Wheels Come Off For Bus Companies, Closing Down Travel Options For Poorer Americans

A Greyhound bus departs a station in San Antonio, Texas, on March 30, 2020.

Eric Gay / AP

The wheels on the nation’s buses aren’t going round and round very much these days.

Demand for bus travel has fallen by more than 80% during the pandemic, as public health authorities urge people to avoid travel where possible.

That is raising concerns about the potential long-term damage to an essential transport method for millions of lower-income Americans even as air travel has shown signs of picking up since the Thanksgiving holiday period.