How We Find, Verify, and Document U.S. Bus Service Information
busschedules.org/ is built on a six-tier source hierarchy with the operating transit agency or intercity carrier at the top of every page. This document sets out exactly which sources we use, how we verify them, and the legal framework underpinning U.S. bus service.
What’s on this page
- Six-tier source hierarchy
- Tier 1 — Agencies & carriers
- Tier 2 — Trade bodies
- Tier 3 — National data
- Tier 4 — Federal regulators
- Tier 5 — State framework
- Tier 6 — Press & research
- Trip planners & GTFS
- Major intercity carriers
- Sources we avoid
- Verification workflow
- Federal & state legal framework
- Feedback on sourcing
1. The Six-Tier Source Hierarchy
Every page on busschedules.org/ is built from sources that fit one of six tiers. Higher-tier sources are always preferred. We do not use Tier 6 sources as the sole basis for any factual claim about a current schedule, fare, or contact channel.
1Tier 1 — Operating Transit Agencies, Intercity Carriers, and Fare-Card Systems
The transit agency or carrier itself is always Tier 1 — the source of truth for current routes, schedules, fares, accessibility services, contact details, and operating hours.
Major transit agencies: MTA New York City Transit (mta.info), MBTA Boston (mbta.com), WMATA Washington DC (wmata.com), LA Metro (metro.net), Chicago CTA (transitchicago.com), SEPTA Philadelphia (septa.org), MARTA Atlanta (itsmarta.com), BART San Francisco (bart.gov), Muni San Francisco (sfmta.com), AC Transit Oakland (actransit.org), Houston Metro (ridemetro.org), Dallas DART (dart.org), Denver RTD (rtd-denver.com), King County Metro Seattle (kingcounty.gov/metro), Sound Transit (soundtransit.org), TriMet Portland (trimet.org), Pittsburgh Regional Transit (rideprt.org), CapMetro Austin (capmetro.org), MARC Maryland (mta.maryland.gov), VRE Virginia (vre.org), and roughly 2,000 more.
Intercity carriers: Greyhound (greyhound.com), FlixBus (flixbus.com), Megabus (us.megabus.com), Peter Pan Bus Lines (peterpanbus.com), Trailways federation (trailways.com), Jefferson Lines (jeffersonlines.com), RedCoach (redcoachusa.com), OurBus (ourbus.com).
Fare-card systems: OMNY (omny.info), Clipper (clippercard.com), ORCA (orcacard.com), SmarTrip (smartrip.com), CharlieCard (mbta.com/fares/charliecard), TAP (taptogo.net), Ventra (ventrachicago.com), Hop Fastpass (myhopcard.com), Q-Card (ridemetro.org).
2Tier 2 — Professional & Trade Bodies
| Body | Role | URL |
|---|---|---|
| American Public Transportation Association (APTA) | National non-profit representing public transit agencies; standards, advocacy, ridership data, member directory | apta.com |
| American Bus Association (ABA) | National trade association for intercity bus and motorcoach industry | buses.org |
| Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) | Rural and community transit advocacy and training | ctaa.org |
| FTA National Transit Database (NTD) | Statistical reporting system for transit agencies receiving federal funding | transit.dot.gov/ntd |
3Tier 3 — National Data Sources
| Source | Use | URL |
|---|---|---|
| BTS Intercity Bus Atlas | National geodatabase of intercity bus stops and routes from participating GTFS providers; updated quarterly | bts.gov/intercity-bus-atlas |
| BTS National Transportation Atlas Database | National-level transportation geodata across modes | bts.gov |
| FTA National Transit Map | National map of fixed-guideway and bus transit systems | transit.dot.gov/national-transit-map |
4Tier 4 — Federal Regulators
| Agency | Role | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Transit Administration (FTA) | Federal agency overseeing public transit; administers Buses & Bus Facilities Program ($5.1B), Low or No Emission Bus Grants ($5.6B through 2026), Section 5310 paratransit, ADA enforcement | transit.dot.gov |
| Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) | Federal regulator of interstate motor carriers including intercity bus carriers; CDL standards, hours of service, vehicle safety, complaint database (NCCDB) | fmcsa.dot.gov |
| National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) | Federal vehicle safety standards including FMVSS for school buses | nhtsa.gov |
| U.S. Department of Justice — Civil Rights Division | ADA Title II/III enforcement, Title VI civil rights enforcement | ada.gov |
| National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) | Independent investigation of major transportation accidents including bus accidents | ntsb.gov |
| U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) | Approves intercity carrier mergers and control transactions (e.g., Flix/Greyhound) | stb.gov |
5Tier 5 — State Framework
- State departments of transportation (e.g., Caltrans, NYSDOT, TxDOT, FDOT, ODOT, WSDOT) — state-level transit planning, intercity bus coordination
- State public utilities commissions — intercity carrier oversight in many states (operating authority, fare approval where applicable)
- State pupil-transportation rules — school bus standards beyond federal NHTSA FMVSS
- State accessibility laws — California Unruh Civil Rights Act, NY Human Rights Law, Texas accessibility code, and others that may exceed federal ADA baseline
- State human-relations commissions — civil-rights enforcement at state level
6Tier 6 — Press & Research
Background context only — never the sole source for a current portal URL or schedule:
- APTA’s Passenger Transport magazine
- Mass Transit Magazine
- Bus & Motorcoach News (ABA publication)
- Peer-reviewed transportation research (Transportation Research Board / Transportation Research Record)
- Major newspapers and broadcasters covering transit policy and incidents
8. Trip Planners and the GTFS Standard
| Service | Role | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Transit App | Real-time multi-agency trip planner using GTFS feeds; widely used in major U.S. metros | transitapp.com |
| Moovit | Multi-agency trip planner with global coverage | moovit.com |
| Google Maps Transit | Trip planning integrated into Google Maps using participating-agency GTFS feeds | maps.google.com |
| MobilityData | Maintains the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) and GTFS-Realtime extensions used by transit apps worldwide | mobilitydata.org |
The General Transit Feed Specification, originally developed by Google and TriMet, is now maintained by MobilityData. It defines the open data format used by most U.S. transit agencies to publish stops, routes, schedules, fares, and transfers. GTFS-Realtime extends the specification to live arrivals, vehicle positions, and service alerts. The BTS Intercity Bus Atlas aggregates GTFS feeds from participating intercity carriers.
