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| Adirondack Trailways bus in Ulster County, which is really near the Catskills. |
Trailways and Greyhound ended their partnership after 25 years time, and in New York State, the regional franchise in Hurley, just outside Kingston (I used to live not too far from there), will no longer pool with their competitor, so if your destination is only served by one of them, you can only book with that one or an app that has it. At the Syracuse station, the split is made clear with a separate counter being built for Trailways where Dunkin' used to be (which indirectly moved around the corner to NY 370/Park St.). This may confuse some people, as you'd be directed across the hall if one doesn't cover a certain route and time. Having both companies available will make it easier for last-minute travellers, seniors, those with older or no mobile phones, the disabled, and those who live in well off-the-grid type communities (I sometimes see Amish families and occasionally Mennonites). This could happen at Boehlert Union Station in Utica where there's a closed takeaway that could be converted, yet the Greyhound counter has been closed, leaving customers having to use the app or pay when they get to their stop if it's a bigger area (paying somehow, of course), and then in Rochester, there has been talk of merging bus operations with the Louise Slaughter Amtrak Station across the street as the Trailways station is old and small (even for there) and only meant to last so long. You have to wait for Greyhound or Megabus downtown right now not far from where the station used to be at a mere stop as if it were a small town, which makes no sense in a larger city and when the elements take over. Port Authority downstate must have something planned, while in Albany, CDTA have considered building a new hub for both theirs and intercity, which would include the two lines, along with Peter Pan and Yankee Trails. Greyhound and FlixBus are now sister companies, yet have different management, and back in CNY, you get FlixBus a mile away from the station at Pilot, where you'd have to be dropped off by someone you know, a cab or rideshare. I just wish I could get to Rochester and Ithaca in my time frame and price range having no access to a private vehicle going out of town (one can relate), and gas prices are making more people use buses and trains instead or car and planes. However, bus and airline companies alike are having staffing issues at this time. Just hope this works out for everybody.
UPDATE: Trailways' ticket counter moved down the hall to where the video games once were and they have formed a new alliance with Greyhound and FlixBus through a third party company in Jackson County, making it easier for riders, yet where to get the bus can keep changing, and worse, it can be out of doors, in a smaller building or the outskirts of town, even in larger areas, which is not good for vulnerable populations, yet Syracuse remains streets ahead of most cities with a one-stop shop for most bus lines (OurBus go to SU and the airport only) and Amtrak with a building to keep everyone safe, warm and dry that's not too hard to find or get to. As for what will go in the east end of the building, more as this develops, since I'll try to get on the road again despite changes in my own life.
