drive from Indy-St. Louis, and you'd get there an hour faster, and, $189 in gas to drive from Pitt to Denver, and you'd get there 13 hours faster if you drove straight through, or sleep for 8 hours and still get there 5 hours faster. Moreover, you can fly from Pittsburgh to Denver one way in under 6 hours for $161 on AirTran with less than 7 day advance purchase.



Again, it makes no sense to me unless you are doing it for the experience, can't drive, or are afraid of flying. Megabus is much cheaper, but they don't have many direct city-to-city connections yet (you have to go through Chicago to go from Indy to St. Louis, for example)

jlblues wrote:
Again, it makes no sense to me unless you are doing it for the experience, can't drive, or are afraid of flying. Megabus is much cheaper, but they don't have many direct city-to-city connections yet (you have to go through Chicago to go from Indy to St. Louis, for example)

Probably the "can't drive" is the big one, for sure.

Couple other things: you are right about the greyhound costs vs. gas-only costs. But isn't the truer cost (wear and tear, oil, but not car payment) more like 23 cents a mile? Also, for the plane comparisons, remember greyhound goes to lots of intermediate points that planes don't.



I agree that bus is not a total solution, but there are quite a few niches it fills. As far as I know, it's still profitable, although feeling the squeeze from e.g. Megabus.

Chinatown bus STL-NYC for $100. Interesting...



http://www.2003coach.com/

Interesting service, yet it doesn't let me click on the "now availible, tickets online, click here" button, and it doesn't give an estimated travel time.

2003 Coach Information



www.2003coach.com



http://www.nychinatown.org/directory/m_bus.html#stlouis



Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Greater Saint Louis

St. Louis, MO 63132-2815

Phone: 314-997-1800





1.Where does 2003 Coach Inc. travel?

2003 Coach Inc. services the following citys: New York City, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. You can enjoy the discount bus fares 2003 Coach Inc. has to offer.



2. How are the buses equipped?

All 2003 Coach Inc.buses are equipped with air conditioning, high-quality audio & video,

on-board restroom, reclining seats with headrests, and tinted windows.



3. Are reservations required for travel?

Yes, reservations are accepted for travel on 2003 Coach Inc..



4. Where are the bus stations located?



New York Station: 7 Allen St. New York, NY 20001 Tel: (646)-637-2717



Indianapolis Station: 2440 W. Lafayette Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46254



St. Louis Station: Chinatown, Central Shopping



5. Is smoking allowed on board?

No. Federal law does not permit smoking on 2003 Coach Inc.buses.



6. Is there assigned seating on 2003 Coach Inc. buses?

No. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.



7. Can I buy tickets at the station?

Yes, you can buy tickets at our stations, Stand-by tickets are subject to availability.



8. How long does it take from New York to Indianapolis?

It takes about 11 hours either from New York to Indianapolis or from Indianapolis to

New York, depending on the traffic and weather conditions.



9. How long does it take from New York to St. Louis?

It takes about 15 hours either from New York to St. Louis or from St. Louis to New York, depending on the traffic and weather conditions.



10. Can I get refund after I purchased a ticket but could not make the trip?

Sorry all tickets are Non-Refundable.



11. Is it secure to purchase bus tickets from 2003 Coach Inc.?

Yes. Our secure server software is the best software available for today's secure

e-commerce transactions, it supports industry-standard 128-bit S.S.L encryption.



12. Do I need to pick-up a physical ticket after I've purchased the ticket online?

You do not have to pick up a one way ticket. Round trip tickets available for pick up.



13. What do I need in order to board the bus after purchased the ticket online?

You need to bring a valid picture ID along with the confirmation message (E-Ticket)

to board the scheduled bus.



14. What if I do not have a printer to print out the tickets?

You need to write down your Confirmation number and order ID number.



15. Where can I buy bus tickets except buying tickets online?

You can buy bus tickets at all our bus stations or on the bus.



16. What kinds of credit cards are acceptable for purchase?

Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB and Diners Club are acceptable

credit cards for payment.



17. What types of fares are available online?

The same types of fares are available online as at the terminal



18. Could I use my credit to buy tickets for someone else?

Yes, you can buy tickets for the traveler other than your name, please put down

the traveler's name in the "comments box" while filling out the Billing Information.

Latest Pics!!:

Lookin' good! What is the progress of the platforms and tracks? Is Amtrak still planning to move in next month?

I refuse to bash this new Transportation hub. I ride Amtrak alot and ANYTHING beats the Amshack. At first I liked the colored windows. The thing about them is that they might start looking bad or at least cheap rather quickly.



It's funny...just down the street there's a train station design that that is mighty impressive and looks pretty great 100 years later. If I was an architect and I was building a simliar (albeit smaller) building to serve the same function I'd really shoot for the stars. Which is more likely to be around in 100 more years....the old Union Station or this? Artists don't build buildings anymore, businessmen do. Oh wait, did I just bash it? I'm really not.

I like the station, but I'm still not sold on the windows. Maybe when all the landscaping is finished and people and vehicles move in...

So... is there a date set yet that this will open?

Looks nice downtown in person to.