9. Major Intercity Bus Carriers — Verified URLs
| Carrier | Coverage | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Greyhound (subsidiary of Flix SE since 2021) | 1,600+ destinations across U.S., Canada, Mexico; the largest intercity bus network in the U.S. | greyhound.com |
| FlixBus | Major U.S. cities; integrated with Greyhound network across North America | flixbus.com |
| Megabus (Coach USA / Stagecoach) | Eastern, southern, midwestern, and western U.S.; budget pricing including $1 fares | us.megabus.com |
| Peter Pan Bus Lines | Northeast U.S., particularly New England, Mid-Atlantic, NYC region | peterpanbus.com |
| Trailways federation | Network of independent regional carriers — Adirondack, Burlington, Fullington, Martz, Pine Hill, NY Trailways and others | trailways.com |
| Jefferson Lines | Midwest and South — Minnesota to Texas and across | jeffersonlines.com |
| RedCoach | Premium intercity service in Florida, Texas, Georgia, California | redcoachusa.com |
| OurBus | Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets | ourbus.com |
10. Sources We Don’t Use as Primary
- Ticket-arbitrage and reseller operations that mark up prices above the carrier’s published fare
- Unlicensed bus carrier listings without FMCSA operating authority verification
- Scraped GTFS data without attribution to the source agency
- “Bus comparison” affiliate sites that appear to optimise for commission rather than rider information
- Carrier or agency marketing material as a substitute for FTA, FMCSA, or operating-agency primary documentation
- Social media posts as the sole basis for schedule, fare, or contact-detail claims
11. Verification Workflow
- Identify the right Tier 1 source. Start with the operating transit agency or intercity carrier on its .gov or .org domain.
- Verify the URL is live. Click through every link before publication.
- Dial-test phone numbers. Confirm customer-service numbers reach the agency or carrier.
- Verify addresses. Cross-check headquarters and customer-service center addresses against the agency’s contact page and USPS ZIP+4.
- Document fares, accessibility, and paratransit. Captured from agency-published sources only.
- Cross-check intercity service. Greyhound, FlixBus, Megabus, Peter Pan, Trailways station lists verified against each carrier’s own published terminal directory.
- Note GTFS feed status. Where the agency publishes a GTFS feed, note that data flows to Transit App, Moovit, and Google Maps Transit.
- Editor sign-off. Second editor reviews end-to-end before publication.
12. Federal and State Legal Framework
| Authority | What it covers |
|---|---|
| FTA Buses & Bus Facilities Program (49 U.S.C. § 5339) | Federal funding for bus and bus facility capital projects — $5.1B through 2026 |
| FTA Low or No Emission Bus Grants (49 U.S.C. § 5339(c)) | $5.6B through 2026 for zero- and low-emission buses and supporting infrastructure |
| Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12143) | Mandates paratransit complementary to fixed-route transit |
| 49 C.F.R. Part 37 | DOT regulations implementing ADA for transportation |
| Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. § 2000d) | Prohibits discrimination by federally-funded transit agencies based on race, colour, or national origin |
| FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 C.F.R. Parts 350–399) | Safety regulations governing interstate motor carriers including intercity bus |
| NHTSA FMVSS | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards including school bus standards |
| COPPA (15 U.S.C. §§6501–6506) | Children’s online privacy protection |
| FTC Endorsement Guides (16 C.F.R. Part 255) | Disclosure of material connections in advertising |
| DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512) | Notice-and-takedown framework for online copyright |
| CFAA (18 U.S.C. § 1030) | Computer fraud and unauthorised access |
13. Feedback on Our Sourcing
Spotted a source we should be using and aren’t? An agency, carrier, or fare-card system not yet covered? Email info@busschedules.org with subject line “Sourcing suggestion.” We’re particularly interested in transit agencies in smaller cities and rural areas, regional intercity carriers, and accessibility-related authoritative sources we may have missed.
Want to Suggest a Source?
Email us with the agency, carrier, or fare-card system and the URL of its primary source documentation. We add organisations that meet our editorial standards.
📧 Sourcing suggestion